Venture Programs
The Arizona Commerce Authority’s Venture Start, Venture Raise and Venture Scale were developed to support startups who are ready to take their business to the next level.
Venture Start is a six-session accelerator that helps early-stage startups validate their idea and target market, define and refine their go-to-market strategy and acquire early customers through interactive, live curriculum.
The Arizona Commerce Authority is proud to partner with ASU Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute to launch the Venture Start Fall 2025 Cohort. Attendees will have access to six dynamic hybrid sessions, self-paced modules, cutting-edge tools and a supportive statewide entrepreneurial community.
Participants who attend all six sessions will be recognized as a Venture Start Fall 2025 Founder and will receive a certificate, presented in front of local experts, funders and supporters. Five lucky startups will have the opportunity to pitch live for seed funding at the Venture Challenge Showcase, held during the cohort’s last session on December 9, 2025. A huge thank you to GoDaddy for donating $10,000 as part of the Venture Challenge Showcase seed funding.
To get started, click on the link below and set up an account on ASU’s portal to get connected with the Venture Start community, register for a session and access resources.
Fall 2025 Cohort Sessions
Session 1: Building Effective Strategies
Tuesday, October 28, 2025
5:00pm to 7:00pm
Hybrid - ASU 850 PBC in Phoenix or Virtual
Learn the entrepreneurial mindset and tools like the Business Model Canvas to test and refine your idea—walking away with frameworks that connect you to Arizona’s innovation ecosystem.
Session 2: Desirability
Tuesday, November 4, 2025
5:00pm to 7:00pm
Hybrid - ASU 850 PBC in Phoenix or Virtual
Explore how to identify customer needs, design strong value propositions and speak the language of customer discovery.
Session 3: Viability
Wednesday, November 12, 2025
5:00pm to 7:00pm
Hybrid - ASU 850 PBC in Phoenix or Virtual
Discover what makes a venture financially sustainable—mapping revenue streams, cost structures and scalable models.
Session 4: Feasibility
Tuesday, November 18, 2025
5:00pm to 7:00pm
Hybrid - ASU 850 PBC in Phoenix or Virtual
Move from idea to action with prototyping, team building and partnerships that prove you can deliver.
Session 5: Legal & Pitch Prep
Tuesday, November 25, 2025
5:00pm to 7:00pm
Hybrid - ASU 850 PBC in Phoenix or Virtual
Cover the essentials for starting your venture—registration, licensing, compliance—while learning how to tell your story in a compelling pitch.
Session 6: Venture Challenge & Celebration
Tuesday, December 9, 2025
5:00pm to 7:00pm
Hybrid - ASU 850 PBC in Phoenix or Virtual
Celebrate all startups who engaged in all six sessions with certificates in front of community leaders. Then watch as five selected startups pitch live for seed funding and community recognition.
To participate in either Venture Raise or Venture Scale, startups must apply to the Arizona Innovation Challenge (AIC), the largest business plan competitions in the nation. AIC Semifinalists and Finalists will gain invitations to Venture Raise. AIC awardees will participate and graduate from Venture Scale (previously known as Venture Ready).
Venture Raise is a 12-week accelerator that focuses on funding options, how to pitch to investors, startup financial health and more. The hybrid course is taught through hybrid learning models, virtual webinars and in-person board of advisor deliberations. Following each week's session, founders continue their learning through a series of value-added deliverables meant to be completed weekly. These deliverables allow founders to apply each session’s learnings to refine and further their businesses through design thinking tools, planning documents and investor communication documents. At the end of the program, founders will have a battle-tested KPI dashboard, experiment backlog, financial model, pitch deck and company one-pager.
Venture Scale is a six-month long accelerator that provides founders with customized consultation sessions and deep dives into product-market and scaling. Each founder is paired with an Entrepreneur-in-Residence, an entrepreneur who is in the most experienced ranks of the ACA Venture Development Mentorship program. As AIC Awardees and future Venture Scale Alumni, graduating founders have a number of chances to improve their pitch, their team and opportunities to pitch in front of an increasing number of funders.