Best of Tech Investing - Venture Capital & Angel Investing - AZ TRT S05 EP41 (257) 11-3-2024
Release Date: 11/11/2024
AZ Tech Roundtable 2.0
High Growth, Higher Risk: The Business of Cannabis w/ Melissa Diaz of Highrock Accounting - AZ TRT S07 EP07 (289) 4-12-2026 What We Learned This Week Cannabis Companies Are Taxed on Gross Margin Because of 280E, they can’t deduct ordinary business expenses — creating massive tax burdens. Federal Classification Drives Everything Schedule I status impacts taxation, banking, regulation, and investor appetite. Many Companies Are Playing Legal Offense Some are challenging 280E aggressively, treating unpaid taxes as a strategic risk. Licensing Structure...
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From Clinical Need to Market: How Medical Devices Are Built w/ Stuart Broyles of MDM2 - AZ TRT S07 EP06 (288) 3-29-2026 What We Learned This Week: Medical devices can take a decade to reach patients Bringing a medical device to market isn’t quick. Phoenix is quietly becoming a major MedTech hub The Valley has a growing cluster of medical technology companies including: The biggest risk in medical innovation is building something doctors don’t need One of the most common failures in MedTech is creating technology without validating the clinical...
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Designing Disruption: Electric Motor Bikes for Your Lifestyle w/ Tim Seward of Onyx Motors - AZ TRT S07 EP05 (287) 3-15-2026 Things We Learned This Week Friction Creates Opportunity - Tim’s parking problem in San Francisco sparked the entire company. Build the Prototype First - Instead of over-pitching, he built it, rode it, and let the market validate it. Disruption Requires Bold Engineering - If you want to be different, you must push boundaries — not make marginal upgrades. DIY Communities Are Innovation Labs - Study enthusiasts for insight —...
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Aging in Place: Safety, Technology, & Dignity w/ Drew Siefried of TruBlue Ally - AZ TRT S07 EP04 (286) 3-1-2026 Things We Learned This Week · America is aging rapidly - By 2030, 1 in 5 Americans will be over 65. · Most seniors want to stay in their homes - More than 80% of older adults prefer aging in place rather than moving to assisted living. · Technology is transforming senior safety -...
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Reinventing Retirement: The Future of the 401(k) w/ Ted Benna the Father of the 401k - AZ TRT S07 EP03 (285) 2-22-2026 Things We Learned This Week · The 401(k) Was Almost an Accident - A small 1978 tax provision turned into one of the most important financial innovations in modern history. · Regulation Built the Framework - The original law was only two pages. The real structure came later through Treasury rules and regulatory oversight. ...
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AZ TRT 2.0 - Solving the Worlds Problems through Design w/ Celeste Wilson of Form180 - AZ TRT S07 EP02 (285) 2-8-2026 Things We Learned This Week · People Are Remodeling Instead of Moving With rising home and land prices, homeowners are choosing to invest in their current homes—upgrading, expanding, and modernizing rather than starting over somewhere new. · Home Offices Are Now Permanent—and Must Be Designed Intentionally The best home offices allow for...
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Cybersecurity, Ransomware, + AI Usage Guardrails w/ Gary Perkins of CISO Global - AZ TRT S07 EP01 (284) 1-18-2026 What We Learned This Week: · Most cyber attacks are preventable Basic controls, training, and awareness can stop the majority of threats. · Humans are both the weakest link and the strongest defense Ongoing education and awareness turn employees into an effective “human firewall.” · ...
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Pickleball & the Growth of Sports Enterprises & Investment w/ Evan Floersch of the Texas Ranchers Pickleball Team - AZ TRT S06 EP21 (283) 11-23-2025 What We Learned This Week: 1. Pickleball is now fully professionalized with a unified league structure. The merger of PPA + MLP created a stable, closed league system with real team economics, structured seasons, and national distribution. 2. Media partnerships are accelerating the sport’s visibility. Pickleball now has a dedicated channel, plus national TV...
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Startups from Funding to Community w/ Daniela Santagelo of Freeway - AZ TRT S06 EP15 (277) 10-19-2025 What We Learned This Week: Freeway - Helping Startups - Talent • Capital • Community Talent Retention & Reinvestment are key to building a Flywheel Phoenix Tech Ecosystem is growing, but not yet mature Always need more VC Funding + Deal Flow Government Partnership as enabler for Tech Guest: Daniela Santagelo I’m a founder, startup ecosystem builder, and civic innovation partner working at the intersection of...
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AZ Bio Week & Life Sciences Innovation w/ Joan Koerber-Walker - AZ TRT S06 EP19 (281) 10-12-2025 Things We Learned This Week AZ Bio mission to improve life and bioscience, & make AZ a Top Ten Bioscience state AZ Bio Week 2025 - Oct. - 5 Days Talks, Events & Awards AZ Advances - nonprofit donation to biotech startups Aqualung Therapeutics is treating inflammation in the lungs, get people off ventilators & save lives Calviri is working on a Vaccine to PREVENT Cancer, currently largest animal clinical trial Anuncia Medical has a Re-Flow product to...
info_outlineBest of Tech Investing - Venture Capital & Angel Investing
AZ TRT S05 EP41 (257) 11-3-2024
What We Learned This Week:
- ATI - Arizona-based investors committed to supporting capital needs of early stage high growth technology driven companies within Arizona
- Applicants for Funding need to Answer many Q’s
- What Problem does your Product Solve? Who is your Competition? How Big is the Market?
- Startup Founders need to research VCs
- Startup Founders need to learn how to Tell Their Story, then work on the Pitch Deck
Seg 1
Clips from: How do Startup Founders Raise Venture Capital? w/ Chris Smurthwaite of VC Insider
- AZ TRT S04 EP05 (167) 1-29-2023
What We Learned This Week
- EX VC or ‘Recovering’ VC who now works with Startup Founders to help them raise $ money & build their business.
- Startup Founders need to research VCs to understand what type of fund they have, do some research on the fund, industry & and who they work with
- What VCs do not appreciate - How to Contact a VC, do not spam, make the email personalized, this is a commitment, build a relationship
- Startup Founders need to learn how to Tell Their Story, then work on the Pitch Deck with Problem / Solution Model
- What is the Exit Strategy? Exit by Acquisition, or by IPO (go public)

Guest: Chris Smurthwaite of VC Insider
https://www.linkedin.com/in/csmurthwaite/
Chris Smurthwaite is an ex-venture capitalist.
He consults with & advises Startups on navigating the complex world of Venture Capital. He spent the last decade in corporate strategy, business development and growth operations on both the investor and innovator sides of the table.
At age 30, was hired to run a corporate venture capital fund for a $1.4 billion company.
Among other accomplishments, the fund made:
- A Seed level investment in a health tech company in 2018 which sold for $425M in 2021
- An early stage investment in a company that was acquired for $106M — 7x valuation gain over initial investment.
Since 2013, I have:
- Advised ambitious Founders whose companies are valued from $500K to $250M
- Established multi-million dollar business development partnerships with emerging companies
- Made early stage, on-and-off balance sheet investments
FULL Show: HERE
Seg 2
Clips From:
Arizona Tech Investors w/ Bob DeLean
AZ TRT S04 EP46 (209) 11-19-2023
What We Learned This Week
- ATI - Arizona-based investors committed to supporting capital needs of early stage high growth technology driven companies within Arizona
- Applicants for Funding need to Answer many Q’s
- What Problem does your Product Solve? Who is your Competition? How Big is the Market? Who are Your Advisors? What is the Business Plan? Sales Plan?
- Building a Company takes longer than you think, & costs more $ than you expect
Guest: Bob DeLean, Executive Director of Arizona Tech Investors
LKIN: HERE
https://arizonatechinvestors.com/about-us/leadership/
Bob DeLean has been an investor with ATI for more than 11 years and currently serves as the organization’s Chairman. He spent eight years as a Senior Equity Analyst with Morgan Keegan & Co., Inc., a wealth management and capital market firm. It’s now part of Raymond James Financial Inc. Since moving back to Arizona in 2004, Bob has made 28 angel investments in early-stage and startup companies, the majority being based in Arizona. Bob is an outdoors enthusiast who enjoys road trips and spending time in nature.
In the summer of 2022, he and his life-partner Maria took a five-week driving trip through various National Parks, including Arches, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Park. They love wildlife and were fortunate enough to see a handful of black bears during the trip. Locally, Bob enjoys hiking through the Phoenix Mountain Preserve and seeing the occasional rogue coyote. He is also an avid mountain biker, but it never feels like he gets out enough. Bob loves to read (although the nightstand book pile is always growing), and is an expert coin collector.
Full Show: HERE
Best of Biotech from AZ Bio & Life Sciences to Jellatech: HERE
Biotech Shows: HERE
AZ Tech Council Shows:
https://brt-show.libsyn.com/size/5/?search=az+tech+council
*Includes Best of AZ Tech Council show from 2/12/2023
‘Best Of’ Topic: https://brt-show.libsyn.com/category/Best+of+BRT
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AZ Tech Roundtable 2.0 with Matt Battaglia
The show where Entrepreneurs, Top Executives, Founders, and Investors come to share insights about the future of business.
AZ TRT 2.0 looks at the new trends in business, & how classic industries are evolving.
Common Topics Discussed: Startups, Founders, Funds & Venture Capital, Business, Entrepreneurship, Biotech, Blockchain / Crypto, Executive Comp, Investing, Stocks, Real Estate + Alternative Investments, and more…
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