This summer at Venture Café Phoenix, we’re inviting you to go on a journey with us, into the real, unfiltered stories of entrepreneurship.
Launching June 25th and running weekly through September 3rd, our Founder Journeys Summer Series will feature a different founder from our community each week in an intimate fireside chat format, moderated by the Venture Café Phoenix team.
Together, we’ll explore how they got started, the challenges they’ve faced, where they found funding, and what they’re building next. But beyond the startup story, we’ll go deeper, into the role community has played in shaping their path.
We’ll ask founders how engaging with Venture Café has impacted their journey, where they are today because of those connections, and what support has mattered most along the way. And just as importantly, we’ll explore how they want to give back, how they can support the broader ecosystem as it continues to grow.
This series is designed to be a two-way conversation between founders and community: learning from those building in real time, and strengthening the network that helps them (and all of us) move forward together.
Sponsored by: Extraordinary Network
In Partnership with Club Lumen and The Morning Rave™
Join Clate Mask, entrepreneur and leader in the Phoenix innovation ecosystem, for a conversation on what it really takes to build, scale, and sustain companies that serve small businesses at massive scale. As a longtime founder and operator in the software and entrepreneurial support space, Clate brings deep experience in building organizations that sit at the intersection of technology, automation, and small business growth.
This fireside chat explores the journey from startup founder to ecosystem builder—covering lessons learned from scaling high-growth companies, navigating the challenges of product-market fit and operational scale, and ultimately shifting toward broader community and economic impact work. The discussion also dives into how tools, systems, and networks can empower entrepreneurs to grow stronger businesses and create more resilient local economies.
Join Kira Burns, Founder of Gravitrex Mobility, for a conversation on challenging assumptions and designing innovative solutions that improve how people move through the world. Driven by a passion for accessibility and human-centered design, Kira is building technology that aims to expand independence and create new possibilities for individuals facing mobility challenges.
This fireside chat explores the founder journey behind bringing breakthrough ideas to life, from identifying unmet needs and developing transformative products to navigating the realities of innovation, fundraising, and commercialization. Hear lessons on resilience, purpose-driven entrepreneurship, and the role emerging technologies can play in creating a more inclusive future."
This summer at Venture Café Phoenix, we’re inviting you to go on a journey with us, into the real, unfiltered stories of entrepreneurship.
Launching June 25th and running weekly through September 3rd, our Founder Journeys Summer Series will feature a different founder from our community each week in an intimate fireside chat format, moderated by the Venture Café Phoenix team.
Together, we’ll explore how they got started, the challenges they’ve faced, where they found funding, and what they’re building next. But beyond the startup story, we’ll go deeper, into the role community has played in shaping their path.
We’ll ask founders how engaging with Venture Café has impacted their journey, where they are today because of those connections, and what support has mattered most along the way. And just as importantly, we’ll explore how they want to give back, how they can support the broader ecosystem as it continues to grow.
This series is designed to be a two-way conversation between founders and community: learning from those building in real time, and strengthening the network that helps them (and all of us) move forward together.
Sponsored by: Extraordinary Network
In Partnership with Club Lumen and The Morning Rave™
Join Clate Mask, entrepreneur and leader in the Phoenix innovation ecosystem, for a conversation on what it really takes to build, scale, and sustain companies that serve small businesses at massive scale. As a longtime founder and operator in the software and entrepreneurial support space, Clate brings deep experience in building organizations that sit at the intersection of technology, automation, and small business growth.
This fireside chat explores the journey from startup founder to ecosystem builder—covering lessons learned from scaling high-growth companies, navigating the challenges of product-market fit and operational scale, and ultimately shifting toward broader community and economic impact work. The discussion also dives into how tools, systems, and networks can empower entrepreneurs to grow stronger businesses and create more resilient local economies.
Join Kira Burns, Founder of Gravitrex Mobility, for a conversation on challenging assumptions and designing innovative solutions that improve how people move through the world. Driven by a passion for accessibility and human-centered design, Kira is building technology that aims to expand independence and create new possibilities for individuals facing mobility challenges.
This fireside chat explores the founder journey behind bringing breakthrough ideas to life, from identifying unmet needs and developing transformative products to navigating the realities of innovation, fundraising, and commercialization. Hear lessons on resilience, purpose-driven entrepreneurship, and the role emerging technologies can play in creating a more inclusive future."