How the Phoenix Startup Economy Found the Space and Tools to Grow

A few years back, you would have been right to think of Phoenix as a backwater for makers and startups. But that notion has changed radically over the past year, due in part to the opening of a TechShop studio in Chandler, Arizona, about 25 miles from downtown Phoenix.

The makerspace opened in November 2013 as part of a deal with the Arizona State University. Students from the ASU College of Technology and Innovation share the shop with local residents. Together, they’ve sparked a startup scene.

“We have 80 student startups any given year that we’re supporting,” says Mitzi Montoya, Vice President and University Dean for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. “We looked at what our students didn’t have access to, and that turns out to be the same thing that local community didn’t have access to—and that is, tools.”