After a challenging week of business education, 11 Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) students from across the Valley competed to win The Big Pitch, CEI’s student startup challenge. On Wednesday, March 20, each student pitched business ideas before an audience and judging panel that consisted of Dr. Karla Fisher, Provost of MCCCD; James Goulka, Managing Director of AZ Tech Investors; Geoffrey Ossias, a partner at Perkins Coie; and Tom Zender, local CEO Mentor & Business Coach.

It’s been an exciting year for CEI. With a host of new programs and plenty of incoming clients to keep our staff busy, it can be hard to stay on top of all the new faces that come through our doors. However, the guest we’ve had over the last two months left a lasting impression.

Starting in October, we had the pleasure of hosting FOUR international groups, with individuals whose occupations ranged from entrepreneur to investor. With so much activity week after week, we wanted to give you a glimpse at how these events went. Keep reading for photos and recaps about the time spent with our new friends!

If there is one characteristic that’s consistent amongst all of our clients, it’s their relentless drive to build successful businesses. In fact, they’re making headlines, hitting milestones, and winning competitions so frequently that it’s even hard for us to keep up!

To make sure that their wins don’t go unrecognized, we’re launching a new, quarterly initiative to highlight their achievements. Keep reading to find a list of new clients and partners, graduating clients, and a list of everyone’s 2018 successes!

In the fall of 2017, CEI set out on an unprecedented mission: to launch one business led by students from Maricopa Community College. While we’ve had our fair share of success with incubating Arizona biomedical, technology, sustainability, and life science startups, we have always focused on supporting businesses from outside the community college district. But over the years, it’s become increasingly clear that many of the college students who are here furthering their education are doing so because they dream of eventually launching their own business.

CEI strives to support Arizona startups so that they can create future jobs and strengthen our local economy. But you’d be surprised to learn how many international entrepreneurs have made the decision to call the Phoenix Valley home! With founders from France, Germany, India and more, CEI is proud to serve as a melting pot for innovative ideas that come from all over the globe.

We’ve discovered that entrepreneurs need access to people with different perspectives to solve today’s toughest problems. That’s why we jumped at the opportunity to host YTILI Fellows for two weeks!