About Us
Our History
Where vision and capital intersect.
AZ-VC was built out of necessity to fill the void that existed in terms of capital sources for post-revenue companies looking to expand beyond seed-level financing. Without local financing options, these companies relied on venture capitalists outside of Arizona in places like Silicon Valley, Salt Lake City, Denver and elsewhere.
Fundraising is always hard – it’s even harder when you are from out-of-town.
In 2020, invisionAZ and its Chairman Jack Selby, made an announcement to lead the charge to create the largest venture capital fund in the state’s history. Anchored with $25M from Pinnacle West Capital Corporation, AZ-VC (formerly invisionAZ Fund) began to take shape.
In collaboration with prominent members of the Arizona community, this historic milestone has been achieved, demonstrating the inertia and conviction behind Arizona’s thriving tech ecosystem.
World class venture capital to end the ‘funding desert’ paradox.
We target proven, post-revenue local companies, cherry-pick the best and brightest, and help ensure that these companies grow, thrive and flourish in Arizona.
Stage Focus
Series A/B investments, post-revenue, seasoned entrepreneurs strong preference.
Sector Focus
Sector agnostic, entrepreneur-focused process. Jockey not the horse.
Geographic Focus
We invest primarily in Arizona domiciled technology companies. We also consider regional companies who will relocate to Arizona upon investment.
Sound Like you?
Our team would be happy to learn more about your company and explore a possible fit.
PARTNERSHIPS TO CREATE TANGIBLE RESULTS
Shaping technology growth beyond venture capital.
Founded in 2016, invisionAZ is a non-profit created to help advance the technology ecosystem in Arizona. invisionAZ is led by a Board of Directors that represents the executive leadership of companies like PayPal, Carvana, Mayo Clinic, Offerpad, APS, CenturyLink, Cox, Trinity Capital, Keap and many more.
As its signature event, invisionAZ hosts an annual tech summit with Governor Ducey that focuses on three areas of advancement – human capital/entrepreneurs, financial capital/VC funding and mentorship.
Mr. Gibbons, Vice Chair and Chief Financial Officer of Western Alliance Bancorporation (NYSE:WAL), has more than 30 years of experience in commercial banking and oversees the Bank’s financial and treasury functions and manages its blockchain and digital assets, legal settlement services, and corporate trust business verticals. Prior to joining Western Alliance, he was CFO of Zions Bancorporation. He is a summa cum laude graduate of Arizona State University and a CPA.
Mr. Lynch brings over 25 years of experience building, leading & managing technology teams as well as leading transformation, digital, & M&A agendas to advance technology in organizations. Mr. Lynch is currently at Western Alliance Bank and leads the Enterprise Architecture, Enterprise Data & Analytics, & Enterprise Platform functions for the bank. Prior to joining Western Alliance, Mr. Lynch spent 13 years building & leading both the Enterprise Architecture and M&A functions at TransUnion. He previously held various leadership & architecture roles at Allstate and Accenture. Mike has an undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University and a Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University.
Alicia is President and Chief Executive Officer at CPLC with more than 23 years of financial and operational management experience in both for-profit and non-profit businesses. Prior to joining CPLC in 2006, Alicia was Assistant Director of Finance for The Ritz Carlton, Huntington Hotel and Spa in Pasadena, California.
Sanika is a recent graduate of Arizona State University- Barrett the Honors College with a B.S. Finance and B.S. Accounting. During her undergraduate program, she was involved in the Alpha Kappa Psi Business Fraternity and served as the Consulting Engagement Lead, Sponsorship Chair and Financial Chair where she developed her passion for helping businesses grow.
Tony has over 30 years working with innovative, high-growth brands, and deep expertise leading marketing, business development and strategic partnerships. He has served as a Venture Partner at AZ-VC since April 2024. Previously he served as the Chief Media Officer for Verizon Communications Inc. (NSYE: VZ), one of the world’s leading providers of technology and communications services, from September 2021 to March 2023. Prior to that, from 2017 to 2021, Mr. Wells served in several senior marketing roles at USAA including Chief Brand Officer, for the 13-million-member Fortune 100 financial services company. From 2007 to 2017 Mr. Wells served as Chief Marketing Officer for brands such as 24 Hour Fitness, ADT Security and Schneider Electric NA.
Anthony Soohoo is a seasoned executive in technology, AI, and digital transformation with over 25 years of experience. His diverse background includes roles as CEO, Fortune 100 executive, entrepreneur, and global board director at world-class companies such as Walmart, CBS, Yahoo!, and Apple. He has a demonstrated track record of guiding a range of companies through the complexities of hyper-growth and digital transformations.
Robert (Bob) Smith is executive vice president, general counsel and chief development officer of Pinnacle West Capital Corporation (PNW) and its primary subsidiary, Arizona Public Service Company. He also serves as President of Pinnacle West’s non-regulated energy and transmission operating subsidiaries, including El Dorado Investment Corporation, PNW’s venture capital and venture debt investment vehicle, and Bright Canyon Energy, PNW’s non-regulated solar, battery and micro-grid solutions company. Smith is responsible for overseeing all facets of the company’s legal affairs and governance function as well as providing executive leadership on the company’s strategies and growth plans. Smith focuses on helping companies innovate and develop their growth plans and strategies.
Jay helps companies execute and scale from idea to exit. He founded and sold Spiceworks (acq. by ZiffDavis), where he served as VP Marketing, COO and CEO, and led product marketing and management at Motive (IPO), growing both companies to over $70M/year in revenue. Jay started his career on the ‘buy side’ of technology at 3M leading 6 Sigma teams across the company. Jay is also a Venture Partner at Shasta Ventures where he led the firm’s Elevate go-to-market program and serves as an advisor or board member for several companies.
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Avery is a seasoned CFO who has spent the past 20 years working with venture firms including Shasta Ventures, Lightspeed, and Francisco Partners.
Brianna is a student at Arizona State University completing her undergraduate degrees in Finance and Business Global Politics. She has also completed a part of her undergraduate experience abroad at the University of Manchester in England. As a young professional still early in her career, she has had experiences in the startup and Big 4 Financial Services spaces.
