What if the future of tech in Arizona doesn’t start on a stage… but at a table with your laptop open? In a midtown Phoenix office, sixty people sat shoulder-to-shoulder—not to listen, but to build. No slides. No panels. No “circle back next week.” Just real-time AI workflows being created on the spot. In this episode of Inside the Ascent, Anisia Corona and The AI Collective, Phoenix shares why she’s done with passive tech events—and how the AI Collective grew from a small San Francisco apartment gathering into a 150,000-member global community fueled by one thing: shared curiosity in action. “We’re tired of the lectures,” she says. “We want you to walk out knowing something.” This isn’t networking for the sake of it. It’s a builder movement—and it’s landing in Phoenix.

Arizona’s growth is real—and so is the household chaos that comes with hot summers, constant deliveries, and back-to-school season.

Artificial intelligence isn’t just the future—it’s happening now in Arizona. In this episode, host Jennifer Conrad talks with Rob Anderson, co-lead of the new AI Collective Phoenix Chapter, about how a global community of 70,000+ innovators is helping people move from AI hype to real-world application.

What if you could rehearse your pitch with a digital version of your senator before walking into the room? In this episode of Inside the Ascent, Jennifer Conrad, Managing Editor of Arizona Ascent, sits down with Daniella Cuéllar Zapata, founder and CEO of Wipp AI,.

In Part 2 of The Sweet Rise of AZ Chimney Cakes, we step behind the oven with Janet, the head baker, and her daughter Wesley, the social media voice of…

What do you get when four sisters and their mom take a leap of faith, mix in European tradition, and add a dash of creativity? You get AZ Chimney Cakes — one of Mesa’s sweetest success stories.

What does it take to build an entire ecosystem that helps small businesses not just survive—but thrive? In this episode, we sit down with Kelley Keffer, a 20-year veteran in entrepreneurship and economic development, and the powerhouse behind Mesa Business Builder. From wet labs to tuition-free business training to podcasting studios built by the city itself, Kelley reveals how Mesa is rewriting the playbook for small business support.