“During our time in the program, our hope is to learn from community business leaders of various skills and backgrounds for a more holistic understanding of our business pursuits,” said Kirsten Bassett, CEO of Jackson Medical. Jackson Medical intends to create medical devices that are preventative, accessible, comfortable, and affordable.

FORGE Student Venture Pathways™ (SVP) is tasked with exposing every student at the university to entrepreneurial concepts and inspiring this mindset in as many students as possible, regardless of major. Our FORGE SVP Assistants are responsible for assisting the implementation of programs.

FORGE provides a diverse network of Mentors in Residence for startup entrepreneurs and students. Entrepreneurs are paired with mentors for one on one guidance in developing and refining their business goals.  Students are able to meet with mentors during office hours at FORGE locations.  This month FORGE welcomes three new Mentors in Residence to our team.  

"Just make the damn thing and ask questions later."  That's advice MindReady Co-Founder Jeremy Wolf offers to other startup entrepreneurs. MindReady provides sport psychology coaching and education to athletes, parents, and coaches.  MindReady's goal is to provide resources to help athletes be their best on and off the field. 

Local journalists play a unique and important role in local democracy as the "fourth estate." Recognizing that it’s hard to find in-depth, easy-to-understand information dedicated to the issues Arizonans are passionate about, Arizona Luminaria listens, learns and lights a path for people who want local news that’s a resource for action, equality and democracy.

(From Tucson Foodie)  University of Arizona FORGE (Finding Opportunities and Resources to Grow Entrepreneurs) recently announced the new Tucson City of Gastronomy (TCoG) speaker series, “The Business of Heritage Foods.” They’ll take place every second Thursday from 9 – 10 a.m. at FORGE at Roy Place, 44 N. Stone Ave.

The monthly series, which is part of the “Thursdays at FORGE” event series, is free to attend and provides resources on building and sustaining food-based businesses in Southern Arizona.

FORGE welcomes House Trevethan to this year’s FORGE Ahead accelerator program. House Trevethan aims to fill a gap in the market by addressing the need for small businesses to receive the same service and tools as Enterprise level organizations.  “Technology projects can be overwhelming,” said Heidi Trevethan.  “Having a proper, vetted tech roadmap in place before building any project is the key to success.  Proper documentation and processes along with kindness goes a long way!” 

STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Art Mathematics) FORGE is our newest location on the University of Arizona campus. Located in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Building, Room 234, STEAM FORGE is strategically located to connect with students from the College of Architecture, Planning & Landscape Architecture, College of Engineering, College of Fine Arts, College of Humanities, James E. Rogers College of Law and Eller College of Management. STEAM FORGE is a place for students to explore ideas, develop entrepreneurial skills, and learn about venture creation. 

As part of our Thursday series, FORGE at Roy Place hosts presentations from 9am - 10am, community co-working from 10am - 4pm, and on-site mentoring from 10am - 12pm.  In addition to FORGE programming, the building also houses important community partners including Startup Tucson, BlueStone Venture Partners, and the Tucson City of Gastronomy.  On Thursdays, you'll find drop-in mentoring available from our dedicated FORGE Mentor in Residence John Achoukian, and mentoring for food-based ventures from onsite Tucson City of Gastronomy mentors.  Be sure to check out our calendar of Thursday events and reserve your spot!

Our Resilience FORGE location is located on the Tucson Campus in ENR2 Room S120A. Resilience FORGE is a partnership between FORGE and the Arizona Institute for Resilient Environments and Societies.  At Resilience FORGE we work with students, faculty, staff, and community members to explore ideas to bring solutions to environmental and sustainability-related problems.  Through connecting with like-minded others and accessing resources, tools, mentors, and opportunities individuals can chart their path to tackling these big challenges.  Our student leaders, staff, and mentors are available during designated hours or by appointment to do individual or group consultations. Walk-ins always welcome!