The TENWEST June WEST WATCH

Hey TENWESTIES!

We've been working hard planning TENWEST 2025 and have some exciting updates to share! As we harness the spirit of innovation for this year's event, we also wanted to take a moment to reminisce about the success of 2023's Innovation Day. Join us as we reflect on some inspiring moments and get ready for more groundbreaking ideas in the upcoming festival. See more below and remember to

SAVE THE DATE: MARCH 25-30, 2025

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UPDATE!! in 2025, TENWEST will utilize a decentralized model to take advantage of Tucson's unique venues and public spaces, creating a vibrant and immersive experience throughout the city. This is the next big step in our reimagining of TENWEST to reflect the dynamism and diversity of our community, showcasing everything from historic landmarks to cutting-edge innovation hubs. We are excited to bring new energy and perspectives to this year's festival, and we need your input! If you have a cool venue in mind in or near downtown that you'd like to see on the schedule, send us an email and let us know. Together, we can make TENWEST 2025 the best yet!

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Flashback to our 2023 Innovation Day! We had unique presenters and inspiring keynotes leaving us feeling optimistic and ready to innovate. Our speakers discussed trending topics such as Artificial Intelligence, Workforce and Economic Development, Cryptocurrencies, Agriculture/Food Systems, Social Impact, and Sustainability. We were thrilled to host a top tier keynote lineup that included Alex Rosen from GoDaddy and Dante Lauretta and Erika Hamden from the OSRIS-REx mission during lunch and Andy Ruben from Trove and Shalin Jyotishi from New America in the afternoon. The day was filled with enlightening discussions and networking opportunities, culminating in a lively networking happy hour. To top it all off, we headed over to 191 Toole to enjoy a fantastic performance by Noah Gunderson providing a perfect end to an inspiring day. Innovation Day was a resounding success, and we are already looking forward to bringing even more groundbreaking ideas to the festival next year. Stay tuned for more updates!

If you missed out or would like to watch the keynote presentations again you can find them on our YouTube Channel

If you remember seeing the podcasting set up in the main lobby of the convention center, we're excited to announce that the TENWEST podcast, TENWEST Talks is now live! We'll be posting interviews every Thursday with some of our amazing speakers, recorded keynotes, and more. The best news? We already have episodes for you to binge! Check us out on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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	Episode 10: Andy Rueben, Founder and Executive Director of Trove, and Scott Hessell from the University of Arizona chat about retailing in the era of the Internet. Retailing continues to change dramatically with each generation, and consumers now have very different expectations than even 10 years ago. Andy and Scott also discuss the importance of sustainability in fashion and how consumer behavior and preferences have driven retailers to focus more on reselling and upcycling.
EPISODE 11: What would a world look like without cars? Culdesac is finding out. Ryan Johnson, Co-Founder & CEO of Culdesac, an Arizona-based company building the first car-free neighborhood from scratch in the U.S. Private vehicle ownership is the largest source of carbon emission pollution and a driver of disconnection as we spend hours commuting. Ryan will share Culdesac’s innovative approach to car-free urban design, the challenges and opportunities, and how to build neighborhoods that prioritize sustainability, productivity, and happiness.
	EPISODE 12: Andre Whittington from Growth Partners Arizona and Keneshia Raymond from Startup Tucson discuss what it takes to help entrepreneurs access and deploy capital effectively. There are so many amazing organizations that exist to support entrepreneurs throughout the state and the country and Andre and Keneshia talk about the work that has been done and the work that we still need to do to help communities all over Arizona get access to micro-lending and alternative funding for entrepreneurs.