These tech founders share 9 things they are grateful for this year

Tech founders, what is one thing you are grateful for this year?

To help you gain insight into the lives of tech founders, we asked AZ tech founders and other tech industry leaders this question for their responses. From being grateful for Arizona’s startup ecosystem to being grateful for new opportunities and change, there are several things that these tech founders are grateful for in 2022.

Here are nine things these tech founders are grateful for this year:

Grateful for Az’s Startup Ecosystem
Grateful to Have Relocated to Arizona
Grateful to Live and Work in AZ
Grateful for the Growth We Have Seen in 2022
Grateful for The Little Things
Grateful for a Co-founder Who Compliments My Skills
Grateful for Inspiring Partners
Grateful for the Sense of Peace
Grateful for New Opportunity and Change

Grateful for Az’s Startup Ecosystem

I’m so grateful there are organizations such as StartupAZ who are focused on helping to connect founders, partners, and resources to drive performance and foster support for startups in our community. Company building is never easy, but having a strong network of advocates, fellow business owners, and subject matter experts is key. As a tech founder, there’s a myriad of things that need to be managed, planned for, and maintained each and every day. Being part of a startup ecosystem is a gift that keeps on giving, and I’m so grateful for it.

Kate DeGon, Founder and CEO, ChangeSync

Grateful to Have Relocated to Arizona

Identified PHX as a perfect hub for our US Corporate office. Accessibility of flight routes to our client destinations was a key factor. Others included cost of living (affordability relative to other hubs), and quality of life factors (livability). I personally moved my family down from Canada and the quality of life impact has been significant.

Highly recommend the greater Phoenix area for other Tech/Software companies to consider HQ.

Justin Reid, VP Sales, Vitruvi Software

Grateful to Live and Work in AZ

Living and working in Scottsdale, AZ has been a big and welcome change for me. Our business is distributed throughout the globe, with 6 global offices. While travel is essential to what we do and how we work with private equity clients, coming back home to Scottsdale every week has been a true source of joy for me. The community here has been welcoming to CEOs and founders, and something I will cherish for many years to come.

Ken Kanara, CEO, ECA Partners

Grateful for the Growth We Have Seen in 2022

I am grateful that we have been able to continue “GR0ing” our business, despite launching during the height of the pandemic. Seeing that our team has expanded to meet the demands of the business has been a great indicator in our hard work and dedication paying off. It’s truly amazing to see how we have developed a hybrid team that is providing for our clients while justifying our place in the digital marketing world. Our entire team is looking forward to keep pushing yourselves in 2023 and beyond.

Jonathan Zacharias, Founder, GR0

Grateful for The Little Things

These days, I find myself grateful for the little things. In truth, I am always grateful for family, friendship, and health. Today, though, I find myself particularly grateful for sunshine, a cozy reading chair and my home. I try to take time daily to reflect on what I am grateful for so that on hard days I can flip back through past gratitude and remember how much I have in my life to be thankful for.

Chandler Rogers, CEO, Relay

Grateful for a Co-founder Who Compliments My Skills

I’m grateful to have a co-founder that perfectly complements my skillset. Of the many internet businesses I have started and sold, I have always been a solo founder. With SquidVision I finally decided to bring on a co-founder and I couldn’t be more grateful. My skillset falls into the marketing and growth side of the business while his is in the software design and analytics side. It is such a relief not to have to worry about that side of things so I can focus on growth.

Adam White, Founder, SquidVision

Grateful for Inspiring Partners

Our software development team is based in Ukraine and seeing firsthand the ways in which they have responded to the tragedies of 2022 has emboldened me in many ways. I’ve had the opportunity to stay more connected to their cause and help raise funds for their needs, but also they’ve inspired me to show up every day with a good attitude. If they’re able to be cheery and cordial with all that is going on in their lives, I have no excuses.

Brett Ungashick, CEO & CHRO, OutSail

Grateful for the Sense of Peace

It may sound trite, but this year I am so grateful for the sense of peace I have cultivated within myself. Just a couple of years ago, when the global pandemic hit, many of us were rocked by it in every way from business to personal. For me, it was all of the above.

I was living in a constant state of fight or flight for 2 years straight and it felt impossible to climb out of this hole I had fallen into. This predicament forced me to learn and build new tools within myself and find a sense of balance and groundedness that I had never achieved in my lifetime before. As a result, I feel unshakable. I am relentlessly protective of my peace by questioning and in some cases eliminating anything or any person that challenges it. This has been the most freeing and transformative skill to date.

Cayla Gao, Public Relations Manager, Depology

Grateful for New Opportunity and Change

As a digital marketer, I’m grateful for the new opportunities coming from an increasingly digital world. With change comes opportunity and I’m fortunate to be positioned in several highly unsaturated opportunities. It’s really exciting and motivating to see what I do have an impact on my revenue and the lives of other people! I’m doubling down on YouTube content, blogs, membership content, affiliate marketing, and building courses!

John Siciliano, Creator, Create Today