ENTREPRENEURS & INNOVATORS
SmartGurlz Sparks Passion in Computer Sci THE ‘SMART’ IN SMARTGURLZ The unique, interactive, self-balancing robots and dolls that comprise the SmartGurlz line are controlled with the SugarCoded™ App than can be downloaded onto an IOS or android phone or tablet that, once downloaded, requires no Wi-Fi, just Bluetooth. A full, step-by-step tutorial teaches basic coding strategies so young girls can maneuver the toys around obstacle courses of their own design. With several levels of learning and challenges, the toy keeps kids occupied several hours a week for four to six months.
Appearing on ABC’s “Shark Tank” earlier this year, SmartGurlz founder Sharmi Albrechtsen beat out 40,000 other entrepreneurs and negotiated with guest “shark” Richard Branson before closing a deal with Daymond John on her line of groundbreaking toys that use an award-winning robotics platform to teach basic coding skills to girls as young as six years old. “Many girls’ toys lag behind in the development of spatial skills, hands-on problem solving skills, and confidence with coding and computer science,” explains the Scottsdale resident. “These are exactly the skills that SmartGurlz aims to develop.” Albrechtsen, a robotics aficionado, educator, author and mom with a passion for closing the diversity gap in technology, started SmartGurlz in 2015 after becoming frustrated with the lack of STEM toys available for her daughter. The SmartGurlz flagship product, Siggy, was the first robotics product designed specifically for girls. More than 30,000 girls have been educated with SmartGurlz. The Scottsdalebased company partners include
BlackGirlsCode, Girl Scouts of the United States of America and Morrison Mentors. Its recently expanded product line now includes Smart Buddies (a joint-venture with Pitsco Education), which features a diverse set of characters suitable for both girls and boys, is targeted toward schools. “Due to COVID-19, our warehouse for SmartGurlz was shut down for 15 weeks. We, therefore, transferred all customers to Smart Buddies and created a virtual education opportunity,” she says, explaining the company’s name is still SmartGurlz but it can offer only its Smart Buddies range during the pandemic. “Luckily our school distribution company stayed opened and delivered during the pandemic.” Since May 1st, SmartGurlz has been offering free webinars and reducedpriced camps. “Our camps became an overnight success, selling out in weeks and named Best Virtual STEM Camp by Good Housekeeping,” says Albrechtsen. “Therefore, we expanded our camp offerings and only offer an occasional webinar.” Sharmi Albrechtsen was recently given AdWeek’s Disruptor Award in
Championing Gender Diversity in Advertising and Tech. She has also been named Women Entrepreneur of the Year 2018 by the Asian Chamber of Commerce as well as named a Morgan Stanley Multi-Cultural Innovation Lab fellow. Albrechtsen has been featured in Forbes, Huffington Post, Financial Times, “Fox Business News,” “Fox and Friends” and CNN. She is also a featured TEDx speaker. —Mike Hunter SmartGurlz smartbuddies.com
StartupAZ Foundation formed in 2015 to empower a stronger statewide ecosystem for high-growth companies to scale, catalyzing Arizona’s new economy rooted in technology and innovation. To be considered for the Collective, companies must have a scalable business model with an innovative, marketdefining technology. startupaz.org
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INBUSINESSPHX.COM
Five years ago, StartupAZ Foundation was nothing more than a shared vision among a group of entrepreneurs and community leaders who believed our ecosystem could be so much more. We wanted to create something that would empower local entrepreneurs to grow, give back and positively impact the state — and simultaneously begin to shift Arizona’s economy away from the volatile real estate industry and more toward innovation and technology. Today, as we enter our fifth year under the dedicated leadership of our board — Jack Alling, Ji Mi Choi, Brad Jannenga, Jim Prendergast, Gregg Scoresby, Brenda Schmidt and Sarah Strunk, along with our chairman, Tom Curzon — I find myself continually reminded of the acts of generosity and collaborative spirit that have fortified Phoenix’s startup ecosystem. This is prevalent in so many ways — from the dozens of Arizona-based startups and venture firms that have taken the Generosity Pledge, to the founders and startup leaders
Just one year ago, WalletHub ranked Arizona seventh best of U.S. states in which to start a business.
who have dedicated themselves to the growth and success of one another. And every year since the launch of the StartupAZ Collective, an initiative dedicated to increasing the performance and growth of the region’s highest-potential startups, I’ve seen this spirit of generosity play out among the StartupAZ Founders in Residence network and the founders in the Collective. These benevolent entrepreneurs actively contribute to the Valley’s generosity flywheel by casting aside the fear competition and instead opting for collaboration and alliance in driving their collective performance. It’s often these acts of generosity that build up our community and local economy more than capital. The performance numbers of the Collective members back this up. In the last two quarters of 2019, these companies increased their revenue by an average of 329 percent. —Brandon Clarke, co-founder and interim CEO of StartupAZ Foundation (startupaz.org)
Photo courtesy of SmartGurlz
Driving Arizona’s Startup Community from Behind the Generosity Flywheel
