Valley company gives local entrepreneurs a boost

In 2010, former senior executives from Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and iCrossing, formed Tallwave, a local venture management and business accelerator that helps digital entrepreneurs move beyond concept to early stage growth and a successful go-to-market strategy.

As the company continues to gain traction, their resources and ability to help Arizona entrepreneurs have become assets that are hard to find.

“In the end, we help companies plan their business, commercialize their products and successfully take them to market,” Steve Thompson says.

Thompson, a Tallwave venture services associate and ASU alum is also a two-time Edson Student Entrepreneur Initiative grant winner. He launched his first technology company, Textfinity, at age 19. Having gone through the process himself, Thompson now helps other technology companies find their place and launch successfully.

"Tallwave capabilities include concept validation, financial forecasting, process analysis, product planning, product development, brand design, website development and business development strategy," Thompson said.

The company works with companies at all stages of development, he added. Service costs vary.

Robert Wallace, executive vice president of venture services at Tallwave, says the company has worked with over 20 digital and technology companies since its inception in 2010, working closely with them to understand business needs and address areas of improvement.

Based on those needs, Wallace says, Tallwave recommends and executes specialized development ranging from product management to strategic marketing.

“[We] will ensure companies understand how to sustain operational success,” Wallace says. “Ultimately, Tallwave helps ventures solve business problems and accelerate their success.”

Tallwave’s innovation stems from years of digital and startup experience, allowing them to tie together industry best practices and well-rounded knowledge of today’s business world to deliver quality recommendations for ventures.

“Our venture management helps companies increase the momentum of their business operations,” Wallace says.

The solutions provided are highly specialized, thanks to Tallwave’s rich embrace of utilizing advanced social and content monitoring tools to understand market demand.

While the company’s portfolio contains some well-known clients, the heart of Tallwave rests in helping entrepreneurs. After all, the company was started by them.

“[Our] executive team has years of entrepreneurial experience and has successfully built, launched and sold multi-million dollar digital and technology companies,” Thompson says.

The commitment and the hope, Thompson says, is that Tallwave can help grow the entrepreneurial community in Phoenix, supporting the long-term growth of it in the state for years to come.

Started a year ago, Tallwave has 15 full-time employees. Their headquarters are in Phoenix. 

Submitted by Kyle Patton, writer, Office of University Initiatives