Entrepreneurship + Innovation at ASU has launched Venture Devils+, a pilot program this spring meant to help bridge the gap between early-stage ventures and investment-ready ventures. After earning funding from Demo Day pitch competitions, Venture Devils participants can then move into the next stage of mentorship through Venture Devils+, opening up more avenues for prototyping, mentorship and more to prepare their ventures to move into the next phase of business development.
Led by Venture Mentors Stephanie Sims and Marty Levy, the pilot program launched with a small cohort of ventures in March 2020 that previously won seed funding from ASU Venture Devils Demo Day for early-stage, ASU-affiliated startups. The ventures in the Venture Devils+ pilot program undergo intensive training and mentorship to help them develop their go-to-market strategy and prepare for venture-backed fundraising. Venture Devils+ will be offered this summer to selected ventures chosen to win seed funding during the May 2020 Venture Devils Demo Day.
EnKoat co-founder, Matthew Aguayo, notes that the mentorship provided by Venture Devils+ has allowed him and co-founder, Aashay Arora, to narrow in on their target market to get pilots of home builders and gain commercial traction.
See how others in the inaugural Venture Devils+ cohort have benefitted from this new program.
| Venture Name | Industry | Founder Name(s) | Funding Track from December 2019 Demo Day |
| EnKoat | Industrial | Aashay Arora and Matthew Aguayo | Edson Student Entrepreneur Initiative |
| Crystal Sonic | Manufacturing | Pablo Guimera Coll | Edson Student Entrepreneur Initiative |
| New Trails Navigators | Healthcare | Ramona Ramadas | Pakis |
| Strax Gear | Retail/Sustainability | Sean Dicke | Global Sport |
| Welby Health | Healthcare | Seth Merritt | Amazon Alexa Challenge |
