Welcome to Optics Valley (Tucson, AZ)

Overlooked and Untapped Engine for Arizona’s Economic Future – Tucson is known as Optics Valley, with a reach across the state. It reports a $4 billion economic impact from Arizona’s optics, photonics, and astronomy industries. It is estimated that 100 to 300 companies related to the field have their home in Arizona. These companies are primarily small, generating revenue of well below $75 million.

Our Opportunities

Intentionality in developing tech startups

At Startup Zones, our team of experienced facilitators and trained mentors equips scalable tech startups with the tools and methodologies needed to succeed. We specialize in lean and agile practices across market segmentation, customer discovery and validation, business model development, go-to-market strategy, financial modeling, team formation, and more.

In today’s ecosystem, investors often spend valuable time and resources coaching founders who aren’t yet venture-ready. Startup Zones changes that. We prepare high-potential startups to hit the ground running—minimizing investor risk, accelerating due diligence, and increasing the odds of meaningful returns.

Influence the ecosystem mindset shift

Startup Zones is more than a training ground for entrepreneurs; we’re a catalyst for a mindset shift in the ecosystem. We challenge the old scarcity-driven approach and replace it with one rooted in abundance, collaboration, and shared opportunity. We foster the relationship of local supply chains and joint ventures on projects where one company can’t support its customers’ needs.

We foster relationships that cross boundaries between startups and established companies, across industries and scientific disciplines, and among academia, researchers, and business leaders. This shift from silos to synergy builds the trust, velocity, and innovation capacity needed to grow a thriving, future-ready economy.

Recruit industries leveraging optics and photonics

Startup Zones seeks to work with local chambers to actively recruit companies and industries whose solutions are powered by optics and photonics innovation. These technologies are foundational to everything from advanced manufacturing to healthcare, defense, fusion energy, and next-gen communications and computing. This will also advance tech licensing efforts.

By partnering with local firms and tapping into regional expertise, these companies can accelerate product development while fueling local economic growth. This strategy also directly addresses the 80% brain drain challenge, keeping top talent engaged, employed, and invested in building the future right here in Optics Valley.