phoenix-startup
(3)
Ink'd Greetings
Ink'd Greetings is a Phoenix-based startup building self-service kiosks that let shoppers design, personalize and print a real greeting card - and optionally load a gift card onto it - in about 30 seconds for $2.99. Founded in 2023 by husband-and-wife team Andrew and Sammi Ekmark, the company is pitching a modern, on-demand alternative to the Hallmark-dominated card aisle, placing machines in malls, campus stores and retail partners. It has raised roughly $1M in seed funding (led by Hamid Shojaee of AZ Disruptors) and is expanding toward a nationwide footprint.
The Pause Technologies Inc.
The Pause Technologies Inc. is a Phoenix-based, female-founded healthtech company building Harmoni, an AI companion for women navigating perimenopause, menopause, and beyond. Its app pairs a 24/7 AI wellness coach with symptom tracking, wearable data (Apple Health, Fitbit, Oura, Garmin), gamified journeys, and clinician-reviewed content to turn the confusing hormonal transition into something women can understand and act on. Founded by AI entrepreneur and MIT Sloan graduate Susan Sly with clinician Dr. Mia Chorney, the company is targeting the roughly 50 million U.S. women experiencing menopause symptoms.
Andrew Ekmark
Andrew Ekmark is the CEO and co-founder of Ink'd Greetings, a Phoenix-based startup that builds touchscreen kiosks printing personalized greeting cards on demand in about 30 seconds. He launched the company in 2023 with his wife Sammi after a frustrating last-minute Valentine's Day card hunt at Target, and has since grown the business to kiosks across dozens of states, raising roughly $2.5 million while taking direct aim at the legacy greeting card industry.