University of Phoenix Changes the Way Companies Innovate With New RedFlint Center in Las Vegas

Inaugural team of seven already gaining access to the technology and resources to educate, incubate and accelerate business ideas

LAS VEGAS, Oct. 14, 2016 — University of Phoenix announced today the grand opening of its first-of-its-kind experience center in downtown Las Vegas. The RedFlint™ experience center provides an experiential, hands-on learning environment to help spark innovation in large, mid-sized and small companies across an array of industries. The experience center provides startups and established businesses with access to the latest technology and business ideas to help them perform at a high level today, and learn how to be nimble and relevant for tomorrow.

According to a recent University of Phoenix study, more than a third of U.S. workers (37 percent) said they are looking for ways to grow their career skills, with 28 percent citing the specific need for additional technical skills. Furthermore, nearly one in four mid-career employees (age 30-39) specifically said they need additional innovation and creative skills in order to advance their career.1

“Innovation is critical to the success of a business no matter the size,’” said Dennis Bonilla, executive dean of the University of Phoenix College of Information Systems & Technology. “We’ve collaborated with companies like SAS and Toolwire to provide a showcase of technologies. When paired with guest speakers and other offerings, the center serves as an educational space where visitors can experience technologies and learn how to incorporate them into their business operations.”

The RedFlint experience center was created to address the need for businesses to adopt new technologies and advance new ideas, under-pinned by three main components:

1. Educate: Experiential learning and ideas will come to life in a technically advanced, yet approachable environment. The center will offer workshops at no-cost, and professional development opportunities that can be adapted as technologies and industries evolve, as well as technology that anyone can test.
2. Incubate: Established or startup companies can build their business plans surrounded by the technology and resources needed to get them off the ground. Companies can incubate new products, revenue streams or processes.
3. Accelerate: By sponsoring Iron Yard Ventures within the RedFlint™ experience center, entrepreneurs gain a way to take business to the next level with one of the premier accelerators to help propel their growth.

University of Phoenix’s sponsorship of Iron Yard Ventures provides startup businesses with convenient access to a premier business accelerator. Seven companies have been accepted to the inaugural Accelerator with Iron Yard Ventures and are already underway in an intense 13-week program. Throughout the program, they will be provided with mentorship, advice, strategy, investment and guidance in scaling a product or idea into a viable company or business.

The seven talented companies that have been accepted to the Iron Yard Ventures accelerator program at the experience center have already begun transforming their companies,” said Ryan Negri, managing director of Iron Yard Ventures Accelerator. “They are exceeding goals, reaching milestones quickly, and most have already identified, and have started taking meetings with investors to continue to scale.

Additionally, the RedFlint experience center will feature a rotating showcase to demonstrate the ways tech can enhance business, providing an up-close look at new technologies and assets. The showcases will update quarterly, and the inaugural experience center showcases feature an interactive cybersecurity challenge, telecommunications robots, virtual reality, and data visualization and sentiment analysis.

“Access to the tools, advice and network that will help a company or business innovate is invaluable to help businesses avoid traditional early business mistakes. At the RedFlint experience center, it’s all here in one place to help ensure they’re able to drive value out of an idea,” said Ruth Veloria, executive dean of University of Phoenix School of Business. “The experience center provides an environment where companies will be able to see their ideas blossom until launch, while gaining the business knowledge and skills needed to see them flourish.”

University of Phoenix has had a long-standing presence in the greater Las Vegas community with a ground campus in Summerlin and a learning center in Henderson. Its new RedFlint experience center is located in downtown Las Vegas, a growing technology and innovation hub.

“University of Phoenix is continuing investment in our community and the new RedFlint presence in downtown Las Vegas strengthens the community while showing a dedication to businesses here,” said Mayor Carolyn G. Goodman. “We invite everyone to the RedFlint experience center to see how the Center will change the way companies innovate and evolve.”

The RedFlint experience center will be open to the public beginning Saturday, Oct. 15, from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m., during community day. The center is located in the Bank of America Building at 300 South 4th Street, Suite 180, Las Vegas.

To learn more about RedFlint, visit: www.redflintvegas.com.

About the RedFlint experience center

Based in the vibrant innovative tech and business community in downtown Las Vegas, the over 10,000 square foot center located within the Bank of America Plaza building provides a local resource to educate, incubate and accelerate business ideas. The open floor plan boasts a variety of tools and spaces to support a variety of business needs. The RedFlint experience center encompasses advanced technologies and an experiential, hands-on learning environment to address and lend solutions for common issues including stagnation inside established businesses, a lack of resources for entrepreneurs and startup ventures and slow adaption to the technology curve. For more information about the RedFlint experience center, visit: www.redflintvegas.com.

About Iron Yard Ventures

Iron Yard Ventures is a seed stage investment firm and the sister organization of The Iron Yard Code Academy. Iron Yard Ventures has a network of nationally ranked programs for startups and the entrepreneurs. Since 2012, IYV has invested in more than 55 early stage technology companies who have gone on to raise more than $70 million in follow-on funding. In 2015 and 2016 Iron Yard Ventures was named as one of the top startup accelerator programs in the US.

About University of Phoenix
University of Phoenix is constantly innovating to help working adults move efficiently from education to careers in a rapidly changing world. Flexible schedules, relevant and engaging courses, and interactive learning can help students more effectively pursue career and personal aspirations while balancing their busy lives. As a subsidiary of Apollo Education Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: APOL), University of Phoenix serves a diverse student population, offering associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs from campuses and learning centers across the U.S. as well as online throughout the world. For more information, visit www.phoenix.edu.

1 This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of University of Phoenix between June 23-July 14, 2016, among 1,004 U.S. adults aged 18 and older, full-time or part time employed.