From the Business Journal Phoenix

by Lynn Ducey

Although it is months away, organizers are gearing up for the Third Annual Arizona Entrepreneurship Conference, featuring software developer Matt Mullenweg as the keynote speaker.

The technology entrepreneur is a founding developer of WordPress, a blogging software tool and platform used by thousands on the Internet.

“What Matt did is use social media to create a business. Today, WordPress has had over 900,000 downloads,” said Joan Koerber-Walker, chairwoman of the Opportunity Through Entrepreneurship Foundation, the nonprofit putting on the event.

“This is really a great thing for us to have him here,” said Francine Hardaway, founder of Stealthmode Partners in Phoenix and a member of the foundation.

While details still are being worked out, organizers aim to add more tech-oriented facets to this year’s program.

“One of my goals in starting these conferences is to bring people from Silicon Valley (California) to Phoenix so they can see what’s going on here,” Hardaway said.

In addition to Mullenweg, the event will feature Bill Rinehart, co-founder of Limelight Networks, a Tempe-based content delivery network; and Howard Lindzon, founder of startup video blog Wallstrip.

Read more: Arizona Entrepreneurship Conference to become more tech-oriented – Phoenix Business Journal