Meet Andrew Shatz

Written by Tom Kelly

After writing his first line of Python code as a graduate student studying Geographic Information Sciences, Andrew would never have expected that such a moment would profoundly impact his future career and passions. Andrew has spent the last 10 years in software and application development, solving problems in the fields of geospatial data management, call center sentiment analysis and charter aircraft trip planning and management to name a few. Within the past four years, he has made a shift from traditional employment into the world of entrepreneurship cofounding and working with startups specializing in Salesforce and Monday.com consulting and app development. His latest problem-solving pursuit focuses on institution- and home-based urinary and fecal incontinence care with Mad Bladder, Inc. He enjoys meditation, hiking, martial arts (Aikido), playing music, and teaching effective coding and app development practices to beginner programmers (and AI) in his free time.

How did you hear about Venture Cafe Phoenix?

After moving to Phoenix in late August of this year (2023), I quickly involved myself in Ana Tomboulian’s SolveStack organization for mentoring the next generation of app developers. I began volunteering for Venture Café Phoenix soon after at her recommendation.

Have you had any memorable connections at Venture Café Phoenix? If so, please tell us how you met them, who they are and how they have impacted you and your organization?

As a recent transplant from Tucson, the seeds of collaboration between connections from Venture Café Phoenix and my organization have yet to bear fruit. But during my time here, Sarah Waschler, Alex Koupal, and Forbes Shannon have been nothing but gracious to me. I also wish to call out Ana Tomboulian for not only introducing me to this wonderful organization, but also bringing me on as a mentor at SolveStack. I anticipate many healthy collaborations with these individuals as my work begins to make more of an impact in the valley.

What inspires you?

I am inspired by the pursuit of self-mastery. There is a Japanese saying that states “the way you do anything is the way you do everything”, and I strive every day to bring the utmost intention into anything that I do. Whether it is through the building of apps or the practice of Aikido, I am always driven to face the difficulties of overcoming myself to arrive at the simplest solution, whether it be solving business problems or resolving conflicts.

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