ASU Founder Selected for Elite San Francisco Builder Program

An Arizona founder is heading to San Francisco to build alongside some of the most promising early-stage teams in the country.

Anirudh Manjesh, founder of Ada and an Honors Computer Science student at Arizona State University, has been selected for Canopy at Founders, Inc.—an in-person program that brings together 100 high-potential teams to rapidly build and ship products.

Ada, described as an “AI secretary that handles what you save,” reflects a growing wave of Arizona-based founders building in artificial intelligence and productivity infrastructure. The selection places Manjesh among a competitive cohort operating at the center of one of the world’s most active startup ecosystems.

The opportunity also highlights a broader trend: Arizona founders increasingly stepping onto national—and global—stages.

While much of the attention around Arizona’s growth has centered on semiconductors and large-scale corporate investment, the state’s early-stage startup pipeline is quietly gaining momentum through universities, founder communities, and programs like Silicon Oasis.

Manjesh’s move to San Francisco is focused on one thing—execution. The Canopy program emphasizes in-person collaboration, fast iteration, and product development at speed. His goal is simple: build.

In his announcement, Manjesh also shared a candid ask—seeking a place to stay during the program’s duration. It’s a reminder of the early-stage reality many founders face: high ambition, limited resources, and a willingness to do whatever it takes to keep moving forward.

For Arizona’s startup community, moments like this matter.

They represent more than individual wins—they signal that founders from the state are entering top-tier networks, gaining exposure, and bringing that experience back to the ecosystem.

As Silicon Oasis continues to grow as both a movement and a platform, supporting founders at this stage—whether through connections, resources, or simple community backing—will play a critical role in shaping what Arizona’s tech ecosystem becomes.

Because building a top-tier ecosystem doesn’t just come from capital or infrastructure.

It comes from founders willing to go build—anywhere it takes them.