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Moonshot reports rising occupancy, $2.2M grant and statewide outreach in Flagstaff update
Summary
Moonshot Flagstaff told the City Council it recorded job growth, rising campus occupancy and a new $2.2 million grant to expand a statewide pitch tour, and outlined upcoming events and partnerships tied to economic development goals.
Moonshot Flagstaff, the nonprofit that runs the city’s business incubator and accelerator, told the Flagstaff City Council on June 10 that its Flagstaff campus created 33 new jobs in 2024, is nearing historic occupancy levels, and will use a new federal grant to expand a statewide pitch tour.
The presentation from Scott Hathcock, Moonshot president and CEO, summarized the campus’s 2024 year-end report and highlighted metrics Moonshot tracks to meet its contract with the city. Hathcock said the campus had 30 tenant companies at the time of the presentation, expected occupancy to reach about 90% by the end of the summer, and reported 33 net new jobs in 2024 (compared with 43 in 2023). He said Moonshot delivered 28 events in 2024, exceeding the contract requirement of five events per year.
Why it matters: Moonshot operates under a services agreement with the city to manage the Flagstaff business incubator and accelerator; the city’s ongoing support and the campus’s ability to attract outside investment are central to the council’s economic development strategy.
Hathcock told council that Moonshot had secured a $2,200,000 grant to expand the Rural AZ pitch tour and provide technical assistance, dispersed over three years. "None of this, I repeat, none of this is not as possible without this amazing lady," Hathcock said, praising campus manager Angela Hamby for her stewardship of tenants and programs.
Moonshot outlined several near-term activities tied to outreach and tenant recruitment: a campus open house and barbecue; the Rural AZ pitch tour stop in Flagstaff on Sept. 18 at Lowell Observatory’s Discovery Center; and participation in AZ Tech Week with a Flagstaff event on April 7, 2026. Hathcock also described Moonshot’s role in statewide initiatives such as the Arizona Venture Alliance and noted one recent campus success in attracting an out-of-state company, Corvention, to Flagstaff.
Council members asked how students and STEM programs might access Moonshot space and whether pitch events are open to nontraditional applicants. Hathcock said the campus accepts tenants in selected sectors defined under the Economic Development Administration (EDA) requirements — bioscience, green technology, light manufacturing, digital technology, tourism and astronomy among them — and that pitch events and many Moonshot events are open to younger entrepreneurs and the public. He said the Rural AZ grant also funds legal, financial and accounting technical assistance for participants.
Moonshot said it paid $273,360 to the city under the services contract in 2024 and that it returned $26,000 of rent for its own offices on the campus. Hathcock and staff provided the council a link to a 41-page year-end report and a new campus website (moonshotflagstaff.com) for more details.
The presentation closed with a call for council and community support to leverage Moonshot’s statewide visibility and local programming to attract investment and founders to Flagstaff.
