When do you stop dreaming and start doing? This tipping point is different for every entrepreneur, so we'd like to shed light on the thought process behind this decision from three very different perspectives. This month's Fireside Chat will feature not one, but three innovative and inspirational panelists who are heavily involved in Phoenix's tech scene, albeit in very different facets. Beth Cochran (co-founder and CEO of Wired PR), Rebecca Clyde (co-founder and CEO of Botco.ai), and Rachel Mertensmeyer (CEO and co-founder of RexPay) will gather to talk candidly about their entrepreneurial journies, when that tipping point was for them, and how you, too, can "Just Get Started."

Interested in learning more about this month's panelists? Take a peek:

Beth Cochran is the founder and CEO of Wired PR, a Phoenix-based tech PR and content marketing firm, where she oversees company growth and culture, and client marketing strategy. She is also the founder of the SuccessLab Podcast and SuccessLab, formerly a mastermind group and resource for Valley entrepreneurs, and founder of the TechTalent Awards, an awards program created to celebrate Arizona’s top emerging tech talent.

For over a decade, Beth has been developing effective communications programs that enable organizations to make impactful connections through high-value content. She has led content strategies for a variety of clients, including WebPT, Rhonda Allison Cosmeceuticals, Terminus, Celebration of Fine Art and MST Solutions, among others. She is a member of the Phoenix Chapter of Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) Accelerator, where she collaborates with founders from other local growth companies, providing peer-to-peer support for one another.

Prior to forming Wired PR, Beth wrote for the Arizona Republic and reported for a transit news show in New York City. She currently serves on the boards of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) Arizona Accelerator and the Phoenix chapter of the ANA Business Marketers Association.

Beth graduated magna cum laude from Arizona State University’s Cronkite School with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. She has received a Bronx Excellence in Television Access Award for Educational Programming, a Certificate of Special Merit in sports writing from The Association of Journalism and Mass Communication and The William Randolph Hearst Foundation, as well as The Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence Award for Online In-Depth Reporting.

Rebecca Clyde is the co-founder & CEO of Botco.ai, a conversational marketing startup that enables businesses to engage customers with AI-enabled chatbots. With more than 20 years in digital marketing in the technology industry, she is passionate about advancing women in tech and currently serves as the co-managing director for Girls in Tech Phoenix. Prior to Botco.ai, Rebecca founded a digital marketing agency, Ideas Collide, now in its 13th year serving global enterprise clients. She was previously a digital strategist at Intel and holds an MBA from Arizona State University.

Rachel Mertensmeyer has long been captivated by understanding the consumer mindset and making people’s lives better with product innovation. She has a decade of marketing management experience in Fortune 100 companies including Unilever and Avon in New York and BBDO and WPP in Shanghai. Rachel’s first professional opportunity supported her entrepreneurial nature as she was tasked with the ground floor development of sales distribution in Eastern Asia for an American wine company.

In 2016, while living in New York City, Rachel experienced medical bill mayhem personally. This experience spurred her to apply her consumer product innovation background to create a better medical payment solution for patients. This is how RexPay was born in 2018. Rachel credits her remarkable set of advisors and strong founding team with the early success and fast-paced traction RexPay has achieved.

As a leader, Rachel places great focus on creating a holistic, respectful and cooperative work environment for her team. On a more personal note, Rachel places a high value on physical health and wellbeing for herself and for those around her. In her free time, she can be found teaching yoga, trail running in the deserts of Arizona, or making time for her friends and family. Rachel is looking forward to growing and adapting RexPay to continue to serve patients through the ever-changing healthcare terrain we inhabit.