Phoenix-based Avnet, Inc. and Arizona State have partnered to create a new innovation incubator for technology startups.

The first four companies are: Pit Rho, which will design and test a smart retail bag that enhances the shopping experience; XL Hybrids Inc., which is building an auto and truck fleet electrification business; The Youngbull Lab at ASU is working to create an early-warning system that monitors for microbes and other biological agents, and Zero Mass Labs, which is removing volatile organic compounds from the polymers industry.