This year, Venture Atlanta is celebrating a big milestone—and we’re doing it by looking Forward.
After 15 years of connecting companies with capital, it would be easy to look back and reflect on what we’ve learned, how far we’ve come, and how much we’ve accomplished. After all, our events now welcome more than 1,200 attendees annually and have led to $6.5B in funding raised and $16B in successful exits. We’ve come a long way from the couple hundred attendees and 20 funds that we had at our inaugural event in 2008.
Much like the entrepreneurs and investors who participate in our conferences, however, we understand that, to be the best, you must constantly be innovating. So, while we’re proud of our successes thus far, we’re challenging ourselves to be bigger and better by thinking Forward.
Introducing Venture Atlanta Forward: The 2022 Conference
The future is bright, motivating, and game-changing—just like Venture Atlanta—and we want this year’s conference to reflect the energy and excitement of things to come. To accomplish this, we’re innovating and re-imaging the Venture Atlanta experience as a whole. That means a new design aesthetic, programming, entertainment, and networking experiences abound.
It also means a brand new venue: The Woodruff Arts Center and Atlanta Symphony Hall. This sleek, modern, elegant space strikes a balance between art and technology—because, in many ways, you can’t have one without the other. Hosting the region's premier tech conference at the region's premier art venue felt like the right choice in offering an elevated experience for participants and attendees alike.
What’s more, our presenting companies are innovative, and we wanted the space and experience to reflect their forward-thinking mentality, too. Here’s a look at some of the tech-driven industries our pitch companies represent:
- B2B Marketplace
- Blockchain / Crypto
- Consumer Products
- Cybersecurity
- Digital Health
- Digital Media
- Enterprise/B2B Software
- Financial Technology
- Real Estate & Property Tech
Our panelists are also incredibly inspiring and future-thinking. Last year, we had the pleasure of hearing from game-changers and innovators, including:
- Ben Chestnut - Co-Founder & CEO of Mailchimp
- Robert F. Smith - Founder, Chairman, & CEO of Vista Equity Partners
- Dan Schulman - President & CEO of PayPal
- Arlan Hamilton - Founder & Managing Partner at Backstage Capital
This year, we hope to surprise and delight once again with an equally compelling lineup of panelists.
In short, we’re taking everything you know and love about Venture Atlanta and leveling it up in an unforgettable way.
Looking Forward to Venture Atlanta 2022
Mark your calendars: VA 2022 will be held on Wednesday, October 19, and Thursday, October 20. Sign up for our newsletter to stay in the loop on conference announcements, sponsorship opportunities, our call for companies, registration dates, and more.
When the world came to a halt in 2020, there was only one direction to go from there: forward. Keep moving, keep persevering, keep dreaming, keep doing — that was the theme of Venture Atlanta 2021, and Momentum delivered.
We went full speed ahead into our 14th annual conference, held on Wednesday, October 20, and Thursday, October 21 both in-person and online. After the success of last year’s first-ever virtual event, it was clear that going digital meant we could reach more audiences than ever before, with people tuning in from countries like Japan, Canada, the Netherlands, and many more. And so, we merged the thrill and excitement of our in-person experience with the flexibility of online attendance.
This convergence meant Venture Atlanta Momentum would truly be the best of both worlds. Our attendees agreed, iterating the benefits (and their enjoyment) of both:
“Best event of founders and funders in the Southeast!”
“The pitches were fantastic!”
“Presenting on stage at Venture Atlanta and sharing ‘my why’ with hundreds of people was the ultimate honor.”
“This is definitely the place to be if you’re a hungry startup founder!”
“So many awesome startups and so much insightful content!”
“The Southeast venture scene was hugely welcoming. Did dozens of meetings both days.”
“Always a great event!”
The networking was unbelievable! One of the best conferences of the year.”
“Such an amazing lineup of companies!”
“Thank you, Venture Atlanta, for the opportunity to pitch in front of hundreds of investors. You are helping break barriers!”
“Gets better year after year!”
Venture Atlanta 2021 by the Numbers
- First-Ever Hybrid Venture Atlanta Conference
- ~675 In-Person Attendees, ~400 Virtual Attendees
- 64% Were First-Time Venture Atlanta Attendees
- 400+ Applications to Pitch
- 91 Selected Companies (20 Growth Stage, 25 Early Stage Venture, & 46 Seed Stage Showcase)
- Over 60% From Outside of Georgia (12 Different States Represented)
- 59% Led by Underrepresented Founders
- 80+ Sponsors
All of this would not be possible without our panelists, presenters, and investors. We’re honored to have such a remarkable, diverse group of participants who believe in driving forward momentum as much as we do.
Notable Moments from Venture Atlanta 2021 Speakers
Building a Unicorn in the Southeast
Tim Sheehan, Greenlight; Kabir Barday, OneTrust; Tope Awotona, Calendly; Eric Boduch, Pendo; Moderated By: Vanessa Larco, NEA
“Work with great people. Don’t sacrifice on the hiring side, whether it’s your advisors, your VCs, your execs... Hold out for those great people.” – Eric Boduch, Co-Founder and Advisor, Pendo, on advice for entrepreneurs.
“My fundraising strategy was really to never raise money. Somewhere along the way, I failed. Don’t just raise money to raise money — do it because there is a very specific thing you can get out of it. [Also] have fun and celebrate the milestones. I wish I had taken more time to savor them!” – Tope Awotona, CEO, Calendly.
Fueling Growth Through Alternative Funding Sources
Chuck Pettid, Republic; Josh Mangel, Pipe; Austin Dean, Spinta Capital; Moderated by: Frederik Groce, Wellington Access Ventures (WAV)
“One of my favorite things we’re doing at Pipe is building this platform that democratizes access to capital, so there’s no subjectivity. It's all about your metrics as a company, and it doesn't matter where you are or what you look like. In general, we are trying to make it easy for anybody to get access to capital, based solely on how the business is performing.” – Josh Mangel, Co-CEO, Pipe, on the diversity and inclusion of funding.
Sustaining Support for Underrepresented Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners
Dan Schulman, PayPal; Moderated by: Jay Bailey, Russell Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
"When a community is struggling, we need to do more than just talk about it. We need to put our money where our mouth is. We need to put resources behind it. We need to help our communities so that we can all rise together." – Dan Schulman, CEO, PayPal
"We're growing trees and creating shade that we may never sit under, but we're creating a better world for tomorrow. We're deliberately looking forward." – Jay Bailey, President & CEO, Russell Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
The Evolution of the Startup Ecosystem
Ben Chestnut, Mailchimp; Marty Flanagan, Invesco; Moderated By: Katie Kirkpatrick, Metro Atlanta Chamber
“I love building my business in Atlanta. Looking back, the most fulfilling thing I can say about all of this is that we were able to build a great business — and we did it our way. We wanted to prove that we could build a world-class brand and treat people right, and I’m proud that we achieved that.” – Ben Chestnut, CEO and Co-Founder, Mailchimp, looking back on building his business over the last 20 years in Atlanta.
Resilience in the Face of Adversity
Arlan Hamilton, Backstage Capital; Moderated By: Suneera Madhani, STAX by Fattmerchant
“A lot of the companies we invest in, we invest early. The only difference between [underrepresented founders] is access to resources. I mean, the resourcefulness that goes into building a company that’s on par with another that has ten times the amount of money and resources is out of this world. Early capital [and the early confidence that comes with it] can make all the difference.” – Arlan Hamilton, Founder, Managing Partner, Backstage Capital, on the importance of early-stage funding for underrepresented and underestimated entrepreneurs.
Identifying Mega Opportunities in the Early Days From Two Midas List Investors
Jan Hammer, Index Ventures; Lauren Kolodny, Acrew Capital; Moderated By: Rachel Spassser, ACCEL-KKR
“It’s all about the team. At the end of the day, we all have choices. We’re ultimately allocating capital to many projects, but we’re human at the end of the day. So we choose to work with people we want to spend a lot of time with and ultimately help them build their company.” – Jan Hammer, General Partner, Index Ventures, on prioritizing the market, your team, and the technology during The Midas List panel.
“People first, always. Markets change, technology changes, and so many successful companies have pivoted from the early days, so you have to believe that the team is nimble enough to adapt and learn.” – Lauren Kolodny, Founding Partner, Acrew Capital, on prioritizing your team.
The Tangible Benefits of Investing in Diversity Early and Often
Robert Smith Founder, Vista Equity Partners; Moderated By: Jewel Burks Solomon, Collab Capital and Google for Startups in the U.S.
“Access to meaningful capital at scale gives one the ability to really invest in their business and expand. The second [facilitator of success] is access to knowledge. The ecosystem of shared knowledge is as critical as capital, and what I think makes us successful at Vista is that we’ve created that ecosystem; that environment and culture so that entrepreneurs can grow and scale their business.” – Robert Smith Founder, Chairman and CEO, Vista Equity Partners on what enables success during The Transformative Power of Technology panel.
Venture Atlanta 2021 Presenting Companies Lineup
From FinTech and healthcare to eCommerce and SaaS, our lineup of presenting companies was nothing short of impressive. The competition was fierce, and ultimately, we selected 91 companies out of over 400 applicants to present. What’s more, over 50 percent of selected companies were led by underrepresented founders, an important milestone for growing and supporting diversity in the Southeast’s startup ecosystem. Check out the complete lineup below.
GROWTH-STAGE COMPANIES
EARLY-STAGE COMPANIES
Anduin
SEED-STAGE COMPANIES
Knightley
Laundris
LoCo+
ThinkGenetic
Zoee
A HUGE Thank You to Our Partners & Sponsors
They say it takes a village, and we certainly couldn’t have done it without ours. Thanks to the hard work of our 2021 Board of Directors and the support of our 80+ sponsors, we were able to host incredible in-person and virtual experiences for both investors and entrepreneurs alike. A special thank you goes out to our premier sponsor Invesco, our presenting sponsors Mailchimp and Stax, and our headline sponsors Cherry Bekaert, Southern Equity, and Truist.
What’s Next? Just Ask Our Venture Atlanta 2022 Chairman: Richard Fraim
We’re excited to announce that Rich Fraim will take the reins from Jim Douglass as the Venture Atlanta 2022 Chairman. Rich is a Partner at Knoll Ventures, an Atlanta-based early-stage venture capital firm that invests in pre-Series A technology businesses focused on B2B markets, and we’re thrilled to have his expertise at the helm.
Rich has been active in the southeastern technology ecosystem for more than 10 years and is currently involved with investments in Belongly, Brightwell, ConverseNow, Daupler, Fetch Trucks, Freede, Lendflow, Repvue, and VoApps, amongst others. In addition, Rich serves in leadership and mentorship positions with multiple local technology organizations.
Keeping the Momentum Going
As we reflect back on Venture Atlanta Momentum, we feel a great sense of pride in the forward movement of our participating companies, panelists, sponsors, and audience members. And, while we can’t be sure what 2022 will bring, one thing’s for certain: It sure feels good to be moving in the right direction.
Already can’t wait for next year? Stay tuned for our “Save the Date” — coming soon. Keep up with all Venture Atlanta news and announcements by subscribing to our newsletter or following along on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
Panoramic Ventures recently issued its fifth annual The State of StartupsSM in the Southeast report, which delivers a comprehensive overview of the venture capital and startup ecosystem in the region. This year’s report takes an in-depth look at startup activity in the southeastern United States over the five-and-a-half-year period from January 1, 2016, through June 30, 2021. The free report informs investors and entrepreneurs of emerging trends and highlights the area’s current and future opportunities, particularly with respect to understanding the maturation of the southeastern venture ecosystem and its capacity to generate strong returns.
After nearly 18 months of balancing the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact with the need to move the ball forward, the maturation of the southeastern startup ecosystem has allowed for a steadfast response in the face of adversity. The report makes it clear that the Southeast is now an area of focus for many investors.
Notable observations in the 2021 report include:
- Following the initial shock of the pandemic that slowed funding in Q2 2020, capital has continued to flow into the Southeast at record levels, signaling investors’ continued confidence in the region. In fact, total capital deployed by quarter reached its highest level with almost $5.0 billion invested in the region in Q2 2021.
- New habits were formed over the past 18 months around how we consume entertainment, interact with friends and family, and conduct business. Consequently, distributed technology solutions are more necessary than ever. Many technology companies saw their sales pipelines accelerated by months, if not years, due to increased demand for their solutions.
- The Southeast VC market continues to attract larger checks, with average check size reaching a new high of $10.5 million in the first half of 2021, an increase of 42 percent year over year.
- Valuation multiples in the Southeast have steadily risen over the last four years. From 2016 to 2020, the average post-money valuation/revenue multiple has increased from 13.4x to 20.0x, bringing the Southeast closer to valuations seen in the more mature Innovation Hubs.
Regarding Georgia specifically:
- Investments in FinTech remain number one in Georgia for the second year in a row with 170 deals worth a total of $2.9 billion over the five-and-a-half-year period.
- SaaS is still a close second with 382 deals worth a total of $2.5 billion.
- The dollar amounts invested in Georgia in the first six months of 2021 ($2.0 billion) have already surpassed all of 2020 ($1.9 billion). The number of deals is on pace to equal 2020, confirming that bigger rounds are closing in Georgia.
Although forever reshaped by the events of 2020, we expect the state of startups in the Southeast to continue to persevere and strengthen in the years ahead.
We invite you to read The State of StartupsSM in the Southeast report here. We hope this report will further educate investors on the emerging trends to watch as well as highlight the region’s growth and future opportunities.
About the Author: Mark Flickinger is a general partner and COO of Panoramic Ventures, one of the most active and successful venture investors in the Southeast. Follow Panoramic on LinkedIn or Twitter @panoramicvc.
The energy of the crowd, the excitement of our applicants, the anticipation of our investors: There’s no denying the magic of Venture Atlanta—magic that would not be possible without the generous support of sponsors who help us set the stage, quite literally, for the region’s largest venture conference.
This year, we have over 80 sponsors on board to bring the Venture Atlanta Momentum 2021 experience to life. Southern Equity is one of them, and we were both thrilled and honored when the global investment platform signed on as a Venture Atlanta Headline Sponsor.
Southern Equity was founded in 2008 as the family office of entrepreneur, Chairman, and Chief Investment Officer Allen Nance. For the first 10 years, the firm solely managed Allen’s direct investing in private equity, venture capital, and real estate. Today, Southern Equity has grown into a highly successful, multi-family office that manages private equity and venture investments approaching $100 million in assets under management.
Investing in Early-Stage Tech Startups
Well-known in the world of tech, Allen—who also happens to be a Georgia Tech alum—is no stranger to Venture Atlanta.
“In Atlanta, getting on stage [at Venture Atlanta] is the ultimate goal for any entrepreneur,” Allen said. “It has been on my radar since the beginning. I’ve been privileged enough to watch it grow and also build a relationship with Allyson Eman [Venture Atlanta’s CEO] over the last five years.”
Though for Allen, Venture Atlanta isn’t solely about making smart investments. “I’m deeply passionate about the process of watching entrepreneurs go from an idea on a whiteboard to building a business. To me, there's nothing greater in the world than that journey.”
Allen, a five-time founder himself, is well acquainted with that journey as an entrepreneur, and also as one of Atlanta’s most active and successful early-stage investors. Since 2016, as the Managing Partner of TechSquare Capital’s early-stage venture fund, Allen has invested in more than 50 startups that have raised over $3 billion of investment capital.
With TechSquare Capital’s fund almost fully invested, Allen plans to invest an additional $25 million of capital in venture through Southern Equity. The firm will continue to focus on early-stage investments but will have the flexibility to make significant investments in later rounds by co-investing with Southern Equity’s family office clients and other investors.
“The premise of the first fund was really to address the lack of early-stage seed money and to democratize access to it,” Allen explained. “Since then, I think Atlanta has changed significantly; there are more funds and more organized capital at the early stages. This benefits Atlanta’s early-stage startups and creates more—and better—investment opportunities in Series A and beyond.”
Janet Mulroy, President of Southern Equity, agreed and added, “It used to be that the best ideas, the best startups, and most of the money came from the West Coast, and that’s no longer the case. That West Coast money is now looking everywhere, and it’s very exciting to see Atlanta and the rest of the Southeast become a hot spot for noteworthy startups.”
Southern Equity & Venture Atlanta’s Shared Values
It isn’t just the change in the geography of startups and funds, but a shift in thinking that aligned Southern Equity with Venture Atlanta. The firm has long been a believer in diversity—not only in the investments themselves but in whom they invest.
“The prism that anyone looks through is going to be as narrow as the experiences that they have,” explained Allen. “What I think Venture Atlanta does is expose people to more points of view. Whether it's through the application process, networking at the event, or even who you’re sitting next to… these are all opportunities for a diverse group of people to interact with one another. And out of that is going to come incredible opportunities.”
“I had the opportunity to serve on Venture Atlanta's recruiting and screening committee,” Janet shared, “and I was thrilled to see professionals in this ecosystem making an effort to attract applicants from underrepresented groups in Atlanta and throughout the Southeast.”
Venture Atlanta 2021 & Beyond
Aside from the networking and relationship-building opportunities that await, the Southern Equity team is looking forward to a few other things at the 14th annual conference.
“This year, we’re very excited to be back in person,” shared Allen. “While the actual act of investing can be done online, the act of being an investor is about the people you meet and the relationships you build. I just love the energy of meeting somebody in person, hearing their story firsthand, and witnessing their excitement. Being in a room full of people who are all trying to build something just fuels the fire.”
“Venture Atlanta is just really a unique opportunity to get your message out in front of both investors and startups,” Janet said. “Historically, it was centered in Atlanta but now it’s grown into a more regional conference. All the more reason for Southern Equity to support this incredible event.”
About Venture Atlanta Sponsorships
Every year, we rely on sponsors like Southern Equity to help make our event impactful, memorable, and successful. This year is especially notable for our contributors as it marks the first time our conference will be held both online and in-person—and that means more brand exposure than ever before!
“The caliber of what we do is directly correlated with the generous support of our sponsors,” said Allyson Eman, Venture Atlanta CEO. “Each year, the conference gets bigger and better—this year alone we received a record-breaking 400-plus applications to pitch on stage, and we are on track to sell out our event. The value and the experience that we’re able to deliver year after year wouldn’t be possible without our sponsors. And beyond the financial contributions, our sponsors have also always been very eager to offer their time and expertise to our attendees and connect them with others in their network who might be able to help their business. We are very appreciative of that as well.”
Thank you to Southern Equity and to all of our 2021 sponsors for supporting Venture Atlanta Momentum 2021. For those interested in attending this year’s conference, you can find all event information and registration details here.
Out of a record-breaking 400-plus applications, 91 companies will present and be showcased with 60 percent of those selected coming from outside Georgia
ATLANTA (September 22, 2021) — Venture Atlanta, one of the nation’s most prestigious venture capital conferences, continues to select a large and diverse lineup of innovators from the Southeast’s hottest tech markets with the announcement of this year’s presenting and showcase companies. Ninety-one companies will be featured at the annual conference on October 20-21 to be held both in person and virtually. To view the list of selected companies, go here.
For 14 years, Venture Atlanta has been selecting the most promising tech companies and bringing in top investment firms from across the nation to hear them pitch. The annual conference has helped launch more than 500 companies and raise $6.5 billion in funding to date. The conference boasts a roster of highly successful alumni, including Kabbage, which was acquired by American Express, Roadie, which is pending acquisition by UPS, and Salesloft and Flock Safety, both with recent valuations of over $1 billion.
“We again set a new record with over 400 applicants for Venture Atlanta Momentum 2021—it’s our most competitive year ever and reflects yet another raising of the bar in terms of presenter innovation and quality,” said Venture Atlanta CEO Allyson Eman. “We required even higher scores than in years past for those companies selected to present and be showcased. Our competitive application and selection process is the reason Venture Atlanta is one of the best conferences of its kind in the country.”
Venture Atlanta Attracts Even Greater Diversity in Founders and Geographies
Those selected to present and be showcased also represent Venture Atlanta’s most diverse group to date, with over 50 percent of companies being led by underrepresented founders.
“Helping innovative and disruptive companies gain better access to capital and connections is more important than ever, and that’s exactly what Venture Atlanta has always done and continues to do,” said Paul Rothstein, chair of the Venture Atlanta Recruiting and Selection Committee and partner at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, a Platinum Level conference sponsor. “We’re proud of the companies that will present and be showcased this year, including the diversity they represent.”
Venture Atlanta also continues to extend its reach geographically, drawing an increasing number of founders, entrepreneurs, and investors from outside Atlanta.
“Over 60 percent of companies selected this year to present or be showcased come from outside of Georgia, reflecting the growing awareness and pull of Venture Atlanta throughout the Southeast’s technology ecosystem,” said Rich Fraim, general partner of Knoll Ventures, a Silver Level conference sponsor. Fraim also sits on Venture Atlanta’s board of directors and leads its Companies Committee. “We remain focused on our primary goal of helping founders in the Southeast access sources of capital from across the country, as well as giving investors the ability to see a curated selection of some of the most exciting emerging companies in the region. Each year, we get bigger and better and 2021 is no exception.”
Companies outside of Georgia that will present or be showcased are based in some of the strongest tech innovation hubs in the Southeast, including Tampa and Miami, Fla., Nashville, Tenn., Austin, Dallas, and Houston, Texas, Raleigh and Charlotte, N.C., Richmond, Va., Birmingham, Ala., and Washington, D.C.
Venture Atlanta continues to partner with other organizations to help support and grow the Southeast’s startup ecosystem, and to ensure that inclusivity extends to underrepresented founders. Venture Atlanta has worked with Zane Venture Fund and Launchpad2X on diversity projects and helped to start a dialog among underrepresented founders and social entrepreneurs through the “Creating Momentum” virtual panel discussion series powered by Goodie Nation, Metro Atlanta Chamber, and Georgia Power. It also continues to partner with NEXT Venture Pitch in Greenville, S.C.
Create Your Own Experience at Venture Atlanta Momentum 2021
This year’s Venture Atlanta will be held in person with a limited number of tickets available and will also be offered online for those who wish to tune in virtually. For those attending in person, Venture Atlanta is back with its always-great sessions, company presentations, networking opportunities, and outdoor dinner events.
Building off last year’s successful virtual model, Venture Atlanta’s online experience offers a high-production-quality option that mirrors the benefits of the live conference. Virtual attendees can connect with others at the conference, set up one-on-one meetings, stroll the virtual show floor, watch pitches in real-time, and use features like live chat and audience polling. Each ticket purchased provides attendees with on-demand access to all Venture Atlanta pitches and content for a full year.
Invesco is this year’s premier sponsor, with Mailchimp and Stax as presenting sponsors. For a complete list of sponsors, go here.
Venture Atlanta will conclude with Atlanta Startup Battle, in which the top five ASB companies will pitch on stage against one another to win a $100,000 investment. Don’t miss this event which will happen right after Venture Atlanta concludes on October 21. Venture Atlanta ticket holders can view the pitch-off in person or virtually.
Registration Now Open
To register for the 14th annual Venture Atlanta, go here.
About Venture Atlanta
Venture Atlanta, the Southeast’s technology innovation event, is where the region’s most promising tech companies meet the country's top-tier investors. As the Southeast's largest investor showcase helping launch more than 500 companies and raise $6.5 billion in funding to date, the event connects the region’s top entrepreneurs with local and national investors and others in the technology ecosystem who can help them raise the capital they need to grow their businesses. The annual nonprofit event is a collaboration of the Atlanta CEO Council, Metro Atlanta Chamber, and the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG).
For more information, visit www.ventureatlanta.org. For updates, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, and visit our blog.
For years, Ventura Atlanta has been a proud partner of Launchpad2X — an organization created for the sole purpose of developing and showcasing women entrepreneurs. Launchpad2X, which has worked tirelessly for the last nine years to close the funding gap for female founders, has made notable strides with its Core Flight Program. Graduates have seen 200% growth year-over-year, and 25% of those participants have exceeded the $1M revenue mark. What’s more, 94% are still in business after three years, far exceeding the national average.
As a part of the partnership, Venture Atlanta & Launchpad2X hold an annual pitch showcase for female-led companies with the winner earning an automatic spot to pitch at that year’s Venture Atlanta conference. See past winners here:
- 2018 - Mary-Cathryn Kolb of brrrº
- 2019 - Marilyn Jackson of UnderGrid Networks
- 2020 - Ashlee Ammons & Kerry Schrader of Mixtroz
For this year’s showcase, we did things a little differently. LP2X curated 25 companies over the past five months for their series of First Friday Pitches which was built to inspire female founders to “show up” and get ready themselves for investor pitches. The top candidates were selected for the showcase held virtually on June 16th in front of 75+ viewers. The event was judged by industry experts Kelly Gay of OnBoard, Kim Seals of The JumpFund, and Chad Harris of Panoramic Ventures. The lineup of pitch companies was nothing short of stellar — so stellar, in fact, that not one but four winners were chosen.
Launchpad2X + Venture Atlanta Annual Showcase - 2021 Lineup
- WINNER: Charlotte Molette Barge, President & CEO of ExStreamity - The “Squarespace of streaming platforms” allows anyone with video content to monetize and customize at a lower cost and with shorter lead times.
- WINNER: Kate Atwood, Co-founder & CEO of LoCo+ - As the first video streaming network for premium local content, LoCo+ curates and streams lifestyle, culture, sports, impact, and entertainment content made and produced by local creators.
- WINNER: Sarah Rodehorst, Co-founder & CEO of Onwards HR - This data-driven risk management platform automates terminations and mitigates human capital risk.
- WINNER: Jennifer Sparks, CEO of Vacmobile - A developer of globally scalable solutions designed to securely manage digital immunization and testing records.
- Donesha Gardner, Founder & CEO of Dynamic Elements - Tamper-proof cigarette smoke detectors for rental cars.
- Tamara Lucas, Co-founder & CEO of My Panda - Short for “my personalized assistant next door,” My Panda lets you hire local, community-based assistants to help knock out your to-do list.
- Robyn Grable, Founder & CEO of Veterans ASCEND - An AI-based platform that matches companies with veteran job candidates using an algorithm that translates occupations into skills profiles.
- Kimberly Jolasun, Founder of Villie - A platform that facilitates connections among new and soon-to-be parents and their families.
- Rejoice Jones, Founder of Vower - A marketplace and platform where gig-economy workers can exchange their skills for rewards.
- Parker Wilson, Co-Founder of Zizi - A digital and brick-and-mortar marketplace that allows customers to “shop local” anytime, anywhere.
After the pitch showcase, we sat down with the four winning founders to learn more about why they started their respective businesses, how they’re navigating the startup world, and what they’re looking forward to most at Venture Atlanta 2021.
It takes a lot of guts and grit to make it as an entrepreneur. What was the turning point that took your business from just a dream to a full-blown reality?
Jennifer Sparks, Vacmobile: “When we assembled our team of subject matter experts that took on titles with Vacmobile and started performing their roles using their Vacmobile email! I could see that they believed as passionately as I do about Vacmobile’s mission and their collective desire to see this product commercialized was a big turning point. We are so blessed with an outstanding leadership team.”
Charlotte Molette Barge, ExStreamity: “My co-founder Dennis and I had the perfect complement of skills needed to build our initial prototype. That, combined with borderline obsessive-compulsive personalities, drove us to work obscene hours to bring the product to market. We fed off each other’s energy and desires to learn anything and everything needed to make the product a success. Together, we were a force to be reckoned with. The turning point came when we launched the first streaming network for one of our content creators and the subscriptions started coming in. It was true validation that the market was there and Exstreamity had a bright future.”
What were some challenges that you’ve had to overcome in your journey thus far?
Sarah Rodehorst, Onwards HR: “We knew we didn’t quite fit the mold of what people envision when they think about technology. Women comprise only 28% of the workforce in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), and women-owned startups are practically nonexistent. As women in a male-dominated field, it can be challenging sometimes to get our foot in the door and to be taken seriously.”
“Though we have 20+ years of experience developing and launching B2B SaaS products, it has been difficult to prove ourselves at times, largely due to the biases faced by women in business — and, even more specifically — women in technology. We trust in our abilities and our product, and let the success of our company speak to the value we bring.”
Charlotte Molette Barge, ExStreamity: “Early on, most of our challenges were technology-centric issues. We were creating something we had never seen before and while we had a lot of industry knowledge, there were so many things we had to learn. But the most challenging issue turned out to be the pandemic and the closures it caused. When in-person marketing events ceased to exist, we were forced to learn new ways to acquire customers and keep our traction from completely stalling.”
Conversely, what has your experience taught you about your industry, and what do you have to look forward to?
Kate Atwood, LoCo+: “We have an incredible team that brings a unique perspective to the problem we are solving to an industry with large incumbents. The new streaming industry, formerly TV and film, is still very nascent. Here we have one of the largest, most enduring industries in the world in total flux. Systems and infrastructure of the past are not sustainable, ecosystems are failing and product is decentralized. Not in 100 years has there been this type of opportunity to innovate around this powerhouse industry.”
“We see it as fertile ground for disruption. We believe LoCo+ is the most disruptive company to the film and TV industry since Netflix. Why? Because more than an app, we are the infrastructure. We are the roads, bridges, tunnels for content creators and filmmakers to drive their own career, to access premium distribution, without ceding control of their creative and their IP.”
What’s next — any big plans in the works that you can share with us or that we can keep an eye out for?
Jennifer Sparks, Vacmobile: “Vacmobile is moving into Tech Alpharetta! After being in lockdown for a year without a physical office space, this is a very exciting development for us. In addition to being able to hold our leadership team meetings in person, we also look forward to being around the other tech startups in the building. It is clear to us that startups can help one another and there are important mindshare gains and other intangible benefits that Vacmobile will accrue by joining a tech incubator like Tech Alpharetta — especially under the excellent leadership of Karen Cashion!”
Sarah Rodehorst, Onwards HR: “We have two big plans in the works. First, we are patent-pending now since we are the first termination automation platform on the market and expect to be fully patented by the end of the year. Second, we currently target enterprise business, however, we have a few exciting new products that we will be launching this fall that will be applicable to businesses of all sizes. Stay tuned!”
Talk to us a little about your Launchpad2X experience. When did it come on your radar?
Charlotte Molette Barge, ExStreamity: “We discovered Launchpad2X a few months ago and we were excited about the things they were doing to showcase and empower female founders. I felt a sense of solidarity being among the women participating in the First Friday Pitches. It provided an opportunity to not only see their amazing ideas, but also the creative ways they found to promote their companies. This relationship is invaluable to us and we look forward to taking advantage of all of the resources Launchpad2X provides.”
Kate Atwood, LoCo+: “I’ve been following Launchpad2x for a while due to having friends who have gone through the program, reaped the rewards, and raved about the experience. Christy Brown, President of Launchpad2X, brought me into the fold last year as we were building. We were very early but she believed in us. When you know you have a partner on this journey, you keep them close. Launchpad2X — Christy, Bernie, and the team — show up for female entrepreneurs at all stages of the journey, in formal and informal ways. Their knowledge, expertise, and support are invaluable.”
Are you looking forward to pitching at Venture Atlanta? What do you hope to get out of the experience?
Sarah Rodehorst, Onwards HR: “We are grateful that Onwards HR has the opportunity to pitch at Venture Atlanta this year. We actually applied last year and didn’t make the cut, but we worked hard growing our business and are ready to pitch! We look forward to sharing our product, making connections, and hopefully raising capital to grow our vision.”
Kate Atwood, LoCo+: “Venture Atlanta is one of the largest venture conferences in the nation. To secure a spot to pitch is an incredible honor. For LoCo+, it lands at a perfect time for our company’s stage and provides us with critical exposure and networking to connect to the right investment partners for our journey.”
And finally, what advice or words of wisdom do you have for other budding entrepreneurs?
Charlotte Molette Barge, ExStreamity: Having a co-founder who is as knowledgeable, as committed, and most of all, as hard-working, was immensely valuable. We are each other’s support systems on those days when things seem harder and the hurdles seem more insurmountable. We provide a soft place to land for one another at the end of those days. If you can, find yourself such a co-founder and give it 1000% until you see the dream become a reality, and then you can crank it down to 200%. Even if you don’t succeed, it won’t be because you didn’t give it your all.”
Sarah Rodehorst, Onwards HR: “When first starting off, it’s tempting to hold tight to your ideas, but the real growth comes from conversations that help shape your concept into a viable business opportunity. Share your visions, share your product, and get the feedback you need to make your company great. One by one, if you take steps toward ‘better,’ you’ll end up exactly where you should be.”
Jennifer Sparks, Vacmobile: “Don’t give up! Some days will seem very overwhelming. Whenever I need inspiration, I will re-read portions of Howard Schultz’s book, ’Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time.’ One of my favorite sections appears in Chapter 5.”
It’s a classic American tale, every entrepreneur’s dream: to start with a great idea, attract some investors, and build a business that is profitable and sustainable. Trouble is, you usually have to start as the underdog… Being an underdog has a flip side, though, for facing such adversity can be invigorating. In my case, part of me relished the fact that so many people said my plan couldn’t be done. No matter how many times people put me down, I believed strongly that I could pull it off.
About Venture Atlanta 2021
Venture Atlanta 2021 is taking place on October 20-21. Register today to hear pitches from these incredible female-led companies and other top emerging tech companies from across the southeast. Want to put your company on the VA 2021 stage? We are currently accepting applications from companies that are tech-enabled, from the Southeast (Texas to DC), and looking to raise in the next 12-18 months. Apply here before the August 6th deadline.
Powered by Metro Atlanta Chamber and Goodie Nation, workshops are intended to open doors for greater conversation on diversity and broaden pool of presenter applicants for one of the nation’s top investment conferences
ATLANTA (May 20, 2021) — Venture Atlanta, the largest and most prestigious venture conference in the Southeast, today underscored its commitment to fostering relationships and connecting more companies to capital with the launch of a new workshop series intended to broaden the pool of presenter applicants for this year’s event. Themed “Momentum 2021,” the two-day Venture Atlanta conference will be held October 20-21, with workshops taking place in numerous cities in the Southeast prior to the close of receiving applications.
Greater Diversity on Stage Begins with Greater Diversity in Applicant Pool
An ongoing goal for Venture Atlanta is to continue increasing diversity in attendees and presenters. Thirty-eight percent of last year’s on-stage presenters were comprised of women and founders of color, a number the organization hopes to increase as awareness continues to build about its event.
The conference remains focused on ensuring the best and brightest companies in the Southeast spend time in the event’s spotlight and are connected to the capital needed. In the case of women and founders of color, such attention can help to close the funding gap. To this end, Black founders currently receive less than one percent of VC funding and women founders receive less than three percent.
“Our goal as always is to find the very best startups in the Southeast and put those companies on stage where they can get investor attention and receive investment capital,” said David Hartnett, chief economic development officer of the Metro Atlanta Chamber and a member of the Venture Atlanta Board of Directors and Diversity & Inclusivity Committee. “We strongly believe that greater diversity of participants will strengthen what we as the region’s largest investor conference has to offer, and that a key part of our mission is to broaden the field of opportunity for today’s innovators.”
Benefits of Presenting at Venture Atlanta 2021
Presenters at this year’s Venture Atlanta event will receive exposure to 350-plus investors from 200-plus funds nationwide. Two complimentary tickets to Venture Atlanta, including an invitation to the exclusive Venture Atlanta Investor Dinner, will also be provided. Additional benefits include marketing support and the ability to make connections with top entrepreneurs in the tech ecosystem that can serve participants throughout their careers.
To date, Venture Atlanta has helped to launch more than 500 companies and raise nearly $6 billion in funding. Venture Atlanta alumni companies and success stories include Car360, Clearleap, Cloud Sherpas, Florence, Kabbage, ParkMobile, Pindrop, SalesLoft, Terminus, and many others.
Free Workshops Prepare Potential Presenters for Spotlight
Powered by the Metro Atlanta Chamber and Goodie Nation, the “Creating Momentum” free workshop series will be held virtually (with a possible in-person option depending on city ordinances) for the following cities: Atlanta, Ga.; Tampa/Orlando and Miami, Fla.; Houston, Austin and Dallas, Texas; Washington, D.C.; Charlotte/Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; Nashville, Tenn.; Birmingham, Ala.; and New Orleans, La.
In particular, the workshops will further Venture Atlanta’s commitment to connecting more companies to capital by broadening the pool of presenter applicants.
“Those attending can expect hands-on, informative workshops that can be beneficial in gaining the spotlight at Venture Atlanta,” said Joey Womack, founder and CEO of Goodie Nation and a member of the Venture Atlanta Board of Directors and Diversity & Inclusivity Committee. “In service to Venture Atlanta’s founding mission, we also believe these workshops will help to foster connections within our region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem for our diverse founders. We want to extend the dialog toward greater inclusivity and ensure that all deserving innovators have the opportunity to reach their fullest potential.”
All workshop participants will receive one free ticket to attend this year’s Venture Atlanta virtually.
The call for presenters for this year’s Venture Atlanta closes on August 6. To view the workshop schedule and register to participate, go here.
About Venture Atlanta
Venture Atlanta, the Southeast’s technology innovation event, is where the region’s most promising tech companies meet the country's top-tier investors. As the Southeast's largest investor showcase helping launch more than 500 companies and raise nearly $6 billion in funding to date, the event connects the region’s top entrepreneurs with local and national investors and others in the technology ecosystem who can help them raise the capital they need to grow their businesses. The annual nonprofit event is a collaboration of the Atlanta CEO Council, Metro Atlanta Chamber and the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG).
For more information, visit www.ventureatlanta.org. For updates, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, and visit our blog.
Around this time last year, life as we knew it came to halt.
Fear and uncertainty loomed large, casting shadows of doubt on the dreams of entrepreneurs; of investors and innovators; of our families, friends, and even ourselves.
Yet, you persevered.
You kept moving, dreaming, doing, and achieving. You pivoted, several times over, rising to the challenge. For a tangible, honest, raw look at what this meant, just look at some of our social posts from this time last year:
- Rimidi uses its platform to help keep potentially infectious individuals from exposing other patients or staff before they are identified and separated.
- Jigsaw Interactive has been giving schools its virtual classroom software to help them with emergency preparedness plans.
- Peerfit has a great platform for at-home workouts and is offering a way for users to stream their favorite classes. Stay home and still take care of yourself.
- VIZZIA Technologies is tracking — in real-time — tens of thousands of critical medical devices within hospitals.
- iScribe Health’s Virtual Scribe Service reduces the administrative burden on physicians which allows them to spend more time treating patients — a critical need during this pandemic.
- ParkMobile is using its platform to collect donations to Giving Kitchen, a nonprofit that supports workers in the restaurant industry. They're also matching a portion of the donation proceeds.
- Caribu was built to help young kids have engaging and educational video calls with family. Now with kids at home and separate from friends and distant relatives, Caribu saw an opportunity to help and is offering free, unlimited access.
- Voxie’s texting platform helps impacted retail, franchise, & restaurant groups re-engage customers letting them know they're open, how to order, any offers, etc. This has been instrumental in getting revenue back for these businesses.
- VITAL4 is offering free healthcare employee screening software to all U.S. healthcare facilities impacted by COVID-19.
- GROUNDFLOOR is launching a new program designed to help keep capital flowing for residential real estate development.
- Curricula is now offering a free coronavirus phishing test to companies so that employees can avoid being victims of hackers looking to take advantage during vulnerable times
- MLevel launched a FREE 10-week training program to help Georgia small businesses educate employees on safety guidelines for reopening.
You rose above...and we rose with you, taking Venture Atlanta to the digital world for the first time in our 13-year history. The event was an overwhelming success, showcasing 103 pitch companies from 11 states across the Southeast and featuring several world-renowned keynote speakers, including Arianna Huffington, Dharmesh Shah, and Jean-Michel Lemieux, among others.
And, despite every roadblock 2020 put in our path, we not only reached our previous goals — we exceeded them, breaking our all-time record for registrations and company applications.
That’s when we truly realized the power of Momentum.
When trials bring innovation, when scarcity brings invention, when global changes bring global solutions, there is Momentum.
Momentum is the seed funding that spurs the next technological breakthrough. Momentum is the knowledge and expertise passed forward from one innovator to another. Momentum is the action-inspiring excitement that builds when brilliant minds collaborate.
Here’s a stat for you: Our alumni companies (including several VA 2020 companies) have collectively raised $400M JUST THIS YEAR! To those who kept moving when the rest of the world stood still — we’re already seeing your tenacity pay off.
This year, we’re continuing to build that Momentum with VA 2021. We’re thrilled to announce that our 14th annual conference will, once again, break the mold: The event will be held both in-person and virtually. We’ll be taking everything you love about our traditional in-person conferences and combining that with last year’s highly-applauded production quality and innovation for those who prefer to tune in digitally.
Venture Atlanta Momentum: The 2021 Conference
Last year, we were incredibly inspired by the resilience of our alumni companies, our investors, and our community as they moved forward with forging connections and closing deals. This year, we’ll keep the Momentum going and charge full speed ahead with connecting companies to capital.
Spearheading the conference will be our 2021 Board of Directors, an impressive group of distinctive members who are pouring their time and expertise into delivering an unforgettable experience for this year’s attendees. The Board, helmed by Chairman Jim Douglass of Fulcrum Equity Partners, welcomed new members:
- Jason Caplain of Bull City Venture Partners
- Elizabeth Feidler of Noro-Moseley Partners
- Mark Flickinger of Panoramic Ventures
- Barry Givens of Techstars and Collab Capital
- Frederik Groce of Storm Ventures and BLCK VC
- Scott Lopano of Tech Square Ventures
- Suneera Madhani of Fattmerchant
- Jon Rosenbaum of Insight Partners
- Ryan Whittemore of Florida Funders
- Joey Womack of Goodie Nation
We’re beyond excited to see you at this year’s conference and to continue building that forward Momentum. If you’re ready to keep it moving, too, mark your calendar for Wednesday, October 20, and Thursday, October 21, and be sure to sign up for our newsletter to ensure you stay in the loop on conference announcements, sponsorship opportunities, our call for companies, registration dates, and more.
If you missed out on Venture Atlanta 2020 Live Online, you can watch the record-breaking conference here.
An object in motion stays in motion — together, we’ll keep moving forward.
A Look Back at Venture Atlanta 2020
2020 was the year that the world got turned upside down.
The pandemic forced us physically apart. Racial tensions and politics drove us emotionally apart.
Venture Atlanta, which was founded on the mission of connecting companies to capital, was suddenly faced with one of our toughest challenges to-date: In a world so isolated and so divided, how do you create connection?
With Venture Atlanta 2020, we reinvented our annual in-person gathering — the largest, most prestigious venture conference in the Southeast — with an entirely new, digital twist. The feat was daunting, but our team of forward-thinking strategists stepped up and delivered an above-and-beyond virtual experience, Venture Atlanta Live Online, which was watched by 1,200+ people all over the world.
And instead of avoiding uncomfortable subjects, we addressed them head-on with a very honest discussion about diversity that turned out to be one of the most popular and talked about panel sessions in VA history.
Last year was a trial of our capability; a testament to our endurance; and a nod to our exceptional team. And our ability to innovate and adapt paid off. We broke our record for company applications and registrations; we received notes of praise and appreciation from our attendees; and, most importantly, we laid the groundwork for years to come. We were forced to think bigger and reimagine all of the ways that we can deliver value and reach those outside of our own network. Now we are continuing that momentum into 2021.
“Thoroughly enjoyed it! One of the best conferences of 2020.”
“Incredible production quality and very engaging content.”
“Some of the best panel sessions and keynotes in Venture Atlanta history.”
“I was tuned in the entire time!”
“What a great event for all involved.”
Venture Atlanta 2020 By the Numbers
- 1,200+ Registrations
- 400 Company Applications Submitted
- 103 Companies Selected (21 Venture Companies, 27 Early Stage Companies, & 55 Showcase Companies)
- 11 States Across the Greater Southeast Represented by Our Pitch Companies
Missed Venture Atlanta 2020? Read the full recap here or sign up to watch all speaker sessions, company pitches, and more on-demand.
Building a Board That Reflects Our Event
To kick off the 14th Venture Atlanta season, we are proud to introduce to you this year’s board of directors, an impressive group of distinctive and dedicated members seeking to once again deliver an incredible and memorable experience for our attendees. As a reflection of the triumphant effort of bringing together all walks of life to solve the challenges of 2020, this year, our board isn’t just diverse — it’s multifaceted in every respect.
"I’m very excited to work with this talented board we have assembled. With our continued mission to match companies with capital, we have created a board with extensive connections to companies and capital providers across the US. This diverse board includes institutional capital providers, entrepreneurs and industry leaders from the west coast to the east coast that will help us continue to expand the venture echo system geography we can impact.
With the phenomenal success of our digital conference last year allowing us to expand our reach across the nation, we’re very well positioned to take another major step towards becoming the leading venture conference in the nation. We are attracting capital providers across the nation that can support early stage through all levels of growth for our participating companies. Jim Douglass, Venture Atlanta 2021 Chairman & Partner at Fulcrum Equity Partners
We’ve entrusted a team of men and women of different backgrounds; different races; different roles; and different industries to help guide VA 2021 to success. We hail from various tech scenes across the country — from San Francisco to Atlanta to the Carolinas to Florida (the country’s latest hotspot) and beyond. We bring an array of different perspectives from industry leaders, seasoned venture capitalists, and more. Our investors represent firms looking to invest in everything from seed startups to growth stage companies — allowing us to appeal to a myriad of prospective pitch companies.
“As Managing Partner at CTW Venture Partners and a founding member of the Atlanta CEO Council, I’ve been heavily involved in the Atlanta startup scene for many years. Venture Atlanta has played such a large role in turning our city into a tech hotspot and putting Atlanta on the radar of our nation’s top investment firms. And over the past few years, our reach has extended beyond the Southeast, into other emerging tech hubs in the Mid-Atlantic and Southwest regions. As I serve another year on the VA board, I’m looking forward to continuing to be a part of this growth and bringing Venture Atlanta’s capital connections to our participating companies.” - Palaniswamy “Raj” Rajan, Venture Atlanta Board Member & Managing Partner at CTW Venture Partners
Our board reflects our event — in terms of caliber and diversity. We have truly built the most impressive, most comprehensive group to be an advocate for every single type of Venture Atlanta attendee and create an event that will provide value to all.
Meet the 2021 Venture Atlanta Board of Directors
Venture Atlanta 2021 Chairman
Jim Douglass
Fulcrum Equity Partners
Jim is a Partner of Fulcrum Equity Partners and brings more than 30 years of operations, strategic development and financial experience with high-growth public and private software and healthcare companies. Read Full Bio >>
Newly-Added Board Members
Jason Caplain
Bull City Venture Partners
Jason is a General Partner and Co-Founder of Bull City Venture Partners. Prior to co-founding BCVP, Jason co-founded Southern Capitol Ventures. Previously, he was at Red Hat (NYSE:RHT) in their finance group through the successful IPO in 1999. Before joining Red Hat, Jason was at Harrison Hurley and Company, an investment banking and business-consulting firm headquartered in Providence, RI. Read Full Bio >>
Elizabeth Feidler
Noro-Moseley Partners (NMP)
Elizabeth Feidler joined NMP as a Vice President in January 2020. She supports the firm’s investments in information technology and healthcare companies. Elizabeth currently serves as a board observer for Ekos and Whitebox. Read Full Bio >>
Mark Flickinger
Panoramic Ventures
Mark is a General Partner and the Chief Operating Officer at Panoramic Ventures overseeing fundraising, investor relations, marketing/branding, talent acquisition, and portfolio acceleration. Before joining BIP Capital in 2015, Mark worked for 4th Strand, a product performance consulting firm that was acquired by Intertek in 2012. Read Full Bio >>
Barry Givens
Techstars, Collab Capital
Barry Givens is a techie, an entrepreneur, and a lover of all things helping to bring racial parity to the economics, education, and workforce of the tech industry. Based in Atlanta, he currently serves as Managing Director for the Cox Social Impact Accelerator powered by Techstars and also as Managing Partner of Collab Capital where he supports and funds promising Black founded startups. Read Full Bio >>
Frederik Groce
Storm Ventures, BLCK VC
Frederik is a Principal at Storm Ventures and a co-founder at BLCK VC, the nation's largest Black venture community. As an investor at Storm, Frederik is focused on early stage investing in AI enabled B2B SaaS, GovTech, Supply Chain, and InsurTech. He also leads the firm's efforts in investing outside of the Bay Area. Storm has invested in Atlanta based companies like Gather and SalesLoft. Read Full Bio >>
Scott Lopano
Tech Square Ventures
Scott Lopano is a Principal at Tech Square Ventures where he is responsible for sourcing new companies, deal execution, and supporting the portfolio's growth. Since joining TSV in 2017, Scott has led the execution of 50+ new investments across both funds focused on early-stage enterprise (B2B) and marketplace technology companies. Read Full Bio >>
Suneera Madhani
Fattmerchant
Suneera Madhani is a payments and technology innovator who has catapulted her business idea from startup to $8B — disrupting the payments ecosystem as we know it. Before founding Fattmerchant in 2014, Madhani held a variety of successful positions, one being with a larger merchant services provider. After seeing the need for transparency and a better payment experience for merchants, her entrepreneurial spirit took hold and she decided to solve the problem herself. She built a company from the ground up that provided a sophisticated and merchant-friendly platform, coupled with the best experience to customers through transparency and award-winning customer service. Fattmerchant has revolutionized the payments landscape — challenging the status quo with its transparent, subscription-based model and unifying the payments experience through the development of an integrated payments platform. Read Full Bio >>
Jon Rosenbaum
Insight Partners
Jon (also known by friends and co-workers as “Rosie”) is a Principal at Insight Partners. He focuses on vertical and horizontal application software at the venture and growth stage, and is responsible for executing transactions and assisting in portfolio management post-close. He has also specialized in helping portfolio companies source and execute M&A. Read Full Bio >>
Ryan Whittemore
Florida Funders
Ryan Whittemore is the Chief Investment Officer for Florida Funders, a hybrid Venture Capital Fund and 1400 member accredited investor syndicate focused on early stage seed to Series A stage tech. Ryan’s team reviews 1,000+ deals per year across 3 managed funds which has resulted in 36 portfolio companies in the primary fund. Ryan leverages a diverse background including venture, private equity, legal, corporate operations, capital market portfolio management and research analysis to identify the best tech investment opportunities for Florida Funders. Read Full Bio >>
Joey Womack
Goodie Nation
Joey Womack’s goal is to positively impact 1 billion people by the year 2039. Part super-connector, part startup coach, he is the Founder/CEO of Goodie Nation, a national support nonprofit that is closing the relationship gap for tech-focused social entrepreneurs and diverse founders, and the Founder/CEO of Amplify 4 Good, a mission-driven agency that uses rapid problem-solving to help large companies, nonprofits, and government agencies create social impact. Since starting this journey in 2014, he’s on pace to reach this goal by working with the likes of CARE USA, Google, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Ford Motor Company, Coca-Cola, Google For Startups, United Negro College Fund, Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, Village Capital, and the White House HBCU Initiative. Joey is also the Co-Founder of the Atlanta Black Tech initiative where he serves as the Lead for the Startups and K-12 divisions. Read Full Bio >>
Legacy Board Members
Allyson Eman
Venture Atlanta CEO
Allyson Eman has more than 29 years of marketing, communications, sales leadership and business development skills. In 2007, Allyson took on the role of Executive Director for the newly created Venture Atlanta annual conference. Allyson has worked with key business leaders from Metro Atlanta Chamber, Atlanta CEO Council and Technology Association of Georgia to build the premier venture capital conference in the South. Read Full Bio >>
Kelly Gay
OnBoard
Venture Atlanta 2020 Chairwoman
Kelly Gay is the chairwoman and CEO of OnBoard, vice chair of the Technology Association of Georgia, and past chair of Venture Atlanta. She also serves on the boards of 1105 Media, the Atlanta CEO Council, ATDC, and Acivilate. Read Full Bio >>
Alex Estevez
Accel
Venture Atlanta 2019 Chairman
Mr. Estevez is a Venture Partner with Accel Partners, a global leader in venture capital with past investments in top companies such as Atlassian, Dropbox, Facebook, Jet.com, Lynda.com, Qualtrics, Slack, Squarespace, and Spotify. As Venture Partner, Mr. Estevez helps existing portfolio companies based outside of Silicon Valley with their growth opportunities and scale challenges. Read Full Bio >>
Mike Becker
Vocap Partners
Venture Atlanta 2018 Chairman
Mike loves the entrepreneurial process and has over 20 years of investing, technology and operations experience, much of it working with growth stage companies. Prior to joining Vocap, Mike served as the COO of Triton Digital’s Applications & Services Division. Read Full Bio >>
Richard Fraim
Knoll Ventures
Rich is a General Partner of Knoll Ventures, an Atlanta, GA based early-stage venture capital fund that invests in technology businesses focused on B2B markets. Knoll primarily invests in pre-Series A companies that have demonstrated customer traction and identified actionable near-term growth initiatives. Read Full Bio >>
David Hartnett
Metro Atlanta Chamber
As chief economic development officer at the Metro Atlanta Chamber, David leads the team focused on the retention, recruitment, and expansion of existing and start-up companies within key clusters, e.g., Mobility, IoT, Cybersecurity, FinTech, Digital Media, Supply Chain, Bioscience, and Health IT. Read Full Bio >>
Vanessa Larco
New Enterprise Associates (NEA)
Vanessa Larco joined NEA as a Partner in 2016 and focuses on enterprise and consumer investing. Prior to joining NEA, she was the Director of Product Management for web and mobile apps at Box (NYSE: BOX) where she worked on building the next generation of productivity apps. Read Full Bio >>
Phyllis Newhouse
Xtreme Solutions Inc.
Phyllis W. Newhouse is the Chief Executive Officer of Xtreme Solutions, Inc., an end-to-end IT services and solutions provider, with offerings that range from IT business consulting to state-of-the-art cyber security consulting and forensic analysis. Phyllis co-founded Xtreme Solutions in 2002 upon retiring from the United States Army as a Senior Non-Commissioned Officer. Read Full Bio >>
Palaniswamy “Raj” Rajan
Palaniswamy “Raj” Rajan is currently the Managing Partner of CTW Venture Partners, an early stage venture capital fund which invests in and assists seed and early-stage entrepreneurs in all industries in Atlanta and the South Eastern United States who are engaged in disruptive innovations and technologies. Read Full Bio >>
Rachel Spasser
Accel-KKR Consulting Group
Rachel Spasser is a Managing Director and Chief Marketing Officer for the Accel-KKR Consulting Group. In this role, Rachel provides leadership across commercial functions including strategy, sales, marketing and business development for Accel-KKR’s portfolio companies. Prior to joining Accel-KKR’s Consulting Group, Rachel was the Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for SAP Ariba. At Ariba, she led the design and execution of the company’s marketing strategy and programs. Read Full Bio >>
Larry Williams
Technology Association of Georgia (TAG)
Larry K. Williams, is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG). Williams, A recognized leader in economic development, brings more than 20 years of experience in global branding, international trade and finance, public and industrial policy, and administration and management to one of the largest state technology trade associations in North America. Read Full Bio >>
In a year where change was unavoidable, we made change our motivator.
In January we set out to plan our 13th Venture Atlanta conference. By March, everything had changed. As with all events this year, we considered our options — to cancel, postpone, or go virtual. Our mission has always been to connect companies with capital, and we knew that our companies needed us this year more than ever before, so we decided in April to move forward full-steam ahead with a virtual event.
We weren’t quite sure what to expect, and we knew it would be more challenging than any event we’d done in the past, but it turned out to be the right decision.
Being fully digital meant we could reach more audiences than ever before. In fact, we had people tuned in from all over the world — including Canada, Japan, Curacao, and the Netherlands, to name a few. And although we couldn’t all be together in-person, we were determined to create an immersive, interactive, and engaging experience. According to the feedback from our attendees, this made the difference.
“Thoroughly enjoyed it! One of the best conferences of 2020.”
“Best virtual event I’ve experienced.”
“Miss seeing everyone in person, but this is the best virtual event I’ve been to in months. You can see the attention to detail and forethought that was put into it.”
“This was way above my expectations and surpasses anything I’ve seen in the past 8 months. “
“Incredible production quality and very engaging content.”
“Some of the best panel sessions and keynotes in Venture Atlanta history.”
And not only were we able to create connections and deliver a worthwhile experience to our attendees, but we also crossed some incredible milestones while doing it. Despite the challenges and uncertainties of 2020, we are thrilled to share that we saw record-high registrations and company applications.
Venture Atlanta 2020 by the Numbers:
- 1,200+ Registrations
- 400 Company Applications Submitted
- 103 Companies Selected (21 Venture Companies, 27 Early Stage Companies, & 55 Showcase Companies)
- 11 States Across the Greater Southeast Represented by Our Pitch Companies
And we can’t thank our speakers, panelists, and presenters enough for the quality of the content they delivered. We know the inspiration and motivation will move mountains in the coming years. And this year, more than ever, we’re proud to have been a catalyst.
Here are some of our favorite moments from Venture Atlanta 2020 Speakers:
“You can learn a lot from my failures. When you succeed, your failures are buried, and that’s unfortunate because people just starting can lose that connection with inevitable failures. My mother always told me that failure wasn’t the opposite of success, it was a stepping stone to success.” - Arianna Huffington, Founder of The Huffington Post and Founder & CEO of Thrive Global, on what aspiring leaders need to know.
“I don’t want a whole bunch of ‘me.’ I need someone to challenge me. I need diversity.” Dawn Dickson-Akpoghene, Founder & CEO of PopCom, on what she looks for in a great team.
“Here’s the thing about ‘no’: It’s one of the first words you learn as a kid, and it’s one of the hardest things to say as an adult. But ‘no’ is about focus and prioritizing, and I think it’s important to learn how to say no.” Jean-Michel Lemieux, CTO of Shopify, on his favorite word.
“The most powerful thing is relationships. 90% of our circle looks like us and if I don’t look like you, I don’t get to benefit from your relationships. So many of our black founders, our female founders, go from incubator to accelerator to incubator to accelerator just trying to gain traction. We need to be creating these safe spaces to fail and fly, where it’s of the community, by the community, for the community. There’s a power in being seen, and there’s a special energy in this city to do it.” - Jay Bailey, President & CEO of the Russell Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (RCIE), on the incredible opportunities available in Atlanta.
“Our founding vision was that we’re going to solve the actual customer problem: It’s too hard to do all these things. The reason people buy Hubspot is because it's easy. And we’re standing behind that.” Dharmesh Shah, Founder & CTO of HubSpot, on how prioritizing the customer has made HubSpot one of the biggest names in marketing.
"There has been a backdrop of illiquidity in the markets. There used to be 250 companies that would go public, and there was a long list of banks ready to do that. Now that list is consolidated, which means 70 go public in a year. A lot of companies are looking for M&A and are leaping over the fence to go after the stock market. When I joined Accel, I could count on one hand the companies who had $100M recurring revenue. I look at our private portfolio today, and 30-40 of those companies are at that scale, and a lot of them will be private for some time. It's fascinating." - Andrew Braccia, Partner at Accel, on how the market has changed in the last ten to 15 years.
“When Facebook came in one day, out of the blue, saying ‘hey, we’re Facebook, we’d like to buy the product,’ we realized we were establishing a SaaS, under-the-wire sort of motion that could work. So we focused on that and built out the high velocity, high volume engine to understand how we could be a reference space for customers like Facebook. We wanted to know how to build a referral loop back into the business from existing customers. And just to give you a reference of scale, we got to a million ARR only on that.” - Dug Song on the critical inflection points of the “three-year” overnight success of Duo Security.
Missed out on Venture Atlanta Live Online content? You can sign up here to get access to our on-demand platform which houses all speaking sessions, pitches, and more ($99 for 1 month of access, $595 for one year of access).
Venture Atlanta 2020 Presenting Companies Lineup
This was our most competitive year yet for company applications. For the first time ever, we selected over 100 companies (and that was still only 25% of the total number of companies that applied). Additionally, for the first time in our history, we had more out-of-state companies apply than in-state showing how far we’ve spread through the Southeast.
VENTURE STAGE
Lux Vending, LLC dba Bitcoin Depot
Spruce
EARLY-STAGE
Immertec (Immersive Tech, Inc)
Nix Software, Inc.
Physician 360
Soteria Battery Innovation Group
SHOWCASE COMPANIES
AutoDo-It
Intermx
LVNGbook
Ongev Inc.
Optimal Technology Corporation
Professional Credentials Exchange LLC
SpotSource by Agency Spotter Inc.
Talli, Inc.
TSOLife inc
Don’t forget: All Venture Atlanta 2020 presenting and showcase company pitches are available on-demand for a full year, and networking is open year-round. If you registered for VA Live Online, you can access all pitches and networking through the link you used to watch the event. If you never registered, you can still do so here ($99 for 1 month of access, $595 for one year of access).
Thank You to Our Partners and Sponsors
We couldn’t have done any of this without the support of our amazing partners and sponsors along the way — and we appreciate how everyone rolled with the punches and brought even more to this year's event than ever before. A special thank you goes out to our premier sponsor Invesco and our headline sponsors Cherry Bekaert, Nelson Mullins, and Truist.
AND NOW... Meet Your Venture Atlanta 2021 Chairman: Jim Douglass
We are so excited to announce Venture Atlanta’s next chairman, Jim Douglass of Fulcrum Equity Partners. A member of the Venture Atlanta board since 2019, Jim brings 25+ years of experience in operations management, strategic development, and high-growth financial services to the conference, and we’re excited to see where his leadership takes us in the coming year.
“There aren’t many conferences where you get really strong, centralized content in this capital spectrum,” said Douglass, when he joined the Venture Atlanta board in 2019. “But the early funds, the middle players, and the $500 billion funds are all here to see what’s going on in Atlanta. That’s a great place to be.”
Stay Connected
And that’s a wrap on Venture Atlanta 2020! Remember that, with the All-Access pass, you still have access to content, pitches, and networking, so you can catch up on anything you missed and continue to make valuable connections. Simply visit the link you used to watch the conference. And if you did not register but wish you did, it’s not too late. You can still catch up on all things Venture Atlanta Live Online — including networking. It’s only $99 for 30 days of access to all of our keynote sessions, breakout sessions, and company pitches! For a full year of access, it’s $595. Sign up now, or contact us if you have any questions.
Finally, we can’t wait to see what 2021 brings. Stay tuned for what to look forward to next year by subscribing to our newsletter or following along on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Year 14, here we come.
