The 12th annual Venture Atlanta conference will be held October 16-17, 2019 at the Southern Exchange @ 200 Peachtree in Atlanta, Georgia. Venture Atlanta is the largest venture capital conference in the region bringing together entrepreneurs from across the Southeast and investor funds from across the nation for a jam-packed two-day event. Here’s what investors can expect from Venture Atlanta 2019.
8 Reasons Why Venture Atlanta is the Best Place to Meet Your Next Portfolio Company
1 - More portfolio companies applied to pitch this year than ever before. We had a 50% increase in applications compared to last year, and there’s even more representation from cities outside of Atlanta. This is your chance to see the top emerging tech companies from across the entire Southeast.
2 - The presenting companies are vetted and coached. The tech industry is very competitive with a lot of noise and a lot of choices. We select the most proven and innovative portfolio companies and provide them with exceptional coaching so that every pitch is worth your time.
3 - We have a successful track record. Our companies collectively have achieved over $4B in capital raised and $14B in exits. See some of our biggest success stories.
4 - It’s where your fellow investors will be. If you’re not at Venture Atlanta, you’re missing out. Join 300+ funds (including these big names) at this year’s event.
5 - Get face time with the entrepreneurs at our Investor dinner. Our investor dinner is always one of the highlights of the conference. The CEOs of the presenting and showcase companies will be in attendance giving you an opportunity to connect directly with them.
6 - We’ve introduced a new opportunity for later-stage investors. This year we’ll have a growth-stage track with sessions specifically geared toward later-stage companies and investors.
7 - Don’t just take it from us. Hear testimonials from Ben Narasin of NEA, Jackie DiMonte of Hyde Park Venture Partners, Courtney Watson of the Chattanooga Renaissance Fund, and Mike Becker of Vocap Investment Partners.
8 - Book meetings ahead of time with the Venture Atlanta app. Make the most of your two days in Atlanta by setting up meetings ahead of time with your top prospects. The list of presenting and showcase companies will be released on September 16th, so you’ll know who will be in attendance and which companies you’ll want to connect with. We typically have 400+ meetings happen at the event, so this is a great way for you to meet with multiple companies in a short amount of time.
Life-changing investment deals have come from conversations that started at Venture Atlanta. It’s the one time a year that top tech leaders, entrepreneurs, and investors are all gathered together in one place to learn and connect. Don’t miss your chance to be a part of it. Register now or contact Executive Director Allyson Eman with any questions. We hope to see you there!
Venture Atlanta is pleased to announce that Stephanie Cohen, Chief Strategy Officer and Ex Officio member of the Management Committee at Goldman Sachs, will join our corporate development sessions as the panel moderator at the 2019 conference. Designed to foster connections between growth-stage companies and investors, these sessions will include networking, 1:1 meeting opportunities, and roundtable discussions.
Meet Stephanie Cohen, Goldman Sachs' Chief Strategy Officer
After joining Goldman Sachs in 1999 as an analyst, Stephanie was named managing director in 2008, and a partner in 2014. Currently serving as the Chief Strategy Officer and Ex Officio member of the Management Committee, she leads strategy and M&A for the firm. Stephanie also leads Firmwide initiatives like Launch With GS, a $500m commitment to narrow the investing gap for women, and GS Accelerate, an in-house innovation engine. This builds on 20 years of experience at Goldman Sachs, most recently as the global head of financial sponsor M&A within the Investment Bank.
Named one of the most powerful women in finance by American Banker in September 2018, Stephanie is also the youngest member of the Goldman Sachs management committee. She holds a finance degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is also a board member for both CollegeSpring and Quill.org.
About Venture Atlanta
Venture Atlanta, the Southeast’s premier venture conference, is where the region’s most promising tech companies meet the country’s top-tier investors. Now in its 12th year as the region’s largest investor showcase with over 1,000 attendees, Venture Atlanta connects the best and brightest entrepreneurs with local and national venture capitalists, bankers, angel investors, and others who can help them raise the capital they need to grow their businesses. The annual nonprofit event is a collaboration of three leading Georgia business organizations: Atlanta CEO Council, Metro Atlanta Chamber, and the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG). For more information, visit www.ventureatlanta.org.
Venture Atlanta is pleased to announce that Seksom Suriyapa, Vice President of Corporate Development & Strategy at Twitter, will join us for our corporate development sessions at the 2019 conference. Designed to foster connections between growth-stage companies and investors, these sessions will include networking, 1:1 meeting opportunities, and roundtable discussions.
Meet Seksom Suriyapa, Twitter Vice President of Corporate Development & Strategy
Since 2018, Seksom Suriyapa has been pioneering corporate development and strategy at Twitter, where he works with founders in leading, managing, and executing growth strategies. Prior to his current position, Seksom collaborated with iconic market leaders as an investor, advisor, and mentor for various privately-held companies, including Netskope, Reflektive, Drafted, and TopOpps.
Seksom also has experience working with industry-leading companies such as Twitter, SuccessFactors, and Akamai, where he has led strategy for critical inflection points as a key leadership team member. At SuccessFactors, Seksom worked with the company from ~$100 million to $1 billion in revenue, and also assisted in the sale of the company to SAP. At Akamai, he initiated the move into cybersecurity for the CDN leader. He holds a JD from Stanford Law School, an MBA from INSEAD Business School, and a BA from Williams College.
With experience advising companies that range from early-stage to market-leading, Seksom has accelerated businesses in several industries, spanning from consumer internet to enterprise. For both growth-stage companies and investors, Venture Atlanta 2019 is an excellent opportunity to get the chance to collaborate with Seksom. If you’re interested in speaking directly with him, you can register for the 2019 conference here. You can also stay up to date with future speaker announcements and additional event details by subscribe to our newsletter here.
About Venture Atlanta
Venture Atlanta, the Southeast’s premier venture conference, is where the region’s most promising tech companies meet the country’s top-tier investors. Now in its 12th year as the region’s largest investor showcase with over 1,000 attendees, Venture Atlanta connects the best and brightest entrepreneurs with local and national venture capitalists, bankers, angel investors, and others who can help them raise the capital they need to grow their businesses. The annual nonprofit event is a collaboration of three leading Georgia business organizations: Atlanta CEO Council, Metro Atlanta Chamber, and the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG). For more information, visit www.ventureatlanta.org.
Venture Atlanta is pleased to announce that Matt Schweickert, Chief Strategy Officer at Home Depot, will join us for our corporate development sessions at the 2019 conference. Designed to foster connections between growth-stage companies and investors, these sessions will include networking, 1:1 meeting opportunities, and roundtable discussions.
Meet Matt Schweickert, Home Depot Chief Strategy Officer
As Head of the Strategic Business Development group, Matt Sckweickert manages The Home Depot’s corporate strategy ranging from organic and inorganic strategic initiatives to M&A and ventures. In addition to being a member of Home Depot’s Finance Executive Leadership Team, Matt also oversees the I.T. Finance group and leads the strategic planning, financial reporting, and analysis for the company’s enterprise I.T. spend. Before working with Home Depot on critical planning and execution, Matt had previous roles with Experian, JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America Securities, and the Harvard Center for International Development.
With a significant track record leading teams in corporate venture capital, strategic partnerships, and leading over $15 billion in consummated M&A transactions, Matt is an incredible addition to our corporate development panel. If you’re interested in attending the event and getting the opportunity to meet Matt, you can register for the 2019 conference here. You can also subscribe to our newsletter here and stay updated on future conference details and event announcements.
About Venture Atlanta
Venture Atlanta, the Southeast’s premier venture conference, is where the region’s most promising tech companies meet the country’s top-tier investors. Now in its 12th year as the region’s largest investor showcase with over 1,000 attendees, Venture Atlanta connects the best and brightest entrepreneurs with local and national venture capitalists, bankers, angel investors, and others who can help them raise the capital they need to grow their businesses. The annual nonprofit event is a collaboration of three leading Georgia business organizations: Atlanta CEO Council, Metro Atlanta Chamber, and the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG). For more information, visit www.ventureatlanta.org.
Venture Atlanta is pleased to announce that James Loftus, Global Head of Corporate Development at Square, will join us for our corporate development sessions at the 2019 conference. Designed to foster connections between growth-stage companies and investors, these sessions will include networking, 1:1 meeting opportunities, and roundtable discussions.
Meet James Loftus, Square Global Head of Corporate Development
As the Global Head of Corporate Development, James Loftus has led acquisitions and investments since 2016, including the acquisition of OrderAhead and investments in Eventbrite. His past experience includes leadership positions at STX Digital and Andreessen Horowitz, where he advised companies on capital raising, business development, strategic planning, partnerships, and M&A. In addition, James was also a senior member of the M&A teams at both Yahoo and Google.
Recently, James was featured on The Twenty Minute VC, speaking to M&A as a primary method of exit, how the best M&A teams build their processes, and what great VCs do during the M&A process. As a featured speaker at the 2019 conference, both presenting companies and investors will have the opportunity to attend the panel, ask questions, and speak with James directly. If you’re interested, you can secure your spot by registering here. Want to stay up to date with future speaker announcements and event details? You can subscribe to our newsletter here.
About Venture Atlanta
Venture Atlanta, the Southeast’s premier venture conference, is where the region’s most promising tech companies meet the country’s top-tier investors. Now in its 12th year as the region’s largest investor showcase with over 1,000 attendees, Venture Atlanta connects the best and brightest entrepreneurs with local and national venture capitalists, bankers, angel investors, and others who can help them raise the capital they need to grow their businesses. The annual nonprofit event is a collaboration of three leading Georgia business organizations: Atlanta CEO Council, Metro Atlanta Chamber, and the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG). For more information, visit www.ventureatlanta.org.
Venture Atlanta is pleased to announce that Phil Kirk, Senior Director of Investments at Cisco, will join us for our corporate development sessions at the 2019 conference. Designed to foster connections between growth-stage companies and investors, these sessions will include networking, 1:1 meeting opportunities, and roundtable discussions.
Meet Phil Kirk, Cisco Senior Director of Investments
As a member of the Cisco team since 2007, Phil Kirk leads all acquisitions and investments related to cloud, analytics, big data, and enterprise software as the senior director of investments. In addition to identifying new market opportunities, Phil assists companies of all sizes to win venture investments, partnerships, and acquisitions, including executing the $3.7N acquisition of AppDynamics. Phil is also responsible for the team and activities worldwide, including projects in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Russia, through Cisco Investments and Corporate Development.
Before working with Cisco’s Corporate Business and Development team, Phil was a member of the Microsoft Corporate Strategy team, an associate at DTEC Venture Capital, and a strategy consultant with a focus on the internet and e-commerce space.
For both small, emerging companies and venture investors alike, this is an excellent opportunity to pick Phil’s brain. If you’re interested in attending the panel or getting a chance to speak directly with him, you can secure your spot by registering for the 2019 conference here. Want to stay up to date with future speaker announcements and event details? You can subscribe to our newsletter here.
About Venture Atlanta
Venture Atlanta, the Southeast’s premier venture conference, is where the region’s most promising tech companies meet the country’s top-tier investors. Now in its 12th year as the region’s largest investor showcase with over 1,000 attendees, Venture Atlanta connects the best and brightest entrepreneurs with local and national venture capitalists, bankers, angel investors, and others who can help them raise the capital they need to grow their businesses. The annual nonprofit event is a collaboration of three leading Georgia business organizations: Atlanta CEO Council, Metro Atlanta Chamber, and the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG). For more information, visit www.ventureatlanta.org.
Venture Atlanta is pleased to announce that Lisa Marchese, Head of Corporate Development at American Express, will join our corporate development sessions at the 2019 conference. Designed to foster connections between growth-stage companies and investors, these sessions will include networking, 1:1 meeting opportunities, and roundtable discussions.
Meet Lisa Marchese, American Express Head of Corporate Development
As the Corporate Head of Development at American Express (AMEX), Lisa Marchese leads teams with the sole responsibility include the global coordination of partnerships, acquisitions, investments, joint ventures, and divestitures for the company. Throughout two decades at AMEX, she collaborates across businesses and functions to drive change and arrive at the optimal solution.
Prior to American Express, Lisa was a consultant in the financial services practices of both A.T. Kearney and Sibson & Company. She holds an MBA from Columbia University, as well as a psychology degree from Barnard College.
If you are interested in attending the event, you can register for the 2019 conference here and get the opportunity to meet with Lisa and the rest of the corporate development panel. You can also subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated on conference details and event announcements.
About Venture Atlanta
Venture Atlanta, the Southeast’s premier venture conference, is where the region’s most promising tech companies meet the country’s top-tier investors. Now in its 12th year as the region’s largest investor showcase with over 1,000 attendees, Venture Atlanta connects the best and brightest entrepreneurs with local and national venture capitalists, bankers, angel investors, and others who can help them raise the capital they need to grow their businesses. The annual nonprofit event is a collaboration of three leading Georgia business organizations: Atlanta CEO Council, Metro Atlanta Chamber, and the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG). For more information, visit www.ventureatlanta.org.
Venture Atlanta is pleased to announce that Chris Hecht, Corporate Head of Development at Atlassian, will join us for our corporate development sessions at the 2019 conference. Designed to foster connections between growth-stage companies and investors, these sessions will include networking, 1:1 meeting opportunities, and roundtable discussions.
Meet Chris Hecht, Atlassian Head of Corporate Development
Serving at Atlassian as the corporate head of development since July 2018, Chris Hecht has extensive experience in working with various product and business leaders as they identify and evaluate strategic opportunities. In addition, Chris led the M&A team at Salesforce as the Senior Vice President and Head of M&A before joining the Atlassian team. Prior to his experience at Atlassian and Salesforce, Chris worked in investment banking with a focus on tech M&A.
With a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Bachelors of Arts in Economics from Colorado College, Hecht brings extensive experience in corporate development to Venture Atlanta 2019. For growth-stage companies in the tech sphere, this is an incredible opportunity to get the chance to meet with Chris. If you’re interested in attending the panel or getting a chance to speak directly with him, you can secure your spot by registering for the 2019 conference here. Want to stay up to date with future speaker announcements and event details? You can subscribe to our newsletter here.
About Venture Atlanta
Venture Atlanta, the Southeast’s premier venture conference, is where the region’s most promising tech companies meet the country’s top-tier investors. Now in its 12th year as the region’s largest investor showcase with over 1,000 attendees, Venture Atlanta connects the best and brightest entrepreneurs with local and national venture capitalists, bankers, angel investors, and others who can help them raise the capital they need to grow their businesses. The annual nonprofit event is a collaboration of three leading Georgia business organizations: Atlanta CEO Council, Metro Atlanta Chamber, and the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG). For more information, visit www.ventureatlanta.org.
Venture Atlanta is pleased to announce that Murphy Clark, Executive Vice President of Corporate Strategy and M&A at Red Ventures, will join us our corporate development sessions at Venture Atlanta 2019. Designed to foster connections between growth-stage companies and investors, these sessions will include networking, 1:1 meeting opportunities, and roundtable discussions.
Meet Murphy Clark, Executive Vice President of Corporate Strategy and M&A at Red Ventures
As the Executive Vice President of Corporate Strategy and M&A at Red Ventures, Murphy Clark works extensively to grow a portfolio of digital businesses that span multiple industries.
Earning a B.S. degree from Stanford University and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, Murphy worked for 20+ years in the investment banking and private equity sector before joining the Red Venture team, including leadership roles with Wells Fargo, TL Ventures, Kitty Hawk Capital, and GE Capital. His past projects include experience in private equity focused on growth equity and late-stage venture capital investments and middle-market sponsor coverage and M&A.
Combining more than two decades of experience in investment and private equity, Murphy lends extensive expertise to our corporate development sessions at Venture Atlanta 2019. To attend Murphy’s session, or speak with him directly, you can secure your spot by registering for the conference here.
About Venture Atlanta
Venture Atlanta, the Southeast’s premier venture conference, is where the region’s most promising tech companies meet the country’s top-tier investors. Now in its 12th year as the region’s largest investor showcase with over 1,000 attendees, Venture Atlanta connects the best and brightest entrepreneurs with local and national venture capitalists, bankers, angel investors, and others who can help them raise the capital they need to grow their businesses. The annual nonprofit event is a collaboration of three leading Georgia business organizations: Atlanta CEO Council, Metro Atlanta Chamber, and the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG). For more information, visit www.ventureatlanta.org.
Venture Atlanta is pleased to announce that Marc Brown, Corporate Vice President of Corporate Development at Microsoft, will join us for our corporate development sessions at the 2019 conference. Designed to foster connections between growth-stage companies and investors, these sessions will include networking, 1:1 meeting opportunities, and roundtable discussions.
Meet Marc Brown, Microsoft Corporate Vice President of Corporate Development
As an internal advisor to executives at Microsoft since 2000, Marc has led over 70 acquisitions with more than $5 billion in deal consideration in addition to executing investments and M&A transactions. Marc has also negotiated and closed eight program-related investments worth $75 million in invested capital, including Chinasoft International, Rootnet, and Dalian Hi-Think Computing.
Before joining the team at Microsoft, Marc was an associate in the corporate group at Goodwin as a representative for venture capital and private equity firms. Among his many responsibilities, Marc was involved in structuring, analyzing, drafting, negotiating, and closing leverage buyout, recapitalization and early and later-stage venture investments. He has also been a member of the Board of Directors at Rapid7 since 2016, and a member of the Board of Directors at SSB since 2018. He holds an MBA in finance from New York University, an AB in economics from Colgate University, and a JD degree from Georgetown University Law Center.
Altogether, Marc brings more than 30 years of experience in the acquisition industry and is an excellent addition to our line-up. If you’re interested in attending Marc’s panel discussion or getting an opportunity to meet with him directly, you can secure a spot by registering for Venture Atlanta 2019 here. You can also subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date on conference news and speaker announcements.
About Venture Atlanta
Venture Atlanta, the Southeast’s premier venture conference, is where the region’s most promising tech companies meet the country’s top-tier investors. Now in its 12th year as the region’s largest investor showcase with over 1,000 attendees, Venture Atlanta connects the best and brightest entrepreneurs with local and national venture capitalists, bankers, angel investors, and others who can help them raise the capital they need to grow their businesses. The annual nonprofit event is a collaboration of three leading Georgia business organizations: Atlanta CEO Council, Metro Atlanta Chamber, and the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG). For more information, visit www.ventureatlanta.org.
