Venture Atlanta is the Southeast’s largest venture capital conference, connecting founders and funders to their next deals and partnerships in just 48 hours. Additionally, students from more than 23 universities have attended Venture Atlanta in the past in pursuit of early-career opportunities.
In the next ten years, the tech workforce is expected to grow twice as fast as the overall U.S. workforce. And we believe that the students at Venture Atlanta will be a huge part of that.
Keep reading to see how we built Venture Atlanta for students with discounted tickets, direct access to tech founders and investors, a front-row seat to real deal-making, and the steps professors are taking to turn that access into part of the classroom experience.
- Why Students Should Attend Venture Atlanta
- What Students Experience at Venture Atlanta
- Meet the 23+ Universities Sending Students to Venture Atlanta
- How Professors & Universities Bring Venture Atlanta into the Classroom
- Students: Learn How to Pitch When It’s Your Turn
- Why Venture Atlanta Is for Students Across the Nation
- Frequently Asked Questions
Why Students Should Attend Venture Atlanta
We could tell you why students should come, but we'd rather let a couple of them tell you.
"Venture Atlanta is a great networking space for students interested in VC or working with a startup. So much opportunity to learn and expand the network by just putting yourself out there!"
— Vinay S. Govindaraju, MS Analytics at Georgia Tech
"Attending Venture Atlanta was one of the most valuable experiences I've had as a student interested in venture capital. Being surrounded by founders, investors, and industry leaders gave me a front-row view of high-level deal flow and real venture assessment at scale, something that's hard to replicate in a classroom setting. Watching startups pitch and getting to meet with them directly deepened my understanding of what goes into evaluating early-stage companies, and it reinforced my interest in pursuing a career in investing and startup ecosystems."
— Abdelrahman Abdelhadi, Stetson University
A few things come up again and again when students talk about their experiences:
1. You Make Connections Beyond the Classroom
Students get access to investors, tech founders, and operators between sessions where they can network and find their next opportunity. This kind of access is why Venture Atlanta has become one of the best student networking events in the region, providing an experience no classroom can truly replicate.
2. You Watch Real Pitches for Real Money
Founders from every growth stage get to pitch live to investors looking for their next partnership. This includes Startup Showcase Live, where this year, founders are pitching for a $475K investment prize. Watching these pitches live helps students learn these skills up close and in practice.
3. You Hear From People Who’re Actively Contributing to What You're Studying
To open the conference, a keynote speaker will deliver an inspiring speech about their own founder’s journey. These speeches come from people who have contributed significantly to building the Southeast tech hub or are actively growing it. This is a chance to get insider information or learn from a founder who was once in their shoes!
Venture Atlanta also connects students to what can come next in their career journey. Our alumni companies are often actively hiring within the community, which is why the conference is an incredible tech talent pipeline for founders and investors.
If you’re interested in attending, Venture Atlanta student tickets are $195 at regular pricing and $295 at last call. Here's the full pricing breakdown if you want to plan around it.
What Students Experience at Venture Atlanta
We built Venture Atlanta for students to gain valuable experiences beyond the classroom. Here's what a day at Venture Atlanta looks like for a student:
- Pitch sessions: These are the main event of the conference where founders present to investors who may write their next check.
- Speaker insights: Through our programming, students learn how experienced VCs think through a deal, get insights from founders who have experienced the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, and get real-world business advice on hiring, firing, marketing, fundraising, selling, procurement, and more.
- Casual networking: A fair amount of networking is done in a hallway, in line for coffee, waiting for the next session, or just talking to whoever's standing next to you.
Check out last year’s conference recap or read through the full event overview if you want to know exactly what to expect before you show up.
Meet the Universities Sending Students to Venture Atlanta
Many universities send students to Venture Atlanta for opportunities to learn, network, and get inspired. Several university entrepreneurship programs even include Venture Atlanta in their curriculum. Here are universities that have participated in Venture Atlanta in the past:
- Auburn University
- Clemson University
- Cornell University
- Emory University
- Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech)
- Georgia Southern University
- Georgia State University
- Harvard University
- Kennesaw State University
- Mercer University
- Millsaps College
- Morehouse College
- Northwestern University
- Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)
- Southern University System
- Spelman College
- Stetson University
- UC Berkeley
- University of Cincinnati
- University of Georgia
- University of Michigan
- University of Phoenix
- University of South Florida
- Vanderbilt University
Students who attend Venture Atlanta have a wide range of academic expertise, from computer science to finance to entrepreneurship. You don't need to be a business major to get something out of it!
How Professors & Universities Bring Venture Atlanta into the Classroom
Venture Atlanta gives professors a way to extend learning beyond the classroom. In fact, a few professors have started building Venture Atlanta into curriculum as a field-based assignment or a business student networking requirement.
This is a chance for students to engage in learning outside the classroom with experiences that are hard to reproduce with a case study or a guest lecture.
Students: Learn How to Pitch When It’s Your Turn
If you're a student building something impactful, the pitch stage isn't just for founders who may be older or further along than you. Pitch applications for the 2026 conference are now closed, but you can still learn more about pitching and how to apply in the future!
And if you're new to Atlanta and figuring out where the startup conference for students scene actually lives, this guide is a good place to start.
Why Venture Atlanta Is for Students Across the Nation
Venture Atlanta exists to connect companies to capital. That mission doesn't work long-term if we only pay attention to the founders and investors already in the game. Students are the next wave of innovators, and investing in the next generation of tech is part of who we are.
Bringing students into the room now, while they're still figuring out what they want to build or fund, is part of how the Southeast tech ecosystem keeps producing founders and high-density investors while housing 29 Fortune 500/1000 companies.
Be a part of the innovation that’s built the Southeast into a destination tech hub by registering for the conference today with discounted student tickets!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can students attend Venture Atlanta?
Yes! Students and universities attend every year, and tickets are discounted for students.
How much are student tickets to Venture Atlanta?
Student conference tickets are $195 at regular pricing and $295 at last call.
What universities send students to Venture Atlanta?
Universities like Georgia Tech, Emory, UGA, Spelman, Vanderbilt, Cornell, and others across the Southeast and beyond send students to Venture Atlanta every year.
Do students have to be studying business or tech to attend?
No. Students come from a wide range of majors, from computer science to finance to entrepreneurship.
What can students learn at Venture Atlanta?
Students can learn how pitches actually operate, how investors evaluate early-stage companies, and what it's like to talk to founders and investors directly.
How do professors incorporate Venture Atlanta into their curriculum?
Some professors incorporate Venture Atlanta into their curriculum as a field assignment, as a networking requirement, or recommend it as a strong extracurricular.
Can students find internships or jobs at Venture Atlanta?
Yes! Tech founders and investors at the conference are hiring, and our alumni companies are often looking for talent.
How can students network with investors at Venture Atlanta?
Students can network at the conference mostly by showing up to the expo floor, sitting in on investor panels, and talking to people between sessions.
Is Venture Atlanta only for graduate students, or can undergrads attend?
Graduate students and Undergraduate students both attend and are encouraged to!
How does Venture Atlanta support the Southeast tech talent pipeline?
Venture Atlanta supports the Southeast tech talent pipeline by putting students in the same room as the founders and investors building the region's tech ecosystem before they graduate into it. This is really the core of what Venture Atlanta for students is meant to do.
