Podcasts about venture atlanta

Allyson Eman has more than 30 years of marketing, communications, sales leadership and business development experience. In 2007,Allyson took on the role of Executive Director for the newly created Venture Atlanta annual conference. She has worked with key business leaders across the country and founding organizations Metro Atlanta Chamber, Atlanta CEO Council and Technology Association […] The post Allyson Eman With Venture Atlanta appeared first on Business RadioX ®.

Send us a Text Message.E120: VentureAtlanta is one of the largest and most reputable venture conferences in the US. With over 1,500 annual attendees, 450 funds, and $17B in successful exits. It is a starting point for deal flow for Startup Investors of all stripes: Angels, VCs, private equity and large cap acquirers. David interviews Allyson Eman, the CEO of Venture Atlanta, about this year's event on October 8 & 9 and how founders and investors can participate. David also interviews Paul Lopez, Board Chair at TiE Atlanta, about their innovative VentureAtlanta minifund that leverages Angel Investments into a larger fund of 3-5 of the top participating companies at VentureAtlanta each year. The minifund allows Angels to meaningfully participate in what can be an overwhelming event showcasing 80 or more Startups. (recorded 5/14/24 and 5/23/24)Follow David on LinkedIn or reach out to David on Twitter/X @DGRollingSouth for comments. We invite your feedback and suggestions at ventureinthesouth.com or email david@ventureinthesouth.com. Learn more about RollingSouth at rollingsouth.vc or email david@rollingsouth.vc. Follow Paul on LinkedIn. Download our White Papers and Cheat Sheets HERE. Thanks for listening and remember: Our mission is to MAKE MONEY, HAVE FUN AND DO GOOD.

Allyson Eman has more than 30 years of marketing, communications, sales leadership, and business development experience. 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 across the country and founding organizations Metro Atlanta Chamber, Atlanta CEO Council, and Technology […] The post Allyson Eman with Venture Atlanta Coalition appeared first on Business RadioX ®.

Thank you for joining this special 5-part series featuring women driving the flow of early-stage venture capital at the 2023 Venture Atlanta Conference through the $500k Seed Showcase Live Pitch Competition powered by BIP Ventures, Catalyst by Wellstar, Florida Funders, and Knoll Ventures. Learn more about InnovATL2023 at https://innovatl2023.com/. Learn more about Catalyst by Wellstar and apply for funding or pilot opportunities at https://catalyst.wellstar.org/. Learn more about She Conquers Capital at https://sheconquerscapital.com/

Vice President Kamala Harris made a stop at some of Atlanta's historically Black colleges this week ahead of the 2024 campaign season; The number of immigrant detainees in Georgia has dropped compared to national levels, but that's only after a detention center was shuttered for human rights violations; A two-day investment conference called Venture Atlanta kicks off today, connecting Southern startups with capital from around the world.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Thank you for joining this special 5-part series featuring women driving the flow of early-stage venture capital at the 2023 Venture Atlanta Conference through the $500k Seed Showcase Live Pitch Competition powered by BIP Ventures, Catalyst by Wellstar, Florida Funders, and Knoll Ventures. Learn more about Catalyst by Wellstar and apply for funding or pilot opportunities at https://catalyst.wellstar.org/. Learn more about the Venture Atlanta Conference happening September 27-28, 2023 at https://www.ventureatlanta.org/. Learn more about She Conquers Capital at https://sheconquerscapital.com/  

Thank you for joining this special 5-part series featuring women driving the flow of early-stage venture capital at the 2023 Venture Atlanta Conference through the $500k Seed Showcase Live Pitch Competition powered by BIP Ventures, Catalyst by Wellstar, Florida Funders, and Knoll Ventures.   Learn more about BIP Ventures at https://www.bipventures.vc/.   Learn more about Catalyst by Wellstar and apply for funding or pilot opportunities at https://catalyst.wellstar.org/. Learn more about the Venture Atlanta Conference happening September 27-28, 2023 at https://www.ventureatlanta.org/. Learn more about She Conquers Capital at https://sheconquerscapital.com/  

Thank you for joining this special 5-part series featuring women driving the flow of early-stage venture capital at the 2023 Venture Atlanta Conference through the $500k Seed Showcase Live Pitch Competition powered by BIP Ventures, Catalyst by Wellstar, Florida Funders, and Knoll Ventures. Learn more about Catalyst by Wellstar and apply for funding or pilot opportunities at https://catalyst.wellstar.org/. Learn more about the Venture Atlanta Conference happening September 27-28, 2023 at https://www.ventureatlanta.org/. Learn more about She Conquers Capital at https://sheconquerscapital.com/  

Thank you for joining this special 5-part series featuring women driving the flow of early-stage venture capital at the 2023 Venture Atlanta Conference through the $500k Seed Showcase Live Pitch Competition powered by BIP Ventures, Catalyst by Wellstar, Florida Funders, and Knoll Ventures. Learn more about Catalyst by Wellstar and apply for funding or pilot opportunities at https://catalyst.wellstar.org/. Learn more about the Venture Atlanta Conference happening September 27-28, 2023 at https://www.ventureatlanta.org/. Learn more about BIP Ventures at https://www.bipventures.vc/. Learn more about She Conquers Capital at https://sheconquerscapital.com/  

E70: David interviews Allyson Eman, the CEO of VentureAtlanta which began 17 years ago with one mission: to connect companies to capital. Launched in 2007 with a couple hundred attendees and 20 investment funds, Venture Atlanta now welcomes more than 1,300 annual attendees and over 350 investment funds. The conference's networking and events have led to $7.5 billion in fundings raised and over $17 billon in successful exits including Kabbage, Cloud Sherpas, Roadie, ParkMobile, SalesLoft, and many more. Today, VentureAtlanta has evolved to encompass the connections, resources, partnerships, and community forged beyond the annual conference in support of the Southeast's most promising tech companies.We invite your feedback and suggestions at ventureinthesouth.com or email david@ventureinthesouth.com. If you like the Pod, follow David and Paul on LinkedIn and it really helps us if you leave a 2 sentence review. To learn more about The RollingSouth Funds that we operate, go to rollingsouth.vc or email david@rollingsouth.vc. Thanks for listening and remember: Our mission is to MAKE MONEY, HAVE FUN AND DO GOOD.

John Yates is the partner in charge of Morris Manning & Martin's corporate technology practice. But the long-time attorney is probably best known as a master connector—of people to positions, nonprofits to donors and tech founders to funders. He helped launch Venture Atlanta. Since starting in 2007 the annual conference has led to $7.5 billion in funds raised for tech entrepreneurs. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week David is interviewing Jim Douglas who is a Managing Partner at Fulcrum Equity based in Atlanta, Georgia. Fulcrum is a growth equity platform that focuses on software technology and healthcare services in undercapitalized markets. Jim has been actively investing for years and I am truly fortunate to have him on the show.Prior to joining Fulcrum, Jim was CEO of Vesdia, a pioneer in loyalty and card-linked marketing for financial services, airline, and hospitality companies, which merged with Cartera Commerce and sold to Raketun. Before Vesdia, he served as CEO for Atlanta-based Visionary Systems, Inc. (VSI), a provider of decision systems for credit providers and retailers that was sold to Trans Union. Prior to these roles, Jim served as the Executive Vice President of Corporate Development and Chief Financial Officer with CheckFree Corporation, the leading provider of electronic billing and payment services to financial institutions. He has also held the role of Vice President and Corporate Controller of Medaphis Corporation, a leading provider of medical billing and management software and services for physicians and hospitals. He began his career with KPMG in the Financial Services practice after graduating with a BBA in Accounting from Georgia State University.Jim is currently a board member of Kobiton, Dropoff, SureFire Local, Kevel, Digital Hands, Vertify, and GoPivot. He has also served on boards supporting the growth of successful Fulcrum exits in Fattmerchant, QASymphony, Prevalent, LogFire, ALS Resolvion, and outside of Fulcrum GroBanking, FactorTrust, and Paymentus. In the community, Jim sits on the boards of Venture Atlanta, ACG (Association for Corporate Growth), and UNICEF Southeast Region. What You Will Learn:Growth Equity StrategiesCapital Efficiency and ValuationDiversifying a Portfolio with Services and SoftwareInvesting Through Market Cycles

Introduction: Welcome to Five & Thrive: a weekly podcast highlighting the Southeast's most interesting news, entrepreneurs, and information of the week, all under 5 minutes.  My name is Jon Birdsong and I'm with Atlanta Ventures. Y'all what a week! From TechStars to Venture Atlanta, to the cocktail parties, dinners, and happy hours, I can say it was so fun. And it was wonderful to meet so many investors who come to Atlanta once or twice a year and showcase the city and meet in person. Congratulations to Allyson Eman on another amazing Venture Atlanta.   Quiet Giant: I was reminded of this past week's quasi-Quiet Giant out of Durham, North Carolina called Spiffy. Their short tag line is on-demand car wash and detailing service. While that may seem obvious as there are several mom and pop shops willing to meet you in your driveway to give you the detail your car wants and needs, Spiffy has raised over $60M in funding around this fast growing, successful tech enabled service that washes cars for several enterprise fleets. Examples include trucking fleets, rental car services, and much more. And the best part, car wash and detailing services are just the beginning. CEO, Scott Wingo and team have figured out that these fleets need much more than to glean and be cleaned – they also need brakes checked, new tires, oil changes, and disinfectants adhered. The auto maintenance shop is now coming to you. Check out Spiffy and see if they are in your zipcode today and book your next appointment over the phone or through their mobile app.    Beta Product of the Week: I met this entrepreneur last week in a serendipitous lunch at Jack's Deli. He overheard what a friend and I were talking about in another booth, introduced himself and shared the product he's building. The name of the product is called Ambitious App. Their brand promise: Learn in-demand digital skills in 5 minutes a day. He is launching the private beta this week. The CEO, Alim Charaniya, is a technical founder who wants to deliver bit-sized educational content to our generation of short reels and tik toks but package it all up in a productive way so there is a quantified and gamified learning. One of the go-to-market strategies that I already admire and respect from Alim is that he's building community before the product has been launched. For example, if you go to the link in the show notes taking you Ambitious App's website, Alim and his team filter you into a slack channel where you are immediately introduced to other like-minded learners.  In a world that is changing so fast in an industry (education) that has hardly evolved from that traditional classroom setting in a century, this is another innovative angle to learn outside of the classroom rat race.  Product of the Week: We've covered this product before, especially this time of the year and definitely this time of the political season, but the product is a simple website called GeorgiaVotes.com. If you live in Georgia and love early voting analytics, Ryan Anderson (@GTRyan) on Twitter has you covered. Each night, GeorgiaVotes updates the early voting records from the Secretary of the State's website and analyzes who has voted and compared those voters to elections prior. We interviewed Ryan on The Atlanta Story Podcast last year and will make sure to link to that interview in the show notes.   Event of the Week: The ATDC keeps coming with some great programming. This time it is with entrepreneur Tristan Walker. If you remember, Tristan sold his company to Proctor and Gamble in 2018 and moved to Atlanta from California. He is speaking at the P&G alumni event which has joined forces with the ATDC. This will be a fireside chat with Tristan mixed with networking on Tuesday, November 8th – which is also election day!  News of the Week: Shout out to Clint Green and team who just launched Revenue Ready. This is the ecosystem at work as Clint spent seven and a half years at Salesloft and before then Pardot, not only selling and closing deals, but learning the systems and processes to put in place to scale. Now he and his team have packaged up their services to take your company. If you're looking to tighten up the opportunity process and cement your sales playbook check out Revenue Ready as they have been there and done it.    Annnnd, that's 5 minutes. Thank you for listening to Five and Thrive. We provide 5 minutes of quality information, so you can thrive in the upcoming week. Please subscribe to the show and spread the good word!  Resources discussed in this episode: Quiet Giant: Get Spiffy Beta Product of the Week: Ambitious App Product of the Week: GeorgiaVotes.com The Atlanta Story - Ryan Anderson Event of the Week:  Fireside Chat with Tristan Walker News of the Week: Revenue Ready

Introduction: Welcome to Five & Thrive: a weekly podcast highlighting the Southeast's most interesting news, entrepreneurs, and information of the week, all under 5 minutes.    My name is Jon Birdsong and I'm with Atlanta Ventures.   Event of the Week: The next two weeks in Atlanta are loaded with dozens of events ranging from Venture Atlanta, TechStars Demo Day, happy hours and more with several investors from all over the country to get a taste of the Atlanta ecosystem. I hope to see several of you out and about. Here's a more tactical event to put on your calendar. On 10/20, the ATDC is hosting their regular Entrepreneur's Night starting at 5 p.m. This month is focused on all things 5G. Leaders from TMoble, Curiosity Lab, and the ATDC will be exchanging knowledge and conversations through a panel format on 5G today and tomorrow – if the 5th Generation for broadband cellular markets is of interest to you, sign up in the link within the show notes. In a state where no more than 21% of our households have high speed internet access and approximately 39% live in an area where there is only 1 internet provider, the opportunity is vast.        Company Coming Up:  This company coming up has stayed under the radar as it started as a side hustle for a few years mixed with a pivot. The name of the company? AdvizorPro (with a Z). This is software that provides a verified and robust broker-dealer, RIA, & insurance database of contacts. If you're looking to sell into the financial services industry, AdvizorPro is a great resource to get email information and direct dial numbers as the market of financial data continues to grow. AdvizorPro is a team of approximately 10 folks and one to keep an eye as they scale and grow against some of the legacy competitors in the market.    Product Launch of the Week: This past week, a company who is innovating in the litigation market publicly announced their product launch. Calloquy's software makes remote legal proceedings safe, secure, and efficient. What spawned out of Covid, Calloquy is now making several aspects of court proceedings including arbitrations, depositions, and mediations as simple as setting up a video conference call. The software is like a very secure Zoom on steroids, where you can upload and annotate documents, structure the actual video conference participants like one would be set up in a courtroom, and have all the proceedings and court reporting documented in a safe and secure location. Calloquy has invested significant resources in building out a product in a market that is tough to build a Minimum Viable Product. Check out their software today and refer it to any law firm who does remote work.     Blog and Podcast of the Week: The blog post of the week comes from Harvard Business School, one of Atlanta Ventures Partner, A.T Gimbel's alma mater. The title is “Why a Failed Startup Might Be Good For Your Career After All.” Regardless of success or failure, there is growing evidence that the market values the experience founders have and rewards them in terms of high seniority, prestigious positions, even though they failed. The article goes into detail about how they are valued and the benefits of a generalist's versatile value to a firm. I personally can't think of one successful entrepreneur who didn't have a failure. We've highlighted several entrepreneurs in our Stories section on the AV website and each one has a failure story. This may be one of the reasons why when we work with entrepreneurs in the Atlanta Ventures Studio, we love to see their previous entrepreneurial efforts, successful or not, but the experience is vital towards their next endeavor.    Lastly, I'm biased for this week's podcast of the week because it highlights someone we interviewed on the The Atlanta Story Podcast – which is another podcast out of Atlanta Ventures. The entrepreneur on this month's Atlanta Story is Cherie Kloss, Founder of SnapNurse. Cherie's story is one of fortitude, reinvention, innovation, and scale. What started out as a list of links to learn how to build a startup from her brother in 2015, led to the formation and generation of a $1.2B revenue business 6 years later. Cherie started out in the healthcare field, transitioned to a producer for A&E for nearly a decade, then started SnapNurse. In the Atlanta Story Podcast, we talk about her amazing story and how she not only reinvented herself time and time again, but also learn where the industry is going in general and more. Check it out as it drops, today!   Annnnd, that's 5 minutes.   Thank you for listening to Five and Thrive. We provide 5 minutes of quality information, so you can thrive in the upcoming week. Please subscribe to the show and spread the good word!    Resources discussed in this episode:     Event of the Week: Entrepreneur night at ATDC: All Things 5G Company Coming Up: AdvizorPro  Product Launch of the Week: Calloquy  Blog Post of the Week:  Why a Failed Startup Might Be Good For Your Career After All

The first JP Morgan Atlanta Techstars just launched two weeks ago! Hear how this accelerator brings a uniquely Atlanta focus to helping startups scale. Managing Director Melissa Pegus shares how the accelerator is designed to provide equitable for all and particularly support for Black, Hispanic and Latino, Indigenous American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs. The accelerator is focused on exploring the future of Commerce Technology, Consumer Brands and Platforms, and the Creator Economy. "Together we will take steps towards dismantling institutional, structural, and systematic barriers that often limit opportunities," says Melissa. The first cohort includes Retavo and Buzzbassasdor, Bhala AI, LyRise, DiversiBoard, Privacy Packs, Friendly Shoes, Super Bloom Bakery, Aspen Apothecary, Neufluence, Remote Coach, and Tychon. You'll also learn about ways to connect directly with Valor this week, including Venture Atlanta on October 19 - 20 at Woodruff Arts Center and with valor being a participating sponsor.

Introduction: Welcome to Five & Thrive: a weekly podcast highlighting the Southeast's most interesting news, entrepreneurs, and information of the week, all under 5 minutes.  My name is Jon Birdsong and I'm with Atlanta Ventures. Company Company Up: This week's company coming up is called Bottle. Co-Founders, Andy Blechman and Will Schreiber have an obsession with solving the pains of local businesses to serve their customers and improve operations. How do they do it? Bottle makes it dead simple for a local vendor to launch a store, communicate with customers, and sell flexible subscriptions all in one place. Customers who use Bottle have a very simple and beautiful way to showcase their products, text and email customers, and batch the orders with suppliers so greater margins are achieved. Ideal customers range from bakers, to florists, to butchers. They launched this product approximately two years ago and customer satisfaction is off the star chart scale. They are currently hiring for sales reps and more. Check them out and keep an eye on their growth! Announcement of the Week: Hypepotamus ran a great article on Christy Brown who just took over the CEO role of Dr. Noze Best. I'm excited about this for several reasons: first, we are happy customers and can't say enough good things about the product. Second, this company was started by an Emory Pediatric Otolaryngologist, Dr. Steve Goudy. This local, direct to consumer company helps suction the ever-present congestion out of babies and infants. This is a great example of commercialization in the healthcare space on the consumer side. It takes significant, fun work to even get a prototype out there, particularly while being a practicing doctor, nonetheless. Congrats to the Dr. Noze Best team on the next major chapter of the business. I'm very excited to see this grow and scale.     Real Real Estate: There's been tremendous coverage on the MailChimp move from Ponce City Market into their new building in the Biz Chron but when it comes to real estate I've found it more interesting to get the take from the folks who make the decision. This is why when MailChimp Co-Founder, Dan Kurzius wrote a descriptive LinkedIn post on the decision making process, where they are going and why I was intrigued. The synopsis is they are moving 10 minutes down the Beltline in Jim Irwin's New City Development. There are three major towers in the development and MailChimp is taking one entire tower and three floors in another tower connected by a sky bridge. In addition to more details about the building itself and the interior designers, Dan includes several images and videos of the new spread. There is a new sheriff in town among the office portfolio on the East Side Trail of the Beltline; the activity and excitement around that area will be even more energizing! No specific date on the move but they are in the test fit phase today.   Beta Products of the Week: Okay, this product isn't even in beta yet, it is still being built and is pre-launch, but nonetheless, we're going to cover it this week as their launch is imminent. The name of the company is called Gatsby and it's founded by Alice Thacker. She is solving the pain point of getting several folks to coordinate schedules while keeping communication simple. How many times have you been on a group thread looking to organize a dinner or gathering, yet a busy recipient and a two-day later response and suddenly you lose all potential fixity. I'm intrigued in this market because I believe Gatsby can disrupt Doodle. I remember using Doodle 25 years ago in 8th grade…and we still use it today! Add to the fact the natural viral coefficient opportunity here and there could be some serious magic. As mentioned, the product is not out but sign up for the waitlist if you're interested in being the first in the know.  Lastly, one of the busiest weeks is on the horizon which is October 17th-October 21st. Techstars Demo Day to Venture Atlanta amongst several other events, happy hours, and more are sprinkled throughout the week. Lock in your plans now!     Annnnd, that's 5 minutes. Thank you for listening to Five and Thrive. We provide 5 minutes of quality information, so you can thrive in the upcoming week. Please subscribe to the show and spread the good word!  Resources discussed in this episode: Announcement of the Week:  Christy Brown Becomes CEO of Dr. Noze Best Company Coming Up:  Bottle Real Real Estate:  MailChimp Real Estate Update Beta Product of the Week: Gatsby  

As the region gears up for Venture Atlanta, Valor investors Lisa Calhoun, Gary Peat, Robin Bienfait and William Leonard discuss the current state of venture capital locally, including the seed stage deal volume, the trend in seed capital valuations and more. They discuss local firms including Valor, Knoll, Collab, Tech Square Labs, Fearless Fund and more, mentioning specific outside investors the team has worked with including Canaan Partners and Sequoia. The team shares some of the big current opportunities in Atlanta--and also challenges unique the local environment. This episode is important for founders, investors and corporate innovators alike. You also learn how you can meet up with the Valor team this week, at the Atlanta Unlocked last stop, September 22, at Valor's offices in Atlanta Tech Park.

Introduction: Welcome to Five & Thrive: a weekly podcast highlighting the Southeast's most interesting news, entrepreneurs, and information of the week, all under 5 minutes.  My name is Jon Birdsong and I'm with Atlanta Ventures. Beta Product of the Week: This week's Beta Product of the week is led by serial entrepreneur, David Moeller. The name of his company is called Keep Technologies and their main product is called Knight. If you live in a major city, car break-ins are a dime a dozen. Keep Technologies has built a hardware product that sits in a cup holder and does everything from deterring thieves from approaching the vehicle, to record video of the crime, to notify the owner, and provide continual monitoring after the break-in. Knight's design is simple with a natural logo - a chess knight – and the pre-orders are racking up. Keep an eye out for Keep Technologies. Link in bio.  Companies Worth Applying To:  An exciting opportunity in the construction software space has opened up. RedTeam headquartered in Orlando, which recently acquired paskr out of Nashville, is looking for a VP of Sales. I remember speaking to the founder of paskr years ago and remembering how good their product was and solving a deep and validated need in the market – and most of the sales then were founder-led. Now through an acquisition and growth capital provided by Braemont Capital, RedTeam is ready to step on the gas with the addition of a talented and experienced VP of Sales. This role is remote and a superb opportunity to take a strong product to market.  Another company worth applying to is also out of Nashville and this company is called Lasso. Angela Alea is the President and CRO. Lasso's software helps run live events. Their customers produce events including the Super Bowl, The Oscars, The Grammys, Dreamforce, and more by offering 6 different products that unify event staff management tasks into one easy workflow via scheduling, communication, onboarding, time tracking, and more. They were on this year's Inc 5000 list and looking for a VP of Sales, Engineering talent, Dev Ops and more.  Events to Put on the Calendar:  I know we're only in September but what better time to start planning for October as it is a very busy one in Atlanta. The Metro Atlanta Chamber put together a good list of several keystone events including Venture Atlanta, Fintech South, A3C, TechStars Demo Day, and much more. We put a link to the list. Pick and choose as there are plenty of great options.  Question of the Week: Can entrepreneurs be made? This is a topic we discuss a lot out of Atlanta Ventures and with our friends. Here's my take: entrepreneurship levels are on a continuum, almost no different than athletes. Can athletes be made? Sure. Are some predisposed to winning championships because of natural God-given ability? Absolutely. However, when we hone in on entrepreneurs, I believe there are thousands who would go start a company if the mechanisms were there. For example, this past weekend, I spent all weekend with a new friend from Nashville. He is one of the top sales reps at a large enterprise SaaS company, does very well, yet in addition to trouncing quota, he has several AirBnB's, a side blog on food, traditional real estate, and a few other entrepreneurial outlets. So he is already an athlete, he is already an entrepreneur. Now the question resides with every person who wants to build a company or any athlete pursuing a sport, how much sacrifice and commitment is one willing to make to achieve their ambitions. So now we just brought in three other factors: ambition (which is a huge one), commitment, and sacrifice. If you are a top sales rep or performer, it doesn't have to be in sales, at a premier SaaS company, and you have the itch to start something, those are all factors weighing in on your decision to startup something. Fortunately in today's environment, where companies are started quickly in thousands of niche markets, there are several options than traditional routes. More on that in due time!   Annnnd, that's 5 minutes. Thank you for listening to Five and Thrive. We provide 5 minutes of quality information, so you can thrive in the upcoming week. Please subscribe to the show and spread the good word!    Resources discussed in this episode:   Beta Product of the Week:  Keep Technologies Companies Worth Applying To: Redteam Paskr Lasso VP Lasso Events to Put on your Calendar:  Metro Atlanta Chamber

Is it important to find a community? Joining us in episode 55 of Pit Stops to Podium is Allison Eman. Allison is a Sales, Marketing and Business Development senior leader, connector and executive with over 30 years of experience. Chief Executive Officer at Venture Atlanta Conference, Venture Atlanta is the premier investor showcase in the Southeast. The conference brings the most innovative technology companies together with top-tier investors from around the country. //ENGAGE WITH ALLISON LinkedIn: Allyson Eman | LinkedIn Venture Atlanta: Venture Atlanta Conference: Resumen | LinkedIn

By any criteria, Venture Atlanta, led by Allyson Eman, is a contender for the best place in the country to pitch your startup. Hear why, learn about their successes getting capital to startup outside of the Valley, and how you can get involved in this coming October's conference. This ep is full of insider tidbits that if you're investing OR raising capital, you don't want to miss. (Disclosure: Valor Ventures, which founded and underwrites this podcast, is a proud sponsor of Venture Atlanta.)

Welcome to Five & Thrive: a weekly podcast highlighting the Southeast's most interesting news, entrepreneurs, and information of the week, all under 5 minutes.  My name is Jon Birdsong and I'm with Atlanta Ventures As the macro economy plays out its current hand, abundant layoffs amongst technology companies are sprouting up all over the country and Atlanta is not immune. News of such layoffs at companies include OneTrust, Sonar, and Terminus. For those listening who have been laid off, know in the bleakness of being let go there are healthy amounts of opportunities which is one of the several reasons we highlight companies who are worth applying to. Which brings us to the debate of the week.  Debate of the Week: Last week a few of you asked about the Rule of 40 and Atlanta Ventures' Founder, David Cummings wrote a timely piece which we have linked to in the show notes. 15 second recap: the Rule of 40 is the growth rate added to the free cash flow profit or loss margin. For example, if your company is growing 50% a year with a -10% profit margin, then you would be at the Rule of 40. If your company is growing 20% and you have 20% profit margins, again you hit the Rule of 40. This metric is powerful because when a software company maintains the Rule of 40 or above, it can grow forever at that metric and be in great shape. The metric also accounts for how expensive it is to grow the compan. Now the debate of the week is should companies share where they stand and trend regarding the Rule of 40. While it is up to each CEO which metrics they decide to share, I am advising people who are applying to new companies to know where each prospective company currently stands in that oh so insightful metric.  Events to Put on the Calendar: Applications are open for Venture Atlanta. This is the preeminent conference of the year. Shout out Allyson Eman and Knoll Ventures' Richard Fraim for stewarding the 15th year of the conference. This year it is held on October 19th and 20th. If you are a Growth Stage, Early Stage, or Seed Stage company, apply today. Improve Your Skills: An inexpensive way to sharpen your skills is through Pitch Practice every Friday after lunch in the Atlanta Tech Village. Jacey Cadet runs a dynamic show so entrepreneurs of today and tomorrow have a tight and powerful pitch.   Product of Week: This software for go-to-market teams is currently being built out of Athens, Georgia which is also where the current NCAA College Football Champions reside, and it is called Adpipe. Most companies who leverage video for marketing purposes make a beautiful, compelling video, launch it, and then 30 days later that video sits in the company's Youtube graveyard of videos. What Andrew and Sam have built with Adpipe is software that takes those videos, splices them into bite-size, compelling gifs that marketers and sales reps can use to increase click through and enhance prospect engagement. If you're looking to generate more engagement through your existing video library, give them a look.  Companies Worth Applying To:  A fast growing company hiring is Georgia Tech co-founded Flatfile. Eric Crane and team have built a remote-first culture and when we were going back and forth this week he shared they just hired 3 folks in Atlanta and have several roles open in engineering, marketing, and sales. Flatfile is the simplest way to onboard valuable customer data.  Had a great catch up with Blake Patton at Tech Square Ventures. They are doing phenomenal work and hiring a Principal and Associate. This is a very unique and special opportunity to be in the middle of Georgia Tech's venture ecosystem along with the high power relationships and connectivity Engage creates. If you want to get into venture, here is an ideal opportunity. Raise Your Glass:  Teamworks, out of Durham, North Carolina is the Operating System for Sports. They just raised $50M led by Delta-v Capital as they transition to a comprehensive platform and if you watch the compelling video, Zach, their CEO is looking to hire and acquire.      Annnnd, that's 5 minutes. Thank you for listening to Five and Thrive. We provide 5 minutes of quality information, so you can thrive in the upcoming week. Please subscribe to the show and spread the good word!    Resources discussed in this episode: Rule of 40 for Startups Events: Venture Atlanta Skill Improvement: Pitch Practice Product of the Week: Adpipe Hiring: TechSquare Ventures  Flatfile Fundraising: Teamworks  

Emory Innovators, brought to you by The Hatchery, Emory Center for Innovation, showcases conversations with Emory faculty, staff, and alumni who work in innovation and entrepreneurship, or have taken innovative approaches to design their careers and disrupting their industries. On Friday, January 21, we spoke with Ashish Mistry. Ashish Mistry is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of BLH Venture Partners, a private investment firm specializing in early-stage companies. His operating experience includes leadership roles with high-growth companies within Information Security, SaaS, and E-commerce. In addition to his current role at BLH, Mistry was Founder and CEO of KontrolFreek, an innovative lifestyle brand in the video game market that was acquired in 2020. Mistry has advised early-stage companies across the state through Georgia Tech's Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), and is also active in community organizations through current and prior board positions with Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Venture Atlanta (where he was Co-Founder) and the Atlanta CEO Council, as well as through extensive committee work with local technology organizations. He holds a BA in Religion from Emory University.

Kelly Gay With Arketi Group, is the chair of OnBoard and immediate past chair of Venture Atlanta. She also serves on the boards of 1105 Media, the Atlanta CEO Council, ATDC, and Acivilate. Kelly has led companies ranging from billion dollar organizations to startups. As CEO, she has led both private and public companies, all […] The post Kelly Gay With Arketi Group appeared first on Business RadioX ®.

Kelly Gay is the chair of OnBoard and immediate past chair of Venture Atlanta. She also serves on the boards of 1105 Media, the Atlanta CEO Council, ATDC, and Acivilate. Kelly has led companies ranging from billion dollar organizations to startups. As CEO, she has led both private and public companies, all of which resulted in […]

#SheConquersCapital​ #ZaneVentureFund​ Welcome to She Conquers Capital powered by Zane Venture Fund. If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe on YouTube, Apple, or Spotify for weekly interviews with the women (and allies) impacting the flow of capital. SPONSORS: Much gratitude to Lowenstein Sandler LLP for sponsoring the show! Learn more at https://www.lowenstein.com/. TODAY'S GUEST: WEBSITE: https://www.ventureatlanta.org/ LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allysoneman/ TWITTER: https://twitter.com/VentureAtlanta CONTACT: WEBSITE: https://sheconquerscapital.com/ TWITTER: http://www.twitter.com/thestefaniediaz LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thestefaniediaz/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thestefaniediaz/

Venture Atlanta's CEO on the history and future of the conference

What was it like to be on the ground floor of Toms Shoes, part of the early team at Spanx, and then leave to start your own textile technology company while a mom and raising a family? Well, that’s been the adventurous and inspiring life so far of Mary-Cathryn Kolb and in this interview she talks about her journey and the pursuit of big things. She shares advice and learnings from her career and talks about risk-taking and the insatiable, inescapable entrepreneurial mindset.  0:07 Allen and Mary-Cathryn are both from the state of Georgia - Mary-Cathryn from Thomasville, Allen from Savannah. 3:47 She lives in Atlanta now and has pitched and developed key relationships at the annual Venture Atlanta conference - https://ventureatlanta.org. 8:50 How do natural-born entrepreneurs see risk? Mary-Cathryn says “we don’t”. It excites and energizes us. 10:35 If someone had told her how hard it was going to be and all of the things that would go wrong - she wouldn’t have believed and would have kept going. That says it all about the way natural-born entrepreneurs process risk. 12:17 She lost a co-founder and most doubted the company could or should move forward. She never considered stopping. 14:00 Are you wired to be an entrepreneur or can you learn to become one? Mary-Cathryn has always known she was wired to be one. It’s her “north star”. 14:47 There’s a spectrum of entrepreneurship, the moderate risk end and the massive risk end of the spectrum. 16:55 If you go for high risk, high reward, you must be mentally tough and a little lucky. There’s either win or lose on that end of the spectrum, no in-between. 17:45 If you think you can be happy working for others, then by all means do that. There is too much romanticism in entrepreneurship as viewed from the outside. 18:40 If you are wired this way, to be a risk taking entrepreneur, then you probably don’t have a choice but to pursue it. 21:40 She explains how, since she was a little girl, there was never a question that she wanted to do big things and was always enterprising. 22:30 Allen & Mary-Cathryn discuss ‘failure’ and how it’s often celebrated in entrepreneurship but in fact ‘fear of failure’ is a strong motivator and failure should be avoided at nearly all cost. 26:28 Mary-Cathryn talks about growing up with a twin, her college experience at SMU, graduating and going to Los Angeles, then New York to pursue an acting and vocalist career - her childhood dream. 31:34 But it was feast or famine and it’s where she learned about ‘financial runways’ and frugality. She was offered a position with a major designer, so she relocated to New York - her first project was with Beyoncé! 38:35 While in NY her college friend from SMU, Blake Mycoskie, called and asked her to work for Toms Shoes on the ground floor. 40:45 Later, Spanx called, recruited to be one one of the first 30 employees. So she relocated to Atlanta, her husband enrolled at Georgia Tech for his MBA. 42:15 She explains how special the experience and culture was in the early days of Spanx - an amazing sisterhood amongst that early team. 47:10 But with time came new leadership and change. She didn’t feel the changes were best for the team and customers. She felt she had to speak up and take a stand. She knew she’d either be heard or be let go. She was let go. It was her Jerry Maguire moment. 51:20 Discussion on how hard it is for those with intense entrepreneurial mindsets to last very long inside of someone else’s company. And when she took that stand, she had no idea what was on the other side, no backup plan. 55:00 There was an intense emotional hangover after leaving, she needed a break to reboot, but knew immediately that she would start something of her own. 56:50 So brrr was born and with a strong commitment to product, company culture, and shared ownership. 58:50 Working with a polymer scientist and textile engineer, a ‘cool to the touch’ fabric (not just polyester moisture wicking) was developed - patented “Triple Chill Effect”. 1:05:45 She explains brrr is an “ingredient” brand - embedded into fabric of major brands you already know. 1:06:45 Initially designed for women but now brrr is embedded in menswear also. Bed, Bath, & Beyond now carries ‘cooling sheets’ powered by brrr. Her newest project is bringing a much needed cooling effect to children’s car seats! 1:10:00 What advice for someone creating in the clothing or garment space? Mary-Cathryn says make the business as lean as possible and go big on social media! 1:14:00 Take the risk of entrepreneurship if it’s for you but know that it’s lonely, will take twice as much money and time that you imagine - so get a support system. 1:15:30 This is a personal journey, she has three young daughters and wants them to see up-close what a successful woman entrepreneur and working mom looks like and that family and career can coexist if that’s what you want.  brrr: https://brrr.comPlan Your Start: https://planyourstart.com

Every year the Venture Atlanta Conference in Atlanta, Georgia connects entrepreneurs and startups with investors and potential clients.  On this episode of SOUTH POD I sit down with the former Executive Director and current CEO of Venture Atlanta, Allyson Eman to talk about the goals of the conference and how they hope to impact their attendees.

When Allyson led the launch of Venture Atlanta 13 years ago, she didn't realize then she'd build the largest venture capital conference in the South. Learn how Venture Atlanta startups have raised $14 billion and counting.

Getting paid is an important part of life for employees and businesses alike.  On this episode of SOUTH POD, I sit down with President and Co-Founder of Fattmerchant, Sal Rehmetullah to talk about how his business is simplifying payment processing for businesses everywhere.

Bitcoin has been around for a few years now, but what do you really know about the cryptocurrency?  On this episode of SOUTH POD, I sit down with Bala "Mr. B" Inamdar the CEO of Mercury Exchange to talk about Bitcoin and his company's role in the  new currency.

Everyone likes free branded pens and drink koozies, but trinkets don't necessarily stick in the minds of potential customers.  At COFFEE labs, Partner and Chief Marketing Officer Al Silvestri helps brands to create a memorable experience that makes brands unforgettable!

Making your startup successful can be a difficult task, but Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough is here to help.  On this episode of South Pod with talk with Associate Brian Gillespie about how his law firm helps startups to excel in their field.

While it's always nice to have options, sometimes too many choices can be overwhelming.  That's where Toucan AI comes in!  On this episode of South Pod, we sit down with the Co-Founder and CEO of Toucan AI, Arjun Devarajan to discuss how his company's AI customer service program helps customers to more easily find exactly what they're looking for when shopping online.

Uniting a city is a difficult task, but that exactly what Jenn Graham of Civic Dinner has been doing for years!  On this episode of South Pod we sit down with Graham live at Venture Atlanta to discuss how a simple meal can bring together diverse groups of people from across the globe.

With a population of nearly 6 million people, the Atlanta metropolitan area is home to a very diverse group of professionals.  On this episode of South Pod, I sit down with the Chief Innovation Officer for the Metro Atlanta Chamber, Alex Gonzalez live at Venture Atlanta to discuss all the city has to offer!

On this episode of South Pod, John Yates of Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP joins host Stanfield Gray at Venture Atlanta to talk about tech startups and the South's entrepreneurial ecosystem. Who will be the South's next unicorn?

No one knows how to build a stellar team better than Champ Bailey! The NFL Hall of Famer and former Denver Branco joins us live from Venture Atlanta to share about his new organization, CB24 Ventures, where he brings his experience on the field to startups including those in the South.

For many decades, Atlanta’s economy has mostly relied on notable Fortune 500 companies like the Home Depot and Coca-Cola, but as aspiring entrepreneurs from across the country move their operations to the city, Atlanta is seeing an unprecedented amount of venture-backed startups. Working hard to continue attracting venture capital to the region is our next guest Allyson Eman. Allyson is the Executive Director at Venture Atlanta, the region’s largest venture conference with more than 1,000 entrepreneurs, investors, leaders, and students connecting for a high-caliber, 2-day showcase. https://www.myasbn.com/small-business/finance/venture-atlanta-continues-attract-high-caliber-vc-funding-southeast-region-allyson-eman-executive-director/

Jacqui Chew/ATDC Jacqui Chew is ATDC’s marketing catalyst where she provides customer and channel strategy as well as investor relations counsel.  She is an award winning digital strategist and principal at iFusion, a go-to-market collective. Jacqui’s experience spans well-known brands and high-growth startups including Cycloramic, eBay, IBM, Stainmaster, PeopleSoft (now Oracle), and Venture Atlanta. As the senior marketing executive at Silverpop, a marketing automation pioneer, she oversaw its debut and supported the Series B round venture capital raise of $30 million. Jacqui has spoken at TED and is a sought after speaker on digital strategy, disruptive business models, and entrepreneurship. She has been featured on FOX 5 Atlanta and quoted in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, USA Today, and Fortune. Jacqui is active in the technology and social innovation communities. She organizes TEDxPeachtree, the largest TEDx event in Georgia and contributes to the TAG Hi-Growth Industry Task Force. Previously, she served on the boards of the Atlanta Press Club, Women in Technology and the Atlanta chapter of the American Marketing Association. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from the University of Hawaii, Manoa and speaks Mandarin, Cantonese and Taiwanese. http://atdc.org Stefanie Diaz/Mastermind Your Launch Stefanie Diaz has always had a keen ability for developing marketing strategies for entrepreneurs, but it’s her ability to position startups for accelerated momentum through personal branding and content marketing that has become the cornerstone to her professional success. Her background includes being a strategic adviser to CEO’s spanning startup phase to over $100 million in annual revenue. She has led strategic partnerships with global retailers and Fortune 500 companies, as well as facilitated multi-million dollar government contracts. There is something magnetic about the energy of startup founders that draws Stefanie in. They’re hungry, driven, and committed to making positive change for themselves and the greater community. After conducting over 60 interviews to date, Stefanie is excited to bring Mastermind Your Launch to the Business Radio X platform. Learn more at MastermindYourLaunch.com.

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