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.
Allyson has been running Venture Atlanta for the past 12 years, and organizations like TAG (Technology Association of Georgia), the Metro Atlanta Chamber, and the Atlanta CEO Council ready saw a need in the state for venture capital funding. Allyson was brought on board to organize and run the event, and it has grown tremendously over 12 years. Over 400 companies pitch their products and services including pindrop security, Kabbage, and Roadie. The goal of the event is to bring the community together and really celebrate technology.
Even though Georgia startups closed 2018 with around $1.15 billion in venture funding, the state still only gets a tiny slice of the pie. Hopefully, VC in Georgia will continue to trend upwards, but Allyson says there’s still work to be done. For her part, Allyson says the companies that have been involved with Venture Atlanta have raised close to $3 billion in the past 12 years.
2018 was Venture Atlanta’s biggest conference to date. There were close to 1,000 participants and several notable keynote speakers from Silicon Valley from Mark Cuban to Ernie Garcia from Carvana. One of the presenters, Cars 360, impressed Ernie Garcia so much, he offered to buy them right there at the conference.
Amazing things happen at Venture Atlanta you won’t want to miss! This year’s conference is October 16th and 17th at the Southern Exchange building, 200 Peachtree St. For more information or to get involved visit ventureatlanta.org today.
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