Atlanta Startup Podcast

This week on the Atlanta Startup Podcast, we welcome Jason Caplain, General Partner at Bull City Venture Partners. This conversation with Jason and William works to unpack the frameworks behind the firm's founder-centric investment strategy and their successes from following this blueprint. We learn how the Bull City team builds conviction in diligence, how they think about balancing off-thesis investment risk, supporting founders across multiple companies, distinctive traits of the most successful founders, and much more about the macro state of early-stage venture today.

In this episode, we're joined by Riean Knight, the innovative founder of Honey to Cocoa, a groundbreaking mobile app using AI to match makeup to diverse skin tones. Riean shares her journey and insights into building a platform that champions inclusivity and confidence in the beauty industry. Discover how technology empowers people of color to feel represented and confident in their makeup choices. Whether you're a beauty lover or advocate for diversity, this episode offers a glimpse into the future of inclusive beauty tech.

In this episode, we're joined by Joe Hamilton, the brilliant mind behind 4 Second Football, winner of the Audience Choice award at the 24th Startup Runway Showcase. Discover how Joe's innovative technology revolutionizes football with real-time feedback for players and coaches at every level. From its inception to its impact on the game, Joe shares insights into the world's smartest football and its potential to elevate performance and strategy. Whether you're a player, coach, or simply passionate about the sport, this episode offers a glimpse into the future of football innovation.

Embark on a transformative journey with Keith Chaney, the visionary behind Peadbo, winner of the Judge’s Prize at the 24th Startup Runway Showcase. In this episode, Keith reveals the game-changing power of cultivating a personal board of directors for college students and young professionals. Discover how strategic mentorship and regular engagement can drive remarkable career outcomes. Join us for an enlightening discussion that promises to revolutionize your approach to professional growth and success.

Atlanta startup Aetos is on the journey of building software to digitize the multi-billion dollar industry of facilities management in the built environment. In this episode, we talk with Aetos CEO Connor Offut to unpack how their software transforms facilities mgmt for clients like Chick-fil-A, Pepsi, Hines, SL Green, and others. We also talk more tactically with Connor about finding your footing as CEO in the enterprise sales lifecycle, how to thoughtfully approach early-stage fundraising & the essence of articulating company narrative, and how data is often the underlying value-driven for AI startups. 

Two founders of London-based startups are setting their sights on Atlanta. In an exclusive interview, we spoke with Elizabeth Lukas, CEO Americas at AutogenAI, and Anna Brailsford, CEO at CodeFirstGirls, to better understand their motivations. Having successfully launched their startups in London, they are now targeting Atlanta, the Southeast's gem, for expansion. The conversation delved into the origins of their companies, why Atlanta is a no-brainer expansion target, their experiences navigating the dynamic fundraising markets, the evolving regulatory landscape of AI, and much more.

On today's episode, we sit down with Kevin Moore to explore his journey from Limited Partner to General Partner and ultimately the inception of Serac Ventures. Kevin shares the strategic timing behind launching Serac in 2023, offering a glimpse into his unique perspective shaped by his LP experience and how it influences his role and decision-making as a GP. The episode then transitions to the topic of AI, where Kevin provides his take on the valuation frenzy and the impact of AI on VC fund ops. We also unpack Serac's investment thesis, highlighting some exciting early deals that underscore the fund's direction and the types of founders Kevin is excited about backing.

Founder of Simp Now, Gera Baano-Stewart II shares his entrepreneurial journey on the Atlanta Startup Podcast hosted by Nwanyinma Dike. From learning to code at a young age to launching Simp Now, Gera discusses the inspiration behind the dating app and its viral success on TikTok. He emphasizes the importance of a can-do attitude and effective time management, especially while juggling entrepreneurship with being a student. Gera also highlights the benefits of showcasing startups at events like Startup Runway Foundation, Inc. and offers advice to aspiring founders: aim high, focus on honing key skills, and embrace opportunities.

The Outlook for Tech Growth in the Southeast is more optimistic than ever. Tune into our latest episode of the Atlanta Startup Podcast which outlines insights from boots-on-the-ground insiders: Bryan Bean from Pinnacle Bank, Atlanta's own Donnie Beamer, Jr., Jamal Lewis of PIN Georgia, Tech Executive David Evans, and William Leonard of Valor. We're not just talking high-level tech trends; we're getting into the nitty-gritty of how collaboration across regional, state, and city partnerships sparks real growth in the nation's fastest-growing region, the South. From cutting-edge strategies to the pulse of the startup ecosystem, our panelists are sharing real insights. You'll hear firsthand about the innovative strategies making the South a robust startup ecosystem. So, whether you're an entrepreneur, investor, or just tech-enthusiast, this is your chance to get the lowdown from those impacting positive change across the early-stage capital landscape.

In this episode of the Atlanta Startup Podcast, host Lisa Calhoun interviews Jennifer Silverberg, CEO of SmartCommerce. They discuss Jennifer's journey of scaling SmartCommerce from a startup to a global player, focusing on the lessons learned during rapid growth. Highlights include SmartCommerce's innovative approach in the CPG sector, its evolution in response to market changes, and Jennifer's personal growth as a leader. Jennifer shares insights on hiring effectively, adapting strategies, and the importance of vision, courage, and tenacity for founders. A candid reflection on the startup journey, this episode is a must-listen for entrepreneurs seeking practical advice and inspiration.

Join us for an engaging podcast where leading corporate innovators take the spotlight. Discover the strategies behind technology investments, particularly in AI, from top decision-makers Angie Brown of Home Depot, Leigh Gaffney at Assurant Ventures, Mike Mahan from Stanley Black & Decker, and Michelle Mason of Exxon Mobil.

Join William Leonard on the Atlanta Startup podcast for an intriguing conversation with Blaine Davis, a Partner at Outlander VC. Blaine reveals Outlander's unique early-stage investment approach, centered on their exclusive founder framework evaluating 38 character attributes. Discover Outlander's emphasis on backing teams over ideas, and their interest in transforming traditional industries through vertical SaaS, AI, workspace tech, and low-cost robotics with strong software components. Blaine also highlights the importance of early-stage boards in setting a growth trajectory for startups. Tune in for insights into early-stage investments, conviction-building, and the future of innovation.

Today we're joined by Valor’s newest portfolio CEO Jake Soffer who is the Founder of Miami-based FirmPilot. FirmPilot is reshaping the $30B legal marketing vertical with powerful AI that challenges the traditional agency model. Jake shares his insights on scaling from $0-$500K in ARR in less than 12 months, winning customer conviction as a seed-stage company, perspectives from building his second AI company, thoughts on exceptional hiring talent, and why AI will forever change marketing.

Join Nwanyinma Dike on the Atlanta Startup Podcast as she engages in a captivating conversation with Shayna Stewart, the trailblazing Founder of Shown Live and recent winner of the Judge’s prize at Startup Runway Edition 23. Discover how Shown Live, a sponsorship marketplace, is transforming the landscape for audio and video creators by connecting them with marketers, reducing ad waste, and enabling early monetization. Dive into Shayna's entrepreneurial journey, the alpha phase of Shown Live, and her vision for empowering creators in the burgeoning creative economy. Follow Shayna on LinkedIn or track Shown Live's progress on social media platforms for a peek into the future of content monetization and engagement.

Dive into an illuminating conversation on the Atlanta Startup Podcast with Nwanyinma Dike, the new Managing Director of Startup Runway features Yolanda Barton founder of Revere XR and recent winner of the Women’s Empowerment prize at Startup Runway Edition 23. She shares her vision for transforming our experience of city history and culture through virtual and augmented reality. Yolanda passionately shares her vision for revolutionizing history preservation through immersive technology, blending artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and virtual reality. Her mission extends beyond just sharing historical narratives; it's about creating interactive experiences that connect younger generations with Atlanta's profound civil rights and music history. Discover how Revere XR is reshaping education, museums, and airports to bring history alive, while also empowering students to become immersive storytellers. Yolanda's inspiring journey, born from a desire to preserve erased history, unfolds into a vision that's poised to redefine humanity's engagement with technology, shaping a future where storytelling bridges generations.

 In this episode, we turn our focus to a spirited keynote from last year's VC Day, presented by David Cummings, the Founder of Atlanta Ventures and Atlanta Tech Village. David, renowned for building, scaling, and successfully exiting Pardot – an Atlanta-based startup that emerged as one of the top 10 B2B marketing platforms globally – shares his journey of building company culture, including the 2012 exit to ExactTarget. In this episode, David will explore the critical aspects of developing and enhancing company culture, offering valuable insights for founders on nurturing a strong, growth-oriented organizational culture.

Following her recent promotion from Principal to Partner, Claire Hansen joins the Atlanta Startup Podcast. Claire unpacks the Firebrand thesis, how the firm thinks about diligence as a lead investor & as a follow-on co-investor, continual learning as a VC, leveraging network to land a job in VC, characteristics of today's dynamic seed market, and more.

Today, we're joined by Nassir Criss from Sixty8 Capital, an Indianapolis-based pre-seed and seed generalist firm. Nassir, a Principal on the team, shares core insights on how 'digital nomad' has made him a better VC. He discusses his thoughts on pattern matching versus pattern breaking, explains the deal process behind one of the firm's top-performing investments, and talks about learnings from his transition from startup founder to investor, among other topics.

S3 Ventures is the largest venture capital firm in Texas, specializing in Seed-Series B investments in B2B Software companies. Nicole Bentz, a VC at S3 joins host William Leonard to break down the firm's investment strategy and how its unique sole-LP structure augments the firm's ability to be hyper-focused on their founders. Nicole and William also discuss establishing diligence frameworks for evaluating early-stage companies, how junior VCs can be value-additive to founders, and S3 Ventures' perspective on the current state of early-stage funding.

During this episode, William is joined by Kai Tan, Founder and CEO of RevMatch and recent Startup Runway Winner. As a former product design leader at companies like IBM & Meta, Kai shares insights on the importance of tactically enhancing the user experience for B2C Apps, understanding feedback loops, and more about building/scaling consumer apps. Kai also delves into his Startup Runway experience and some of the most meaningful parts of the program.

The next Startup Runway Showcase is coming up on December 7th at the Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta. All interested founders can learn more and apply here.

In this podcast episode, Triet Nguyen, a Senior Associate at Louisville-based Render Capital, sits down with William Leonard to discuss Render's strategic approach towards backing early-stage founders in the Southern and Midwestern US. The conversation also explores how venture capital firms, including Render, are leveraging their "platforms" to win allocations in highly competitive deals, especially in the current market with fewer deals being done. Triet and William break down effective networking hacks for breaking into venture capital, and Triet elaborates on Render's shift to writing fewer, yet larger investment checks to focus on high-conviction opportunities.

Jessica King, CEO of femtech startup FlowIntell, recently celebrated a win, securing the Women's Empowerment Grant at the 22nd Startup Runway Showcase. Joining host William Leonard in this episode, she delves into her dedicated mission to tackle a pervasive healthcare challenge: endometriosis screening, a dilemma confronting over 6 million women. FlowIntell is spearheading innovations in endometriosis screening, addressing a condition that afflicts 10% of women and is frequently diagnosed too late—often a decade into its development—due to limited awareness and symptoms mimicking IBS and PID. For numerous women, an introduction to endometriosis comes regrettably late, typically amidst battles with subfertility or infertility. Jessica unfolds her ambitious vision of utilizing test kits to broaden healthcare access in medical deserts, shares insights from her experience at the Startup Runway showcase, and provides a deeper look into her path toward commercialization post-Startup Runway

In this Atlanta Startup Podcast episode, host William Leonard speaks with Miya Moore, the founder of Benechek, a SaaS platform based in Birmingham. Benechek aids nonprofits and churches by providing software to efficiently manage assistance requests from people in need. Miya discusses how her past experiences, both working at and founding a nonprofit, illuminated the potential for software to address workflow inefficiencies in such organizations. She also shares insights from participating in the Startup Runway showcase, including valuable learnings from a mock board session. She explores her strategy for utilizing the $10,000 Audience Choice grant from Startup Runway to execute her product roadmap.

In this episode of the Atlanta Startup Podcast, host Mecca Tartt interviews Anthony Joiner, Founder ofBlooksy, a platform fueled by AI and natural language processing to streamline the book-writing process for various audiences, including writers, academics, and students. Joiner's journey unfolds from his software development and publishing background to the inception of Blooksy during the pandemic. He reveals the pivotal role of customer-centricity, embracing failure, and cultivating relationships with mentors such as Lisa Calhoun fromValor Ventures. Joiner's remarkable story is an inspiring example for aspiring entrepreneurs navigating the challenges of the startup landscape.

In this episode of the Atlanta Startup Podcast, host Mecca Tartt interviews Joshua Afolabi, Founder of 2GGO, a SaaS platform in Atlanta. 2GGO lets customers shop online from their favorite fashion and beauty retailers and receive same-day delivery. Joshua shares his journey as a founder, emphasizing the importance of passion, determination, and building with customer needs in mind. The episode highlights the value of partnerships, the challenges of entrepreneurship, and the desire for investors who feel like family. Joshua advises underrepresented founders to keep pushing forward and never give up on their dreams.

Join William Leonardas he sits down withMichael Muchnicki, the new CEO of Physician 360- an early-stage catalyst in revolutionizing virtual care, especially in America's underserved rural regions. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual healthcare visits surged and secured a lasting place in the healthcare continuum. Venture into America's rural spaces with Muchnicki, as he unveils how insights from running United Health for 20+ years and feedback from intimate focus groups helped reinvigorate Physician360's go-to-market strategy to increase access to basic care for all Americans.

In the latest episode of the Atlanta Startup Podcast, William Leonardengages Andrew Morris, the Founder of the Fintech Agenda LLC, a consultancy advising fintech industry clients on the development and implementation of events and content strategies. Discover how Andrew navigated his career focus from traditional finance to the realm of fintech content creation and community involvement. Andrew illustrates the origin story of hallmark events like Money 2020 and delves into Fintech South, one of the nation's well-attended fintech conferences. With talks from industry experts and exited founders on hot topics like the nexus between AI and fintech, pioneering banking strategies, identity fraud, and beyond, Fintech South consistently attracts a crowd of over 1000 fintech enthusiasts annually. We'll also explore Andrew's ties with TAG, Georgia's top tech association, and provide a firsthand look into Atlanta's evolving role in the global fintech scene. Additionally, William highlights the synergies of Atlanta's vibrant ecosystem, academic strengths, and visionary leadership, illustrating how they've ushered the city to the pinnacle of financial innovation.

Data shows that diverse-owned firms manage only 1.4% of the U.S.'s $82 trillion in assets under management (AUM). Catalyze, a non-profit, strives to reshape this status quo by providing capital, networks, and resources to first-time fund managers. Michael Belles, the co-founder of Catalyze, discusses in this episode how they support these managers through initiatives like the Catalyze Fund Fellowship: a six-month program assisting 5-10 capital entrepreneurs with one-on-one advising, flexible financing, and connections to a broad network of professionals. With many preconceived notions around emerging fund managers, this conversation outlines what an emerging manager is, many misconceptions around starting a fund, and how first-time fund managers can create fundraising leverage through a unique thesis.

With a wealth of experience spanning over three decades, Peg Olson has been a guiding force for early-stage companies in developing effective talent acquisition/recruiting strategies. Today, she joins the Atlanta Startup Podcast to demystify the intricacies of early-stage startup recruiting by delving into the essentials that founders should seek in potential candidates, offering insights on interview questioning strategies, and establishing a general hiring framework for founders. She also shares her expertise in optimizing talent retention. She ends the episode by outlining the qualities defining exceptional sales leaders at different stages and recounting some of Peg's remarkable hiring success stories.

Foregoing college to build a multi-million dollar hanger empire? That's precisely what Devon Rifkin, the CEO of Hangers.com did. In this episode of the Atlanta Startup Podcast, hear Devon's story of going from a Wall Street Stock Broker to a bootstrapping entrepreneur and the many lessons learned while building Hangers.com to be a multi-time Inc 5000 fastest-growing startup. Devon does a deep dive into the importance of proximity to customers, hiring talent at the growth stage, insights on achieving global scale early on, and how to think about exiting your startup as a founder.

After a successful exit from Hangers.com, Devon is now consulting today with his firm Humaan Group which is hyperfocused on helping founders think about growth, restructuring, and other critical aspects of company building.

Does Georgia need a hybrid public school? Michael Staton, CEO at CoLearn, thinks so--and just applied to be Georgia's next public school.

He moved to Georgia after years on the investment committee of one of the most successful VCs in education, Learn Capital in San Mateo, California.

He has helped lead investments into Coursera, Minerva, AltSchool, Andela, and many others.  Fittingly, he began his decade-long entrepreneurial journey in the classroom, teaching social studies to high school students in Houston, TX.

Now, Michael joins Atlanta Startup Podcast host, Valor Managing Partner Lisa Calhoun, for a conversation about how to fix public school education--and his hands-on startup planning to open its hybrid classrooms across the state next year.

Managing a substantial $500 million, the Flourish Ventures Team expresses bullish optimism for emerging startup hubs like Atlanta and Nashville, actively shaping the entrepreneurial landscape across the Southern United States. Fintech has emerged as one of the most well-funded sectors in the startup landscape over the past decade. Driven by an even stronger conviction, is committed to supporting visionary entrepreneurs whose innovations drive financial well-being and prosperity for individuals and small businesses through software solutions. 

In an enlightening discussion, Flourish Venture Partner Sarah Morgenstern provides a deep dive into the thought process behind Flourish's capital allocation decisions, their comprehensive post-investment founder support, and the compelling reasons why the world of fintech remains ripe for VC investment dollars with a remarkable track record, including investments in prominent fintech players like Chime and Propel, Sarah and the Flourish team have constructed a unique lens on identifying opportunities in transformational fintech arenas such as cross-border payments, AI-powered identity verification, and proactive risk assessment. Founders, tune in to gain insights into how Flourish propels impactful systemic change and cultivates the growth of the next generation of fintech unicorns.

With the rise of Airbnb over the last decade, there's been an everpresent demand for complementary solutions that ensure safe and enjoyable experiences for guests. Atlanta startup Safely steps in to address this need by offering a modern insurance solution for individual homeowners and professional property managers. By integrating with various property management systems, Safely has amassed a substantial amount of data, totaling more than two million nights' worth, establishing itself as a leading solution in the globally thriving short-term rental market.

In this podcast episode, Safely's founder and CEO, Andrew Bate delves into Safely's origins and the mental exercise of crafting the company's initial GTM strategy. As a second-time founder in this domain, Andrew highlights the sector's recent tech-driven evolution and outlines specific growth and innovation opportunities within today's broader property management industry. Reflecting on the company's 10+ year journey, you'll hear Andrew unpack the importance that relationships played in raising over $12M in capital and how he navigates the challenges and turbulence that have impacted Airbnb's business model.

Courtney Schickel is no stranger to building and scaling successful sales and revenue operations, bringing over 20 years of experience leading teams at startups such as IngeniousMed and Assursign, which was later acquired by Nintex. As a former Chief Revenue Officer for two local Atlanta startups, Courtney brings her brilliance and expertise to the podcast offering valuable insights on:

Courtney emphasizes the significance of achieving internal alignment at the executive level and provides tangible takeaways for founders to implement. With her vast knowledge and practical guidance, she becomes an invaluable resource for entrepreneurs and founders, equipping them with the necessary tools and strategies to optimize revenue operations.

Using its proprietary fintech AI that accesses behavior, not balance sheets, Funding U is the national leader in no-co-signer student lending, a $30B+ annual market. Now is a pivotal time for college and university students. The Supreme Court's decision ending race-based admissions policies at colleges and universities sets a tone that leaves a gap in confidence for the millions of students who do not have family wealth to draw on to fund rising education costs.

In conversation with an early investor, Lisa Calhoun at Valor VC, CEO and founder Jeannie Tarkenton of Funding U dives into:
1) How big an impact the new post-affirmative action Supreme Court ruling will have on students of color
2) The scale of the student lending opportunity
3) How to help more students access non-predatory lending as they prepare to finish college
4) How AI-based lenders like Funding U stack up against traditional FICO loans in terms of rates, loan payments, APRs, re-payment, and loan terms.

Investing out of their $170M Fund 3, Bonfire is a different type of investor. They are a lead-only seed VC with a high conviction approach which means each partner only does 2-3 deals a year and spends weekly time with each founder coaching them through the ups and downs of the startup journey. In this episode, Valor managing partner Lisa Calhoun leads a conversation with Brett Queener, managing director of Bonfire Ventures. Brett began his career at Seibel, back when enterprise software "came on CDs." He later joined Salesforce as an early employee, contributing to the creation of one of the most valuable enterprise software companies on earth for over a decade. He then joined a pre-revenue startup, Smart Recruiter, and helped that become the fastest-growing firm in enterprise recruiting over a 9-year journey. In this episode, you'll learn how Bonfire and Brett look at developing relationships with founders.  You'll come away with deeply insightful approaches to building out sales teams that work well, and what Series A investors are looking for now.

In this episode of the Atlanta Startup Podcast, host Mecca Tartt interviews Rachel Wilson, Head of Operations at Collab Capital. Rachel shares her unconventional journey into venture capital, driven by her exposure to entrepreneurship from her entrepreneurial family. She discusses Collab Capital's investment focus, which includes tech-enabled black-owned companies with a particular interest in network capital. Rachel highlights the importance of social and human capital for African American founders, emphasizing the need for access to contracts with major corporations. Collab Capital supports founders in navigating challenges that often stifle their growth through resources such as playbooks, growth partners, and connections with their LPs. Rachel also shares a bit about Black Women in VC, a supportive community for Black women in the venture capital industry.

In this episode of the Atlanta Startup Podcast, host William Leonard interviews Gabby Fong, an investor at First In, a DC-based firm focused on cybersecurity & data companies. Gabby shares her background as a former United States Navy officer and intelligence professional, highlighting her journey of breaking into venture capital. She discusses First In's mission and investment focus, which includes cybersecurity, defense, and dual-use technologies, and the firm's goals of leading seed-stage rounds and providing operational expertise to portfolio companies. Gabby also discusses emerging trends in cybersecurity, such as exciting use cases for operational technology and critical infrastructure security, vendor consolidation, and the challenges and opportunities of utilizing AI in cybersecurity.

Charles Robinson is the Partner at 1888 Ventures, one of Atlanta’s newest venture funds focused on capitalizing early-stage founders in the Southeast. 

1888 seeks to invest $250-500K checks in startups outside of the major hubs that leverage emerging technologies. Before 1888, Charles was the founding partner of North Carolina startup Teamworks which is an operating system for sports, military, and public safety organizations globally. With deep regional roots, Charles shares his insights on the importance of relationship building in VC/startups, and navigating bottlenecks early-stage founders often face, and he outlines the unique traits that make Atlanta’s and broader southern startup ecosystem special.

On this episode of the Atlanta Startup Podcast, we take time to understand the inner workings of Startup Runway. Joining us is Mecca Tartt, the program's Executive Director, who provides valuable insights and helps us unpack Startup Runway's core mission of providing grant funding to underrepresented founders at the pre-seed stage. In this convo, we'll learn about specific criteria for founder participation and highlight the many milestones the program has already achieved including, awarding over $350K in grant capital to underrepresented founders. Moreover, we explore the opportunities for future sponsors to join the ranks of existing partners such as Cox, PIN, Innovators Legal, and many others in supporting and underwriting Startup Runway's initiatives.

Hawks Ventures is the latest venture capital fund in Atlanta investing inclusively, following Valor's start in 2016 along and other local legends including Collab Capital and Fearless Fund. What's fresh about this foray into inclusive venture capital from the Hawks is their deep sports expertise and $50M capital commitment, one of the larger funds in this region focused on women and founders of color. In this episode, William engages with Hawks Ventures VP Felipe Arias to get the inside scoop on the inner workings of the fund's strategy, how to get in touch with the fund, and the strategic levers Hawks Ventures pulls to support its portfolio of companies. 

Funding for climate tech startups grew 89% recently, to pull in over $70B. Enter Atlanta's climate-tech legend Thomas Stokell, CEO of Love to Ride (aka Riderr). Valor recently led the seed round for this startup, which has a global hybrid team that's won favor with 800 customers on 3 continents. Thomas sheds light on his thought process for building software with behavioral change at its core, bootstrapping Love to Ride to $2M in revenue, the process of selling software for climate change, and his approach to building/scaling a globally distributed team.

After recently securing $2M in new seed funding, Atlanta startup Piezo Therapeutics is off to the races in launching their new platform which empowers a safer and more efficient way to bring new medicines to market. Founder and Georgia Tech Alumni, Gaurav Byagathvalli, has gone all-in on his passion for biotech building, pivoting from his former role as a product manager. After five years of research and development in the Bhamla Lab at Georgia Tech, Piezo Therapeutics is poised to shake up the world of drug delivery with its innovative technology. But how did they get here? Join us as Gaurav shares his insights on the technological headwinds the industry has faced, the impact of Piezo's platform on the biotech landscape, and how a simple cold email paved the way for their seed round. Plus, stick around for Gaurav's predictions on the rapidly-evolving life sciences and the biotech scene in Atlanta. 

W3 Studio is Atlanta's newest venture studio. Based out of the Atlanta Blockchain Center, W3 Studio is hyper-focused on supporting underrepresented founders who are building Web3 startups in Atlanta by equipping them with non-dilutive capital during the early iterations of company building. We're joined by Brian Zwerner, the Founder of W3 Studio, for a deep dive dialogue on the tangible resources provided by the studio, their non-obvious value adds proposition and the long-term vision of how W3 Studio will impact Atlanta for decades going forward. 

In this ep, learn how you can join Valor this week Thursday in Athens, Georgia for Startup Runway's live session at the Delta Innovation Hub. Get free tickets online at Startup Runway.org. 10,000 grants are also being offered for preseed founders in May AND in June--so apply now through the Startup Runway Foundation online. 

Also, looking ahead to the end of this month, women leaders in the community are invited to join Valor at the Women's History Month celebration. Find out more online at Valor.com/Events.

The Atlanta Startup Podcast welcomes Valor founding managing partner Lisa Calhoun, who interviews special guest Wall Street Journal bestselling author Cap Treeger Cap about his book "Finding the Way". The book provides a process for entrepreneurs based on anecdotal and experiential learning. It uses fiction to tell the story of building and selling a company in Atlanta while incorporating lessons learned from mentors and role models. Alongside many mentors and early team members, the protagonist's wife plays an important role in the story, highlighting the importance of communication with spouses who may not be entrepreneurs. 

While entrepreneurship is challenging and risky, anyone can become an entrepreneur regardless of age or background as long as they are cut out for it and ready for the challenge--learn more in this episode.

You can get your own copy of Finding the Way on Amazon, Audible, and Barnes & Noble. 

In this engaging conversation, we delve into the world of Armond Davis, the Managing Partner at the Paragon Group, which has a keen focus on backing women and ethnically diverse founders. Armond's early career was spent working in asset management at Goldman Sachs and Truist, before making the transition into private equity. However, what sets Armond apart from other venture capitalists is his unique approach to adding value to his portfolio companies. Rather than simply providing funding or connections, Armond believes that helping founders with their mindfulness is a crucial aspect of his role. We delve into the practicalities of how he implements this approach and the benefits it brings to founders. Additionally, Armond shares his insights on the current macroeconomic environment, the state of early-stage fundraising, the importance of entry valuations for VCs, and sectors that he's most optimistic about over the next decade.

Introducing Jamal Lewis, Economic Opportunity Manager at the Partnership for Inclusive Innovation at Georgia Tech. A strategic problem solver, driven by the desire to improve access to resources in underserved communities. He helps create spaces and opportunities for those who are often under-resourced. In today's episode with Mecca Tartt, Executive Director of Startup Runway Foundation, you will learn the importance of collaboration in changing the mindset of the community and spreading wealth outside of the city of Atlanta. Jamal also shared some of the partnerships formed in the Atlanta area and where he sees the biggest opportunity for growth in Georgia. This is a great episode, you must tune in!

Atlanta Founder Shep Ogden discovered his passion for marketing and media in college where he started out helping small businesses augment their marketing. Today, he's founded and scaled Offbeat Media Group, a leading digital influence and media company that owns, builds, and brokers the largest native social media network of publishers and virtual influencers. Offbeat leverages its 1B+ follower network to innovate for its dozens of enterprise and media clients. In this episode, we have a conversation with Shep about the evolution of media delivery, how generative AI is driving a content revolution, ways enterprises will engage the new age of digital creators, and the social media platforms that he thinks will remain relevant in the long term.
Catch up with Valor virtually on the 18th Startup Runway Showcase, one of the largest showcases for underrepresented founders at the pre-seed stage on February 23 via zoom. You can register to attend and meet VC at startuprunway.org.

Get to know Sed Joseph of StageWing and Gbenga Arotiba of GoodAction as they tackle what it takes to build a startup and why your team and support systems are key. In this episode with Mecca Tartt, Executive Director of Startup Runway Foundation, they talk about the peaks and valleys along with the passion needed to push through even when you’ve experienced a crushing moment. The secret sauce for getting people to believe in your startup and gain support from mentors and VCs. Identifying your avatar and needing to pivot to reach a new customer. You will not want to miss this conversation. Get your notepad ready!

Georgia-based foundersKatherine Shayne of CIRT,Anthony Joiner of Blooksy, andRobert Grant of Revealaroohave bottled the key to pivoting during challenging times. They have all birthed companies that provide a solution to a major problem. Blooksy has found its way to becoming one of the most sought-after platforms for universities and writers. CIRT is saving our ecosystem by providing a solution to waste management for major corporations. Tune in to learn more.

Every day hundreds of new startups are launched, but it takes a market disruptor to pitch and win! How do you know that your startup has the "It Factor"? Meet Timothy Min with Supercopy, Vanessa Sachs with SWAKE, and Elissa Russell with READI, the 18th Startup Runway Showcase Winners judged by William Leonard, Investor at Valor Ventures, Jonathan King, Principal at Coinbase Ventures, Vanessa Villaverde of Vamos Ventures, Avoilan Bingham,  General Manager at Drive Capital, Rachel Kazungu, Manager at Endeavor,  Armond Davis, and Managing Partner of the Paragon Group. Tune in to this episode hosted by Mecca Tartt, Executive Director of Startup Runway, and learn how these three startups positioned themselves to win money from top-tier VCs. If you are wondering what it takes to WIN! Tune in now. 

Atlanta Founder Jonathan Porter is building PorterLogic, a flexible low-code solution aiming to turbocharge complex operations for supply chain teams. Jonathan spent time early in his career leading operations at supply chain firms like Manhattan Associates before he transitioned to consulting for himself, where the idea for PorterLogic ultimately came about. In this episode, Jonathan breaks down how global supply chains have been decimated as a result of COVID, why Atlanta’s resources make it an ideal city to build a supply chain startup, how his consulting experiences shaped early perspectives as a software founder and actionable insights on overcoming the early mountain of customer discovery. 

DataSeers is an Atlanta-based fintech building at the intersection of financial crime mitigation and AI. Led by CEO Adwait Joshi, DataSeers has grown as an entirely bootstrapped startup and was named one of America’s Fastest Growing Private Companies by Inc 5000 in 2022. We hear from Adwait the exact blueprint he’s followed to scale DataSeers without investor capital and the advantages that come along with bootstrapping. You’ll want to hear the story of how DataSeers acquired their first paying customers and Adwait’s do’s/don’ts of customer discovery as a bootstrapped fintech. This first Atlanta Startup Podcast episode of 2023 is a gem for the early-stage founder hyper-focused on growth, capital efficiency, and scaling their team.

With over $2B in assets under management, Drive Capital is a significant lead venture capital firm focused on backing startups between the coasts. On today’s episode, we’re joined by one of Drive’s newest General Managers, Avoilan Bingham, who is opening their new Atlanta office. Avoilan writes $500K checks for visionary pre-seed founders seeking to innovate in billion-dollar markets.

Avoilan shares his insider perspectives on the budding Atlanta ecosystem, his advice for founders fundraising right now, and his passion for Generative AI.

Connect with Avoilan and the Valor team in person this Thursday, December 15th for the 17th Showcase of the Startup Runway program, where Aviolan is a judge. You'll hear 10 underrepresented founders pitching to the VC Judges including Drive Capital, and Coinbase Ventures. Register for free for this in-person event at startuprunway.org 

Join Jonathan King, Principal at Coinbase Ventures, as he reveals essential perspectives on how Coinbase became one of crypto's busiest VCs. Coinbase Ventures seeks to invest in an early-stage company operating in the cryptocurrency and blockchain technology sectors. In this episode, you'll learn what's ahead for the crypto world in the Atlanta area and what Coinbase Ventures is looking forward to in 2023.

On face-to-face interaction for our listeners, connect with Valor next week at the Woodruff Arts Center on December 15th as we host VC DAY and Startup Runway Georgia. Register for free for this in-person event at startuprunway.org.

Meet De’Havia Stewart, an early-stage FinTech investor at Anthemis, where she is responsible for sourcing, evaluating, and executing deals of pre-seed to Series A startups. Anthemis Group is an early-stage venture capital firm based in London, UK, with $1.5BN+ in AUM. De'Havia previously worked at Softbank, supported the SoftBank Opportunity Fund, and helped deploy $100M+ into black and brown founders. Learn the types of companies that Anthemis is investing in and some of the key metrics they look at when evaluating startups.

Catch up with Valor in person. William Leonard will be in Miami on December 1st. He will be judging the Black Founders Demo Day. Startup Runway is at the Woodruff Arts Center on Dec 15th. You can register to attend and meet VCs, including Avoilan Bingham,General Manager of Drive Capital, Jonathan King,Principal of Coinbase,and Vanessa Villaverde,Healthcare and Femtech Investor of Vamos Ventures, at startuprunway.org.

Meet Stefanie Diaz, Manager of Industry Discovery and Research at Catalyst by WellStar. WellStar is Georgia's largest healthcare system. Catalyst is a First-of-its-Kind Global Digital Health and Innovation Center right here in Atlanta looking to invest in and engage with early-stage startups. Learn how they invest in this must-listen episode for early-stage founders.

This week, join Valor at the Who's Who in ATL event at Atlanta Tech Park on Wednesday, Nov. 16th from 6-8 pm. You can register online at https://hub.tie.org/e/nov2022mm. Startup Runway is just weeks away and If you're interested and want to enter for a $10,000 pre-seed startup grant, apply to startuprunway.org. Looking ahead, Valor's VC Day is taking requests to register for this exciting event, with $1B of capital pointed at Atlanta. Learn more at  VC.day.

Atlanta founder Hannah Olson was forced quit her dream job due to Lyme Disease. But she didn't let this setback halt her entrepreneurial aspirations. Today as the CEO and Co-founder of Disclo, she's the visionary behind the compliance platform managing employee disclosures and helping organizations meet employee needs in a HIPAA and ADA-compliant manner. Research shows over 133 million Americans are struggling with a chronic condition and seeking additional support and accommodations in the workplace. In this episode, you'll hear more in-depth about Hannah's empowering journey of battling Lyme Disease, her insight on building Disclo as her second startup, how she envisions this space evolving, and her important fundraising advice for early-stage founders.