Countdown to Pitch Atlanta

We are one week away from Pitch Atlanta: an exclusive, invite only event connecting entrepreneurs and investors. While in preparation for this big event we wanted to let you know what it is, who’s going to be there, and why it’s happening!

What Is It?

Pitch Atlanta is a one-day experience that connects 20 of the best early-stage local startups with top-tier investors from all over the nation in a dynamic and exclusive event at Atlanta Tech Village. The conference will feature 20 startups, 75 investors, and 35 community influencers.

Proceeds from Pitch Atlanta benefit Girls Who Code, an international non-profit organization working to close the gender gap in technology and change the image of what a programmer looks like and does.

Why is it happening?

In addition to the amazing staple Atlanta-based conference, Venture Atlanta, hosted every October, the idea is to have another opportunity for connection in the Spring. The mission of Pitch Atlanta is to create a unique one-day experience that connects 20 of the best early-stage local startups, aka ATLANTA-based, with top tier investors in a dynamic and exclusive event with true #Atlanta style. This event is powered by the Atlanta Tech Village and will be a great opportunity to further invest in the Atlanta startup ecosystem by creating a curated opportunity for startups to connect to investors. The goal is for startups pitching to reduce the amount of laborious time it takes to connect with trusted investors.

Who’s Involved?

The lineup is outstanding, if we can say so ourselves. It ranges from fireside chats, to panelists, to investors from Atlanta and beyond, to the founders of thriving companies, to lots of entertainment in between.

Two excellent conversations are slated to divulge lots of good insight and personal stories of lessons learned:

One session will be a Fireside chats with Atlanta Ventures own David Cummings and an influential leader in the tech world, Rob Frohwein, the CEO and Co-Founder of Kabbage.

An afternoon session with Michael Cohn and Jared Belsky will be focusing on lessons startup investors. Michael will interview his longtime friend, Co-Investor, and CEO of 360i, Jared, about his new book, "The Great Client Partner." Many of Jared's lessons learned in the agency world are applicable to startup investors and Founders, starting with the importance of understanding one another's point of view.

There’s also an all-star panel speaking about scaling in Atlanta featuring:

Paul Judge is an investor, entrepreneur and computer science Ph.D. who got his start as a spam email blocker. He was the Co-Founder and CTO of CipherTrust, the Co-Founder of Pindrop Security, led Wi-Fi device maker Luma, and invests in startups like Amazon-backed data shielder Ionic Security. In addition to that long list, he is the Co-Founder of T ech Square Labs.
Kyle Porter is the Founder and CEO of SalesLoft. SalesLoft generated over 330% explosive growth in the last two years, recognized as the 7th Fastest-Growing technology company in North America by Deloitte and now employs more than 350 across its Atlanta headquarters, San Francisco, New York, and global offices. SalesLoft has raised over $75 million from top-tier global investors.
Andy Powell is the Co-Founder and CEO of call analytics provider CallRail . CallRail has grown quickly since Powell and Co-Founder Kevin Mann launched the company in 2011, and without raising much money. Their latest round of funding puts CallRail at a reported $160 million valuation.
Kathryn Petralia the Co-Founder and COO of Kabbage. In November 2017, Kathryn was assessed by Forbes as being the 98th most powerful woman in the world. In December 2017, she was listed in a TechCrunch feature on 42 women succeeding in tech that year.
Tope Awotona is the CEO and Founder of Calendly. It is the fastest growing company in scheduling automation, serving millions with simple, yet powerful software to schedule meetings without the back-and-forth emails.

Ant then there are the Founders building amazing startups...that are ready to pitch:

We’re honored to be a part of this epic and curated event and can’t wait to see what connections we make. If you’re an investor and want to get on the invite list, there may be a few tickets left, so you can reach out here.

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Culture