Atlanta Startup Podcast

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.Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

In this episode of the Atlanta Startup Podcast, host Mecca Tartt interviews Anthony Joiner, Founder of Blooksy, 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 from Valor Ventures. Joiner's remarkable story is an inspiring example for aspiring entrepreneurs navigating the challenges of the startup landscape.Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

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.Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

Join William Leonard as he sits down with Michael 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.Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

In the latest episode of the Atlanta Startup Podcast, William Leonard engages 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.Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

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.Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

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.Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

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.Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

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.Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

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.Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

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.Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

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:The evolving role of the CRO over the past decadePractical advice for CEOs seeking to build revenue operations functionsDemystifying misconceptions surrounding early-stage sales and moreCourtney 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.Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

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 color2) The scale of the student lending opportunity3) How to help more students access non-predatory lending as they prepare to finish college4) 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.Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

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.Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

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.Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

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.Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

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.Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

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.Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

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. Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

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.Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

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. Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

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. Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

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. Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

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.Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

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!Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

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.Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

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!Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

Georgia-based founders Katherine Shayne of CIRT, Anthony Joiner of Blooksy, and Robert Grant of Revealaroo have 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.Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

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. Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

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. Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

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.Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

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 Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

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.Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

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.Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

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.Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

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. Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

The Plug and Play Tech Center is making waves in Georgia. As the largest innovation platform in the world, they're focused on the brightest startups building the future of supply chain, retail, eCommerce, fintech, digital health, and more. Director of Corporate Partnerships Jessica Vargas and Senior Director of Enterprise Technology Nate Hinman join William on the podcast for a rich conversation outlining the unique corporate access points Plug and Play offers its startups, their outlook for the newly launched Plug and Play Savannah Accelerator, a deeper dive on why they're hyper-focused on Georgia's burgeoning tech scene, and their expansion plan for Atlanta.Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

Get to know seed and Series A investor Steve Hasty of Circadian Ventures, an Atlanta investor. He talks about his introduction to venture capital in Atlanta and how helpful a chance connection with John Yates was in his journey. Plus, learn more about how to apply for grants that will be presented December 15 by the Startup Runway Foundation.Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

EARLY RELEASE to help you prep for INNOVATION WEEK next week!Meet Jennifer Richard, an investor with Bonfire Ventures, focuses on SMB tech, vertical SaaS, and "anything led by a woman or a diverse founder." Interviewed by Valor investor Wiliam Leonard, Jennifer is working out of a $168M core fund to lead seed rounds and looking hard at the Atlanta ecosystem, where Bonfire has already led rounds. You'll learn more about check size, how to impress Jennifer, and how Bonfire supports its portfolio in this engaging conversation. William also shares a few of his favorite tips on how to pitch Valor as the conversation continues.In this episode, you'll also hear how to connect with William and Jennifer in person this week, which is Innovation Week in Atlanta, so listen soon and share with founders you care about!Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

Atlanta's at it again--changing the world. Valor investor William Leonard catches up with Atlanta CEO and co-founder of Yellow Card Chris Maurice in this exciting ep. Yellow Card started by creating a better micro-payments infrastructure in Nigeria, a country that is on pace to be larger than the US by 2050. When they met Valor in 2020, we loved it--and so did Andreessen Horowitz, who led their seed round. Learn about the latest $40M Series B led by Polychain and how this exciting startup has grown into a pan-African exchange that's underwriting a bright future.Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

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.Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

Jeff Richards, CEO and founder of SnapNurse, leads the 2nd fastest growing company in America. He cut this podcast 2 days after that news was broken by Inc. You'll enjoy hearing his fresh take, including how he walked out of the door at Grady passionate about changing healthcare for the better. . Learn how he went about it and SnapNurse's exciting trajectory in this intimate conversation with Valor investor William Leonard.Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

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.Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

In this can't-miss conversation with co-host Mecca Tartt, get to know Maria Velissaris, the founder and managing partner of the largest women's healthcare fund ---Steelsky Ventures. Steelsky is based in Atlanta and invests at Series A. Maria shares how she got started as an investor, her passion and purpose, what she looks for when she writes a check, and how she got inspired to launch her $73 million fund. Power question from our host, Mecca: "how do you balance investing with your head and your heart?" You'll love Maria's answer!In this week's episode, you'll also hear to connect in person with the Valor team this week and next, including the Startup Runway Women's Event September 15, and Atlanta Unlocked at our offices at Atlanta Tech Park on Thursday, Sept 22. See you there!Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

Meet Patrick Reynolds, the man connecting tech startups to the Department of Defense. Based in Atlanta, Patrick scouts tech and talent as the university representative for Georgia through the National Security Innovation Network (NSIN). We sit down with Patrick who shares the numerous ways NSIN supports startups, the misconceptions of working with the DoD, what he looks for when scouting talent, and the initiatives he's most looking forward to in 2023.Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

Atlanta influencer turned founder Cynthia Ruff is building Hashtag Pay Me, the software helping creators and influencers appropriately price content. Incubated in Georgia Tech’s startup accelerator Create-X, Cynthia is building her startup from over a decade of content creation experience. In this energetic episode, learn why she turned down early investor capital to bootstrap Hashtag Pay Me, the evolution of the creator economy, her thoughts on the current state of the growing creator economy, and what monetization opportunities lie ahead for creators.Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

Paul D'Arrigo, co-founder at logistics and warehouse startup Saltbox, is a 2003 Georgia Tech grad. In this converstion, learn how he believes ecommerce is changing now, and how his background at UPS shape Saltbox's vision to create more billion-dollar ecommerce businesses. Saltbox is based in Atlanta and backed by several venture investors, including Metaprop, Kapor Capital and Prologis. Also in this ep, catch up with Valor's this week. Meet Robin Bienfait and William Leonard at Georgia Tech's CreateX. Catch up with William in Tulsa and Lisa in Kansas City, plus much more!Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

Founder Akshita Iyer is rethinking the kitchen, and it's an exciting journey. This Duke University founder took her startup onto Shark Tank, turned down $800K in early stage investment, and made the tough decision to move to Atlanta. Find out how Akshita is thinking about building smart, interactive cooking appliances. You'll also learn where Valor is this week, including a few days in Tulsa, OK and here in Atlanta, the Dell for Startups pitch event at our headquarters at Atlanta Tech Park. Listen now and get involved with Atlanta's fast paced founder community.Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

Nick Santora just sold his cybersecurity training platform Curricula to Huntress for $22M. Get his impressions of the journey and lessons learned while bootstrapping. Nick dives into how he got here and how he evaluated acquisition offers. If you're building software in the South, this is a must-listen deep dive with host William Leonard.Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.

Founder Chris Cherian of Gatherly credits his girlfriend, who set up a Zoom birthday party for him during the pandemic, with inspiring the product that became Gatherly. Since then, the Georgia Tech Create-X startup Gatherly has raised its seed round from Knoll Ventures. Join this episode to hear the inside story of an Atlanta startup that leaped out of the pandemic to solve a big problem.Let's take this conversation to real time. Join Valor for an upcoming event.