Venture Atlanta 2018 Connects, Energizes the Tech Startup Scene

Another great Venture Atlanta in the books! Wrapping up its eleventh year, the conference brings startup companies, entrepreneurs and investors together for two full days of learning, presenting and networking. I’ve been attending Venture Atlanta since its very beginning. Watching its growth as it continues to attract more and more companies and investors has been an impactful experience.

This year’s conference centered around the idea of “VA Connects” and I can’t think of a more appropriate theme. For the past eleven years, Venture Atlanta has been busy connecting startups with the resources they need to grow their business. The access to capital, talent and networking opportunities provided to tech startups is essential to their success.

It’s hard to pinpoint the most important aspects of the conference, but here are a few significant takeaways from this year’s event:

New Faces and Broader Perspectives
I noticed a wider variety in the types of technology companies present this year, as well as more women entrepreneurs and leaders participating on the different panels. Between the attending investors, company leaders, entrepreneurs and support organizations, the conference was full of new ideas and bright minds. Also in attendance were several former presenting companies, proving the value they place on their experience at Venture Atlanta by returning to reconnect and share what they’ve learned from their journeys so far.

Atlanta is a Legit Growing Tech Hub
What started as an event attended mostly by just the metro Atlanta tech scene and local investors has evolved into a conference that is reflective of the technology hub Atlanta has become. Atlanta is now a city that fosters the growth and success of innovative startups in the region. And, it was evident this year that more investors are coming from outside the Southeast, including from the West Coast. Atlanta is showing itself to be a tech force to be reckoned with, and Venture Atlanta continues to play a key role. Our tech startup community has matured and is becoming well-known. Like a hard-working actor becoming a recognized movie star, Atlanta is showing that it can stand on its own two legs in the tech world.

Impressive New Companies and Keynotes
I always leave the conference in admiration of the presenting technology companies and this year was no exception. Here are just a few of them that caught my eye: 2U Laundry, a company providing an innovative solution to traditional laundry and dry cleaning; Bark, giving parents a way to keep their children safer online; and MoQuality, a company providing accelerated mobile app testing to save companies time. And, of course, another of the stars among these “companies to watch” was one of Carabiner’s own clients, Vertaeon, which provides supply chain, market, customer and energy analytics. Speaking of Carabiner clients, I listened to Brightwell Payments give a fantastic presentation about how they are offering cross-border payment services to businesses with globally-dispersed employees, with particular emphasis on maritime clients.

Venture Atlanta is more than presenting and showcase companies, though. The keynotes and panels provide a plethora of educational opportunities. As just one example, Zach Nelson, former NetSuite CEO, gave a remarkable closing keynote in which he offered great advice for any entrepreneur hoping to follow in his footsteps.

While this year’s conference has come to a close, Venture Atlanta 2019 is already shaping up to be an even bigger event. Its footprint outside the metro Atlanta area continues to expand, as well. For the first time next year, the Venture Atlanta chairman—Alex Estevez, Venture Partner at Accel Partners—resides outside of Georgia. With this year’s conference breaking attendance records with over 1,000 attendees — and more than 250 investors from over 160 funds nationwide — I’m looking forward to seeing what the future holds.

I encourage any technology entrepreneur, company leader or tech enthusiast to attend Venture Atlanta 2019. You will be blown away by the things going on around you. The event will remind you to be creative and challenge you to think outside the box. See you next year!

#VAConnects #VA2018