I really appreciate that in the face of adversity, this year’s Venture Atlanta pivoted to become Venture Atlanta Live Online and delivered its first-ever, all-digital event. While an alternative course would have been to cancel or postpone until after the pandemic, the Southeast’s largest investor conference evolved, recognizing that it is vital to supporting the growth of our venture ecosystem—perhaps this year more than ever.
There has always been a sense of community and camaraderie at Venture Atlanta, and I did miss the personal interaction of reacquainting with peers. But considering things, it was a great alternative until we can all be together again.
Venture Atlanta Live Online had much to offer. The digital production was professional and slick, and things moved along at a fast clip. I particularly enjoyed the live chat session which paralleled the video stream. Conference goers chatted with one another in a more immediate format—better than the previous standard of live hashtag comments on Twitter. It “felt” more like we belonged to a community as we watched, reacted, and chatted. One of my chat entries even went a bit “viral.” I shared a note about the entrepreneurial influence my grandparents had on me as a boy as I watched them bustling about the shop where they sold fish and chips in Great Britain.
There was also much-welcomed diversity at this year’s Venture Atlanta in terms of entrepreneurs, as well as more diversity in the types of companies presenting and being showcased. Following are several companies that really caught my attention:
6AM City, the fastest-growing newsletter-first local media company that’s similar to an Amazon distribution center for all local content. 6AM seems focused on upbeat news and stories, something we especially need right now.
Caribu, an educational entertainment platform that enables children to have virtual playdates with family and friends when they cannot be together. As a grandparent with grandchildren in other places, I’d love to use Caribu to play games with them or read them a story. The solution is especially applicable during the pandemic.
Medxoom, a platform that optimizes the consumer and financial experience around healthcare benefits and payments while helping healthcare plans reduce aggregate spend.
Nexus, which economically converts waste plastics to high-grade feedstock and fuels. The company’s presenter had a great quote from Oscar the Grouch on “Sesame Street” about garbage sometimes being a good thing, and in this case, it is. It’s amazing what this environmentally friendly company is doing with plastic waste.
Sadiant, a tech-enabled temporary healthcare staffing firm that provides per diem staff to hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare entities via an online portal.
SigmaSense, the global leader in touch-sensing performance, delivering silicon and software solutions to display and electronics manufacturers. This innovative company is truly changing how we interact with devices.
There were several trends I noticed among the presenting and showcase companies, including of course timely telemedicine and other remote solutions. Another trend I found interesting was around fintech, namely solutions targeted to non-traditional banking consumers. For instance, there is Yellow Card, which buys and sells cryptocurrency across Africa with bank transfer, mobile money, and cash. Instant Financial is a provider of pay on demand and earned income access solutions serving the gig economy, and Spur is software helping to improve hourly workers’ financial well-being.
I recall at last year’s Venture Atlanta there was some talk among the attendees of a possible recession. Little did we know then that a global pandemic was lurking just around the corner. Despite this, the mood at this year’s Venture Atlanta Live Online seemed upbeat, with less fear and more positivity about the future.
All in all, Venture Atlanta Live Online was a very good experience, from watching the presentations on-screen to wandering the virtual trade-show floor. Kudos to the Venture Atlanta team for pulling off the first-ever digital event in order to continue supporting our region’s most innovating companies.