News Releases

Startup Showcase Live Pitch Competition Offers $500k Investment Prize;
Robert Herjavec of "Shark Tank" Delivers Conference Keynote Address

ATLANTA, Aug. 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Venture Atlanta, one of the nation's most prestigious venture capital conferences, today announced the innovative companies to be featured at its 16^th annual event taking place September 27-28 at The Woodruff Arts Center and Atlanta Symphony Hall. To view the list of 83 companies, go here.

With the theme of IGNITE INNOVATION, Venture Atlanta 2023 will host its first-ever pitch competitions between selected companies—including a "Startup Showcase Live" pitch event for pre-seed and seed-stage that will conclude the conference with the winner receiving a $500,000 investment.

"Venture Atlanta 2023 continues to bring attendees all the events they love, including informative panels, big-name keynotes, and networking opportunities—only this year, we're also adding high-stakes pitch competitions for early-stage, growth, and pre-seed/seed-stage companies," said Venture Atlanta CEO Allyson Eman. "We've reimagined our schedule to give even more stage time to promising tech companies and centered more of our programming around fostering connections."

Eman added that this year's Venture Atlanta has broken another record with 550 presenter applications—a 15 percent increase over last year and the most applicants ever. Also this year, a significant portion—more than 60 percent—of companies that applied are based outside of Georgia, reflecting the growing awareness and pull of Venture Atlanta.

Selected companies for this year's Venture Atlanta represent the following states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. Twenty-eight percent of the companies are led by women founders and 39 percent are led by diverse founders.   

Chief among the innovations represented by this year's companies are Agtech, B2B & B2C Marketplaces, Blockchain/Crypto, Consumer, Cybersecurity, Digital Health, Digital Media, Enterprise/B2B Software, Fintech, Gaming Tech, Real Estate & Property Tech, and Supply Chain & Logistics.

To date, Venture Atlanta has helped to launch 760 companies and raise $7.5 billion in funding, also spinning out $17 billion in successful exits. The conference boasts successful alumni that include Bitcoin Depot, CallRail, Car360, Clearleap, Flock Safety, Florence Healthcare, Kabbage, ParkMobile, Pindrop Security, Salesforce Pardot, Salesloft, SingleOps, Stax, and Terminus. 

All-New Pitch Competitions Ignite Excitement at Venture Atlanta
This year, Venture Atlanta will host pitch competitions for early-stage and growth companies—as well as a "Startup Showcase Live" competition for pre-seed and seed-stage companies, with the winner of the latter receiving a $500,000 investment prize.

The $500,000 prize is being funded by BIP Ventures, Catalyst by Wellstar, Florida Funders, and Knoll Ventures.

The first round of pitches will be voted on by the Venture Atlanta audience, who will determine the companies that move on to be judged by an all-star panel of investors. To view the list of judges, go here.

"Even in the currently challenging fundraising environment, Venture Atlanta has amassed its most impressive roster of presenting companies yet and is on track for another sold-out event," said Nick Foreste, Partner at Morris, Manning & Martin and Co-Chair of Venture Atlanta's Recruiting and Screening Committee. "We take pride in our ability to curate an increasingly impressive lineup of innovative companies from the Southeast to showcase to high-profile investors, tech leaders, and visionaries from across the country." 

Robert Herjavec of "Shark Tank" Delivers This Year's Keynote Address
Globally recognized businessman and investor Robert Herjavec of "Shark Tank" will deliver Venture Atlanta 2023's day two keynote address on September 28. Herjavec is the third "Shark" to speak at Venture Atlanta, with Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner delivering keynote addresses at past conferences.

"For 16 years, Venture Atlanta has been selecting the most promising tech companies and drawing in top investment firms from across the nation," said Emery Waddell, Principal, Vocap Investment Partners and Venture Atlanta Board Member. "This year, we're turning up the excitement even more with Robert Herjavec of 'Shark Tank' fame delivering the keynote—and by putting our selected companies in direct competition on stage. As always, our mission is to provide unparalleled access to connections and capital to catalyze the next wave of groundbreaking innovations."

Venture Atlanta 2023 Is Presented by Invesco
Venture Atlanta is the premier must-attend technology event due in part to the generous support of its sponsors. Invesco is once again the conference's Title Sponsor, with J.P. Morgan as Hall of Fame Sponsor and Headline Sponsors including Bank of America, Cherry Bekaert, ExtensisHR, Marketwake, and Morris, Manning & Martin.

There are more than 90 sponsors of Venture Atlanta 2023. For a complete list of this year's sponsors, go here.

Register to Attend Venture Atlanta—Before Last-Call Pricing Begins
Taking place September 27-28, Venture Atlanta 2023 is anticipated to be a sold-out event with over 1,400 entrepreneurs, founders, investors, and business leaders expected to be in attendance. It will again be held at The Woodruff Arts Center at 1280 Peachtree Street with keynotes, panels, and pitches in the beautiful Atlanta Symphony Hall that is part of the Woodruff campus.

For the full Venture Atlanta conference schedule, go here.

To register for the 16^th annual Venture Atlanta before last-call pricing goes into effect on September 5 or passes are sold out, go here. 

About Venture Atlanta
Venture Atlanta, the Southeast's technology innovation event, is where the region's most promising tech companies meet the country's top-tier investors. As the Southeast's largest investor showcase helping launch more than 760 companies and raise $7.5 billion in funding to date, the event connects the region's top entrepreneurs with local and national investors and others in the technology ecosystem who can help them raise the capital they need to grow their businesses. The annual nonprofit event is a collaboration of the Atlanta CEO Council, Metro Atlanta Chamber, and the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG). For more information, visit www.ventureatlanta.org. For updates, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, and visit our blog.

SOURCE Venture Atlanta