From September 27 – 28, the bustling energy of Atlanta became even more electrifying as we kicked off the 16th annual Venture Atlanta conference at The Woodruff Arts Center and Atlanta Symphony Hall.
Each year, Venture Atlanta has been an anchor for the Southeast’s startup community, and this year was no exception. In fact, it was our biggest and best conference yet, shattering previous records with a whopping 550 company applications. Out of this impressive pool, 52 standout companies got the unique opportunity to present on stage, captivating an audience of 1,500 enthusiastic attendees.
This year was truly unlike any other, with a larger emphasis and more stage time dedicated to our presenting companies. This culminated in Venture Atlanta’s first-ever pitch competition in which the top audience-voted companies returned to the stage for a live Q&A session in front of a panel of well-known investor judges. Think of it as VA’s own version of Shark Tank — which was fitting, considering Day 2’s keynote speaker was none other than Robert Herjavec from ABC’s Shark Tank.
We were also honored to induct three Venture Atlanta Alumni companies into our inaugural Alumni Hall of Fame class!
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Cloud Sherpas – VA 2009 pitch company that sold to Accenture for $410M
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Kabbage – VA 2010 pitch company that sold to American Express for $850M
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Salesloft – VA 2012 pitch company that was acquired by Vista Equity Partners at a $2.3B valuation
It was a thrilling two days full of inspiring stories and amazing tech. Common themes that came up again and again this year were cybersecurity, health and wellness tech, hospitality, and of course, the overarching application of AI. If you weren’t able to attend this year’s conference (or you just can’t get enough Venture Atlanta), keep on reading for the full event recap.
Venture Atlanta 2023 by the Numbers
Key Takeaways from Venture Atlanta 2023 Speakers
In the opening panel on Day 1 of Venture…
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