Atlanta Pitch Series Connects Southeastern Women- and Minority- Startups with Seed Capital
Atlanta venture capital partnership Valor Ventures and local city club The Gathering Spot announce a new event series that connects startups informed by diverse perspectives with seed capital.
- Applications open today at www.startuprunway.co.
- The final deadline to apply for the fall series is September 31.
Across the country, 41% of entrepreneurs pitching venture capital are minorities. Yet from a venture capital investment standpoint, there is a gap in the number of minority-informed businesses started and the number of these businesses that get professional financing past friends-and-family and angel-stage investment.
At Startup Runway, that gap becomes an onramp.
“No venture pitch event in our area has focused specifically on founding teams that feature women or minorities,” says Lisa Calhoun, founding partner at Valor Ventures and event co-host. “Startup Runway is a physical space to tune that conversation face-to-face with committed, quality investors. It will open greater opportunities for founders and investors alike.”
Ryan Wilson, founder at the Gathering Spot and event co-host, is a Millennial African American business leader who personally experienced challenges pitching his successful business for capital. “Access to capital is one of the most important aspects of starting any business. For minority and women led companies gaining access to potential investors and pitching your concept is often more difficult. Startup Runway will change that conversation by bridging this gap and creating direct connections and broadening the community of success in innovation.”
Startup Runway also distinguishes itself by its focus on seed capital. “Atlanta and the Southeast have terrific forums for angel capital and for more traditional venture capital,” says Calhoun. “We want Startup Runway to create a feeder pipeline for these ecosystems.” Several notable seed stage investors have committed alongside Valor to Startup Runway, including investors from New York, Texas, North Carolina, and Georgia. Startups at the showcase will compete for cash prizes as well as guaranteed access to later stage venture events and other benefits.
To learn more, see the growing list of investors, or to apply to pitch, visit StartupRunway.co.
About Startup Runway
Startup Runway is the only seed stage venture event series in the Southeast designed to surface innovation from the frontier of out performing, overlooked founders: women and minority informed founding teams. We seek racially and gender diverse founding teams for their innovative perspectives and for their unstoppable solutions to real world problems. Is your tech startup changing the world? Share it with us by applying to pitch at www. StartupRunway.co
About Valor Ventures
We believe the best way to predict the future is to be part of inventing it. We are an early-stage venture capital partnership of visionary investors that funds high tech innovation from diverse founding teams. Diverse perspectives are driving financial performance and derisking investment on the innovation frontier. Learn more at www.valor.vc.