Atlanta Tech Village

I knew it was going to be awesome. And it STILL blew my mind. Christine de Wendel shared the highs, lows, and insider stories of entrepreneurship with humor, empathy, and charisma. She encouraged founders to have a BIG VISION. She's seen first-hand what billion dollar founders do and say. All of them have an unshakeable belief that they are building a $100B company. Other fun tidbits: ? If you’re not sure about market size, it’s not big enough. ? Fomo is real. Create it when fundraising. ? Bring big energy. When selling or pitching, plan to OWN THE ROOM. ? Hire people you have chemistry with. You will be working in the trenches with them. Make the journey enjoyable. ? Too much money can cause you to do silly things. Christine, in sharing her journey, gave an in-person, real-life clinic on what great storytelling and vision casting look like! The whole audience came away ready to follow Christine as she builds a generational company with sunday. Thank you, Christine, for sharing your sparkle with us, Atlanta, and restaurants everywhere!

Thirty Days of Thanks (????/????) Every day this month, I’m recognizing someone who’s made a significant impact on my work. Today, I’m thankful for Aly Merritt ?? Current Role: Managing Director at Atlanta Tech Village ?? Superpower: Endless Energy ?? Story Time: Atlanta Tech Village has been a second home to me over the past three years. As an advisor, I’ve had a front-row seat to witness just how busy Aly truly is. Many say she runs the Village, but in reality, she’s the point person for Atlanta’s entire startup community. Her endless energy, drive, and passion set her apart. I've never seen her give less than 117%, always ready to support the Village and its entrepreneurs in whatever they need to thrive.

On December 3, I will have been running the fourth largest technology startup hub in the nation and managing our community of over 1,000 people for six years. As I quickly approach my work anniversary I’m finding myself reflecting, both on the memories but also on the learnings. Two lessons learned? 1. Creating community is not rocket science 2. Creating community is not easy Since community can be a pretty abstract concept, I want to share a learning and a framework when thinking about creating it. Community has three stages and three components. 1. Congregation 2. Commonality? 3. Connection 1. Congregation = Crowds Crowds are transient, temporary, unstructured, and oftentimes disorganized. They are often formed spontaneously and exist for no specific purpose. They gather for a moment and disband shortly after. 1. Congregation + 2. Commonality = Fans/Followers In my humble opinion, most people trying to create community stop and camp here. Fans or followers are groups of people with something in common and a passion or interest in that thing. When the group gathers it can look like a concert, sporting event, convention or conference. Some people would argue that the Swiftie movement through cities or diehard fans attending football games are communities. In my opinion, they’re not and can’t be because they lack the last component…. True connection. 1. Congregation + 2. Commonality + 3. Connection = Community When a group of people are pulled together with a similar interest, passion, value, goal, or even problem AND they are given the tools, encouragement, and the space to connect and KEEP CONNECTING you have the potential to create incredible community. I’m so grateful to have been afforded the opportunity to be a part of the Atlanta Tech Village community this long and the great responsibility of stewarding it through very high highs and some pretty impactful lows (Thanks, COVID). But we’ve got eyes on a very bright future as we double from one location to two in January 2025! If you’ve made it this far in this post and we’ve crossed paths in the last six years in or because of ATV’s community, would you leave a comment or I like? :)

Special thanks to the Atlanta Tech Village for hosting female founders doing incredible things. Loved the reminders from Christine de Wendel and Kathryn O'Day today: Take up space and bring the energy.

Being a founder means being ready to pitch any time, as was the case when Ania Lackey dropped by AgeTech Atlanta this afternoon with a group from Chile. Melody Roberts with Liv Labs (YC S21) and Bryce E. Folsom BA, BBA, PMP with eLife Health Summary both gave spot-on demos! You never know who's going to drop by when you work at the Atlanta Tech Village!

Women + Tech is back this Wednesday for an inspiring fireside chat with powerhouse leaders, Kathryn O’Day and Christine de Wendel! Dive into Christine’s journey raising $125M for Sunday, scaling billion-dollar companies, and blending European and US startup cultures. Whether you're an entrepreneur or tech enthusiast, come for insights, stay for the energy. Don’t miss it! Free for Villagers, $10 for guests. Lunch is included! Regsiter here: https://bit.ly/48Hx2eD #WomeninTech #Entrepreneurship #AtlantaTechStartups #Startups

This week is a BIG event week!! W+T (11/13) with Kathryn O'Day and Christine de Wendel !! (C/o Hilton Thompson, Nisha Kavalam and Atlanta Tech Village ) Healthcare Investor Panel (11/14) with 5 stellar investors moderated by A.T. Gimbel … and Pitch Practice (11/15) with yours truly!! Let’s go!!

Dive deep into the tech innovations reshaping healthcare—from AI and automation to immersive AR and VR applications. This workshop at Atlanta Tech Village will cut through the hype, focusing on practical ways to leverage these advancements to improve patient care, streamline operations, and fuel growth. Anyone in healthcare looking for an insightful, high-level discussion with industry peers. Whether you’re just starting with new tech or already implementing it, this session will provide a strong foundation tailored to healthcare’s unique demands. Join James Porter of Jaam Communications to gain fresh insights and explore current trends, challenges, and solutions shaping healthcare today. Register here: https://bit.ly/3YHgz7q

Can you believe we are already in November? Today our #Mercerbusiness students enjoyed another monthly tour of the Atlanta Tech Village. Thank you Ania Lackey for hosting, guiding, and educating our business students on all that The Village has to offer. Plus, the wonderful startup founders who spoke to our students were very insightful and inspiring. Also a million thanks to my coworker Brittany A. Kennedy, M.A. our business school’s Director of Career Services for a great partnership in making this student trip possible. #merceruniversity #mercerbusiness #atlantatechvillage

Thirty Days of Thanks (??/????) Every day this month, I’m recognizing someone who’s made a significant impact on my work. I’m thankful for Julie Pierre. ?? Current Role: Director of Community & Growth at Atlanta Tech Village ?? Superpower: Growth Enabler ?? Story Time: I met Julie three years ago when I became an advisor at Atlanta Tech Village. Being an advisor is incredibly rewarding but can be challenging due to the sheer scale of people and companies involved at the Tech Village. Every Friday, she orchestrates the flow of founders and mentors in the community room, ensuring everyone connects with who they need. Julie is the “air traffic control” for one of the largest startup tech centers globally, handling countless visible and invisible tasks to help members thrive. Her impact is immense, and I’m truly grateful for her dedication.