Helping Atlanta’s startup community
Atlanta’s not a national technology powerhouse, but its reputation is growing. The city’s economic development arm wants to help before Atlanta’s growth in the industry stalls.
It takes a lot to get technology startups going.
“So, you have to hustle. You have to hustle,” said SalesLoft sales and marketing executive Jon Birdsong.
SalesLoft’s software helps sales representatives close deals. Birdsong says Sales Loft needs what all startups need.
“You need someone who can build it and someone who can sell it,” said Birdsong.
SalesLoft is the kind of company the city of Atlanta is looking to grow. Startup Atlanta is the name of the city’s effort to grow these kinds of companies.
On its website, Startup Atlanta has a Google Map with different colored pins. Dr. Eloisa Klementich is with Invest Atlanta. It oversees Startup Atlanta. Klementich says the map shows locations for product development, working space, training and other tools.
“How can entrepreneurs do what they do best, which is create and implement their ideas to then hire employees and not have them spend so much time trying to muddle through the many resources that are available here,” said Klementich.
Klementich says the map also shows locations for venture capital firms. Almost all startups need investors and need to connect with venture capital firms at some point. In the nation’s well established startup communities, Birdsong says the connection often happens early.
“In Silicon Valley or New York, you can raise $5, $10, $20 million without even earning a cent yet,” said Birdsong
But here, Birdsong says investors typically want to know how much money you’ve made before they spend.
“In Atlanta, you really can’t fake it until to make it,” said Birdsong. “You’ve got to make it to make it.”
At SalesLoft, its founders poured $150,000 from previous tech successes. Now, they’re trying to raise $750,000. Klementich and others know startups start here but either get swallowed by bigger companies or leave for money. She hopes Startup Atlanta will eventually tackle those issues.
“If we want to continue to be the international competitive city that we are, we have to not only invest in our future but we have to create entrepreneurs and startups that will be able to compete,” said Klementich.
Klementich says addressing access to capital is part of the plan.
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