ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Georgia venture capital deals are on the rise. According to the 2011 MoneyTree report published by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC and the National Venture Capital Association, seed and early-stage venture deals accounted for 48% of total deal volume nationally in the second quarter of this year. Total venture capital investment in Georgia increased 43% in Q2 of 2011 compared to 2010. As the state’s largest investor forum, Venture Atlanta is responding to the changing investment climate and demand for access to early stage investment opportunities by incorporating an Early Stage Showcase into this year’s expanded conference format.
This year’s conference, held October 25-26 at the Georgia Aquarium, will kick off on day one with 18 seed stage companies presenting their business plans to hundreds of angel investors, venture capitalists, private equity investors, investment bankers, entrepreneurs, and industry executives. In addition to presenting on stage, the companies are to benefiting from mentoring and coaching by veteran, seasoned CEOs and venture capitalists.
The companies selected to present during the early stage showcase are:
- Abundant Closet
- CodeGuard
- Dinova
- IdeaString
- Jigsaw Meeting
- LIFT Retail Marketing Technology, Inc.
- Merlin Mobility Corporation
- NextInput
- OrcaTec
- Pindrop Security
- Proximus Mobility
- rappidApp
- ShapeStart
- Social Fortress
- Soket
- Soneter
- TripLingo
- Verdeeco,, Inc.
“Dedicating a full day of the conference to early stage companies is a direct response to investor demand and a pronounced uptick in entrepreneurial activity within Georgia,“ said Ashish Mistry, Managing Partner, BLH Venture Partners and Venture Atlanta board member. “We are seeing some extremely innovative people and businesses begin to surface and are excited with the prospects of expanding our portfolio with some of these new companies.”
For the conference agenda and full slate of presenting companies at Venture Atlanta 2011 or to register for the event, please visit www.ventureatlanta.org.
About Venture Atlanta
Venture Atlanta, Georgia's technology innovation resource, unites the state’s best technology innovators with the country's top-tier investors. Presenting the state's largest investor showcase, Venture Atlanta connects local entrepreneurs with venture capitalists, bankers, angel investors and others who can help them raise the capital they need to grow their businesses. The annual non-profit event is founded by three leading Georgia business organizations: Atlanta CEO Council, Metro Atlanta Chamber and the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG). For more information, visit www.ventureatlanta.org.