Commemorating its 10th anniversary this year, Venture Atlanta announced it has opened its 2017 call for presenters. The announcement is an invitation to innovating tech companies in the Southeast to vie for the chance to take the stage in October, engage with funding and tech ecosystem movers and shakers, and join the ranks of esteemed and highly successful Venture Atlanta alumni. The numbers speak for themselves, in fact: As of April 2017, past Venture Atlanta presenting companies have raised over $1.8 billion with $14 billion in exits.

The highly anticipated annual event delivers unprecedented capital-raising connections, networking opportunities and visibility to chosen entrepreneurs as well as attending investors, influencers and thought leaders from all over the country. The two-day conference will take place October 11-12 at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. Venture Atlanta has an impressive roster of alumni companies that have launched on its stage, including Acculynk (acquired by First Data), ClearLeap (acquired by IBM), CloudSherpas (acquired by Accenture), Joulex (acquired by Cisco), Kabbage, Razor Insights (acquired by Athena Health), Roadie, Rubicon, SalesLoft, and Silverpop (acquired by IBM).

Companies selected to present at Venture Atlanta pitch their company and solutions to top investors and business leaders representing the entire technology ecosystem. They also receive extensive pitch coaching and training, opportunities to set up one-on-one meetings with local and national venture funds, marketing counsel and access to exclusive events.

“It’s impressive to look back at the growth of Venture Atlanta over the last 10 years. Once again, the event set a record for attendance in 2016 and attracted its highest number of out-of-region investors coming to see the best companies in the Southeast,” said Mike Becker, managing director of Vocap Investment Partners and Venture Atlanta co-chair. “The continued attendance and support of the event by Venture Atlanta alumni companies clearly speaks to the impact it’s had on them. Their incredible successes set a high bar for those tech innovators still to come.”

Mark Davis, CEO of Deep Fiber Solutions added, “We were able to raise money as a direct result of our pitch and new connections made at Venture Atlanta 2016.  The new capital will help expand our fiber optic cable construction in core ejected coax business based in Roswell. The program is a great value to startup companies like ours and the growing tech ecosystem in Atlanta and the Southeast.”

Last year’s Venture Atlanta showcased 33 companies, featured over 120 venture capital funds, hosted unparalleled networking opportunities with over 900 attendees and included prominent corporate sponsors DLA Piper, Cherry Bekaert, NYSE, Square 1 Bank and Techstars Cox Enterprises.

How to Apply for the 2017 Conference

Early-stage and high-growth technology companies located in Georgia or the expanded footprint of Texas to D.C. that are seeking to raise capital in the next 12 to 18 months are encouraged to apply. There are no fees to apply and chosen presenters will attend the conference free of charge. To be considered, please complete the brief application on the Venture Atlanta website and upload your one-page executive summary in the template format provided. All submissions must be received by August 4, 2017. For more information, or to apply, visit http://www.ventureatlanta.org/companies/ or contact Executive Director Allyson Eman at 770.298.4202.