Four companies have been announced as the finalists for ACCESS, an entrepreneurship program launched by TiE Atlanta Angels, one of the fastest-growing, high-impact angel groups in the Southeast. 

The companies hail from Atlanta, Georgia; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Portsmouth, Virginia: 

• Inclusivv (Atlanta, Georgia) - Inclusivv is an engagement platform designed to help companies, universities, and communities increase awareness, understanding and collective action around important and challenging topics. Jenn Graham, CEO.

• MedTrans Go (Atlanta, Georgia) - MedTrans Go is a B2B healthcare appointment optimization marketplace solving the $150B problem of medical appointment cancellations in the US. Dana Weeks, Co-Founder & CEO; Dr. Obi Ugwonali, Co-Founder & President

• Talley and Twine Watch Company (Portsmouth, Virginia) - Talley & Twine was created after realizing that most watch companies just emulate the most popular brands. It creates quality, detailed, attention-grabbing timepieces that speak to a market that has been ignored by mainstream companies. Randy D. Williams, President & CEO; Eric Heyward, COO

• The Diversity Movement (Raleigh, NC)- The Diversity Movement has “productized” the DE&I journey and built years of consulting expertise into its product platform. After gathering insights from over 100 clients, The Diversity Movement has incorporated key learnings into the creation of platform components needed to foster employee engagement and build inclusive culture. Donald Thompson, Co-Founder & CEO 

Each company will also have a team of mentors to prepare them for the showcase. The mentors include:

• Inclusivv: Neeti Dewan, Mussadeq “MK” Khan, Steve Smith 

• MedTransGo:  Joyce Freeland, Greg Johnson, Sanket Patel

• Talley and Twine Watch Company: George Ayres, LaVonya Jones, Jayshree Knauf

• The Diversity Movement: Christy Brown, Solomon Davis, Aarthi Sivarkkamani

The following corporations, municipalities, and organizations are also partnering with ACCESS to provide more opportunities and access to resources to founders. 

• City Partner: City of Dunwoody - The city has sponsored TiE Atlanta’s ACCESS program in a strategic partnership with TiE Atlanta to grow its entrepreneurship strategy. 

• Venture Partner: Drive Capital - Drive Capital is a venture capital firm in Columbus, Ohio that invests in founders building the next generation of market-defining companies. Drive is partnering with TiE ACCESS to increase its pipeline for Early Stage and Seed companies.

• Ecosystem Partner: Venture Atlanta - The top investment of the 2022 ACCESS program will get a slot in the Venture Atlanta conference held in October this year. 

• Corporate Partner: TowerPoint - The telecommunications infrastructure and real estate investment company, headquartered in Midtown Atlanta, will provide mentoring in investments and finance to ACCESS finalists. 

• Community Partner: Serendipity Labs will provide three months of co-working space to all finalists as they grow and scale their venture. 

• Program Partners: LaunchPad2X and Zane Ventures are providing resources and thought leadership to enhance the TiE ACCESS program.

ACCESS aims to pave in-roads for minority and women-owned businesses to build their companies and networks in the southeast. Each company will pitch for investments and social impact grants toward their businesses at TiE Atlanta’s ACCESS Investor Showcase to be held on Aug 13, 2022 at Atlanta Tech Village.  Last year, the investment pool was $400,000.

All finalist companies will receive two (2) months’ of mentorship from three experienced entrepreneurs or executives, two (2) tickets to TiECON Atlanta 2022 on September 30, and one (1) year of TiE Atlanta membership for up to two (2) co-founders.

The top female-led company will also be offered a slot to represent TiE Atlanta at the TiE Women’s global pitch competition at the TiE Global Summit in India in mid-December with a grand prize of $100,000 in non-dilutive funding to the global winner. 

“We are excited to see this caliber of founders be a part of ACCESS’ third year,” said Paul Lopez, ACCESS Chair, TiE Atlanta. “With our mentors, partners, and investors, we are excited to expand the resources for this year’s cohort and all our founders.”

To learn more about ACCESS 2022, visit https://atlanta.tie.org/access or email [email protected].