Eight companies will be part of the inaugural class of Engage Ventures, a new early-stage venture firm created by Georgia Tech and 10 leading global companies.

The selected startups are from across the country and the companies’ leaders include first-time founders and serial entrepreneurs. The startups are:

• Bee Downtown is working to build healthy, sustainable, honey bee communities around the world.

• Cyrano is a leadership communications platform using video messaging to help businesses better connect and engage with employees.

• EmployUs helps companies hire more referrals by automating the employee referral process.

• Fast Radius enables companies to manage the design, engineering, prototyping and production of end-use parts with digital manufacturing 

• Gauge Insights is a platform for companies to obtain feedback from customers in minutes.

• Sudu is a technology-based logistics company that offers an end-to-end platform to match shippers and carriers based upon route organization.

• The Mom Project is a marketplace and community that connects enterprises with diverse female talent.

• TransRisk creates products and solutions that help transportation industry participants efficiently manage price risk in the North American freight transportation market. 

Cyrano and Sudu are part of the Advanced Technology Development Center, which was established at Georgia Tech by Georgia lawmakers in 1980 to launch and build technology companies. Engage Ventures will offer programming and other services through a contract with ATDC.

Engage Ventures is the largest strategic grouping of major corporations in an independent venture firm. The focus is helping startups develop and execute go-to-market strategies.

“What makes Engage unique is the level of access and interaction with our founding corporate partners at the executive and C-suite level to help streamline partnerships and strategic relationships with these startups and growth companies,” said Thiago Olson, managing director at Engage Ventures.

The 10 founding companies contributing capital, expertise, time and resources in support of Engage include AT&T, Chick-fil-A, Cox Enterprises, Delta Air Lines, Georgia-Pacific, Georgia Power Foundation Inc., Intercontinental Exchange, Invesco Ltd., The Home Depot and UPS. Executives from these firms will serve as mentors to the companies receiving financial support from the venture fund.

Engage is headquartered in Georgia Tech’s Technology Square.