Engage, the first-of-its-kind collaborative innovation program and venture fund, celebrates five years of connecting startups with leading corporations in the Southeast.

The catalysts behind Engage – Marty Flanagan, President and CEO of Invesco, Dr. G.P. "Bud" Peterson, President Emeritus of Georgia Tech, and Blake Patton, Managing Partner of Tech Square Ventures – founded the program in 2017. Engage combines strategic capital, a startup growth accelerator, and a collaborative network of leading global corporations to create a corporate innovation and startup go-to-market accelerator program that has accelerated the Southeast's emergence as a leading tech hub.

"As one of the founding corporate partners of Engage, Invesco recognizes the tremendous impact entrepreneurs have on the US economy and we're committed to working with the Engage corporate partners to empower their growth in the Southeast region," said Marty Flanagan, President and CEO of Invesco and Chairman of Engage. "Through working together with a diverse group of Engage startup founders, we have all benefited from shared innovation, insights into new technology and invaluable learning opportunities. We look forward to continuing to shape and nurture the growing community of entrepreneurs in Atlanta."

To date, Engage has mentored and invested in 10 startup cohorts, signing 116 customer contracts between startups and corporate partners. Its 75 startups have raised more than $2.5 billion in capital and currently employ more than 3,300 people. 59% of Engage startups are Southeast-headquartered, with 29% based in Atlanta. 

CEOs and senior innovation executives from the corporate partners comprise the Engage program's Board of Directors and Advisory Board, along with over 100 domain experts and Georgia Tech faculty participating in working groups and knowledge sharing initiatives around customer experience, data & analytics, future of work, sustainability, and supply chain and logistics.

"Engage is helping to establish Atlanta and the Southeast as the best place in the country for enterprise-focused startups to do business," said Blake Patton, Managing Partner at Engage and Tech Square Ventures. "Our partners have enabled us to build not only a startup growth accelerator – but an innovation platform that has accelerated corporate innovation and connectivity in the region and helped it to become a premier tech and innovation hub. We are proud that 29 of our startups are headquartered or have team members in Georgia."