Startup Runway Foundation, Inc.

🎉 Big Congratulations to the Startup Runway Edition 29 Winners! 🎉 🌟 EmpowerHER Award – Risa Stein, PhD, MA, SeeINMe 🌟 Judges’ Prize – Loren Mount-O'Brien, Lutely 🌟 Audience Choice – Chimadika O., Oga Street Tech 🚀 Join us in celebrating their achievements and cheering them on in their entrepreneurial journeys! 🙌 👏 Kudos to all our finalists for bringing bold ideas to the stage, and a huge thank you to our judges, mentors, and attendees for making this showcase unforgettable. 🙏 Special thanks to our sponsors for their continued support: 🔹 NCR Voyix Foundation ( ✨ our incredible hosts this edition! ✨ ) 🔹 Cox Enterprises 🔹 American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact 🔹 Georgia Power Company 🔹 National Science Foundation (NSF) America’s Seed Fund 🔹 Valor VC #StartupRunway #Startups #Entrepreneurship #PitchCompetition #Innovation

So proud of the work … our mission is highlighting first pitches from under represented founders. We showcase them, mentor them, and help make their first investor introductions. We are a nonprofit, and if you are looking for an end of year place to make a tax deductible donation, we would love to have you in partnership. 👏🏼 Hear about Loren’s experience just yesterday — excited to see her continue to soar! 🪽

🎉 Meet the Finalists of the Startup Runway Pitch Competition! 🎉 We’re thrilled to announce the 10 incredible startups that have been selected to pitch at our upcoming competition on December 5! These founders represent innovation, resilience, and creativity, each working to solve real-world problems and scale their businesses to new heights. 💡 Why You Should Be in the Audience: ✅ Cheer on diverse founders as they share their game-changing ideas. ✅ Play a vital role by voting for the winning pitch! ✅ Be inspired by the next wave of entrepreneurial talent shaping the future. 🚀 Don’t miss your chance to witness the action live! Join us and support these amazing founders on their journey to success. Sign up to secure your spot in the audience. 🔗 https://bit.ly/SUR29 #StartupRunway #PitchCompetition #DiverseFounders #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #SupportDiversity OGA Street Tech, RITUALI, Tremaine Grant, Teri T., SeeInMe, Myron Walker, Lutely, Catch It, Doce, Martonomy

🎉 Meet the Judges 🎉 We’re thrilled to introduce the esteemed panel of judges for the upcoming Startup Runway Pitch Competition on December 5! These industry experts, investors, and thought leaders are ready to hear from diverse founders with game-changing ideas. ⭐ Sydney Holness - Collab Capital ⭐ Stefanie Diaz, MBA - Catalyst by Wellstar ⭐ Daniel Coley - Cofounders Capital ⭐ William L. - Valor VC 💡 Why is this exciting? Our judges bring years of experience and a track record of success in investing, scaling businesses, and supporting underrepresented entrepreneurs. Their insights and feedback will be invaluable for the winners and the Top 10 Finalists will compete for one of three $10,000 grants —could one of them be you? 🔗 Apply today for your chance to be part of this amazing opportunity! 👉 https://lnkd.in/eWs2tbPw Big thanks to our sponsors for their continued support of inclusive innovation: 🔹 NCR Voyix Foundation 🔹 National Science Foundation (NSF) America's Seed Fund 🔹 Georgia Power Company 🔹 Valor VC 🔹 American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact 🔹 Cox Enterprises #StartupRunway #FounderOpportunity #InvestorPitch #DiverseFounders #WomenInBusiness #MinorityFounders #Entrepreneurship #StartupCompetition #Judges #PitchEvent #FundingYourFuture

Check out the new episode of the Atlanta Startup Podcast with our recent Startup Runway Winner Lauren Siff , MD. #StartupFounders! This could be you. Apply to Startup Runway 29 Edition on December 5 for your chance to pitch for a $10K grant Apply Now👉https://lnkd.in/eWs2tbPw #Founders #TechFounders #AtlEvents #PitchCompetition #Entrepreneurship

🔥From Pitching Startup Runway to Securing Major Deals! 🔥 Did you know that Destin Bell, one of our previous Startup Runway winners, went on to secure a deal on Shark Tank ABC? 🎉 This could be YOUR story next! Startup Runway is the perfect launching pad for underrepresented founders who are ready for their first investors. Our pitch competition on December 5 could be the game-changer you’ve been looking for. 💡 Eligibility: ✅ Female or non-white founders ✅ Less than $200K raised ✅ Beyond the idea phase with a clear path to scale A special thank you to our sponsors for making this opportunity possible. Your support helps founders reach new heights! 🙌 Take the leap and apply today—your next big opportunity is waiting! 🚀 👉Apply Now! bit.ly/startuprunway29 #StartupRunway #FounderSuccess #Entrepreneurship #SharkTank #MinorityFounders #FemaleFounders #InvestorPitch #StartupJourney

🔥From Pitching Startup Runway to Securing Major Deals! 🔥 Did you know that Destin Bell, one of our previous Startup Runway winners, went on to secure a deal on Shark Tank ABC? 🎉 This could be YOUR story next! Startup Runway is the perfect launching pad for underrepresented founders who are ready for their first investors. Our pitch competition on December 5 could be the game-changer you’ve been looking for. 💡 Eligibility: ✅ Female or non-white founders ✅ Less than $200K raised ✅ Beyond the idea phase with a clear path to scale A special thank you to our sponsors for making this opportunity possible. Your support helps founders reach new heights! 🙌 Take the leap and apply today—your next big opportunity is waiting! 🚀 👉Apply Now! bit.ly/startuprunway29 #StartupRunway #FounderSuccess #Entrepreneurship #SharkTank #MinorityFounders #FemaleFounders #InvestorPitch #StartupJourney

🚀 Ready to Take Your Startup to the Next Level? 🚀 Are you an underrepresented founder with a scalable startup? Startup Runway is here to connect you with investors who are ready to support your vision. Apply now for our pitch competition on December 5th and gain the opportunity to present to top investors. 💡 Eligibility: ✅ Underrepresented founders (minority OR female) ✅ Less than $200K raised ✅ Beyond the idea phase with a clear path to scale Don’t miss out on this incredible chance to fast-track your startup’s growth. Apply Now! 👉 bit.ly/startuprunway29 #StartupRunway #FounderOpportunity #InvestorPitch #FemaleFounders #MinorityFounders #FundingYourFuture #Entrepreneurship #SeedRound

According to Pitchbook: We are in a deep down cycle in early stage venture, Seed and Series A. The graph below shows that the number of funds raised, in the size range of fund size of $10 million and $500 million, peaked at 450 funds in 2019. In 2024, there will be <100. That is a decrease of about 80%! The amount of capital available in the <100 funds raised (the AUM) in 2024 is also down more than 80%. There is a history of funds raised in down cycles doing quite well, generating great returns. Why? In part because entry investment valuations at Seed and Series A are down to rational valuations, approaching what one might even call bargain valuations (excepting genAI like ChstGPT of course, where valuations are the highest multiples in software valuation history). Secondly, we are in a technology "Super Cycle" with ML/AI infusing all corners of technology, whether disrupting traditional B2B SaaS markets worldwide or growing foundational layer large language models like ChatGPT available to use by anyone WW, at reasonable cost, even for startups! Valor VC is pleased to be one of the few with a new institutional funds, seed lead investing in AI-augmented B2B SaaS. Got a great B2B SaaS company that is ready to scale the team and customer base? Let us know at Valor VC! Lisa Marie Calhoun Lynne Laube William L. Startup Runway Foundation, Inc. Atlanta Startup Podcast

New Episode Alert! Lisa Marie Calhoun, Founding General Partner of Valor VC, released a new podcast titled "AI Startups in the South: Highlights Q3 2024." In this episode, she breaks down key insights from Valor's latest report, exploring trends, opportunities, and actionable strategies for early-stage startups, alongside our AI host. Tune in now to catch all the insights! Don't forget to download the full report here: https://lnkd.in/gcUZ9yHD Tune in to the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/gsQvr5bh #Podcast #StartupSuccess #Entrepreneurship #VC #ValorVentures #AtlantaStartups