Venture Atlanta: Growth Stage Investing in Untraditional Markets | #ATLTechWeek
The growth-stage playbook was written for one kind of company, a certain sector, a certain geography, a certain fund structure. This panel is a look at what happens outside that lane — deep tech and defense instead of consumer SaaS, fintech built for staying power instead of hype, capital deployed deal-by-deal instead of locked into a traditional fund. Three investors, three different ways of finding growth-stage winners nobody else is looking for yet. 45 minutes, straight talk, no pitch decks.
What you'll leave with:
A read on the difference between growth capital chasing hype and growth capital built to last
A look at deal-by-deal investing as a real alternative to raising a traditional fund
A better sense of why sector and geography change what "growth stage" actually means
A clearer picture of what these three investors are looking for right now, outside the usual playbook
About Venture Atlanta
Venture Atlanta is the largest venture capital conference in the Southeast, founded to connect the region's most promising tech companies with the capital to grow them. Now in its 19th year, it's grown from a room of under 200 people to an event drawing more than 1,500 attendees and 400-plus investors annually, and it's helped launch funding stories for hundreds of Southeast startups along the way.
Moderator
Allyson Eman — CEO, Venture Atlanta
Allyson has led Venture Atlanta since 2007, first as Executive Director and, since 2020, as CEO. Over that time she's built it from a small regional gathering into the Southeast's premier venture conference, working alongside groups like the Metro Atlanta Chamber and the Technology Association of Georgia. She's spent close to two decades connecting founders with the investors who fund them.
Panelists
Justin Ernest — Founder & Managing Partner, Sabertooth Capital
Justin founded Sabertooth Capital in 2025 to back deep tech, AI, defense, and frontier technology companies, deploying nearly $500 million into names like Anthropic, SpaceX, and Anduril. Instead of raising a traditional fund, he built a deal-by-deal model that gives smaller institutional investors access to the same high-profile, later-stage deals usually locked behind larger firms. Before Sabertooth, he spent five years co-leading the venture team at Playground Global.
Peter Franconi — Principal, Fulcrum Equity Partners
Peter is a Principal at Fulcrum Equity Partners, an Atlanta-based growth equity firm investing in high-growth SaaS, tech-enabled services, and healthcare IT. He's spent close to a decade sourcing and backing growth-stage companies out of the Southeast, and sits on the board of Venture Atlanta.
Ryan Collins — Principal, Noro-Moseley Partners
Ryan is a Principal at Noro-Moseley Partners, one of the longest-running venture firms in the Southeast, where he focuses on growth-stage investments across fintech, healthcare, and B2B software. He's built his track record backing companies for sustainable growth over hype, and currently serves on the board of Axuall and Medix Infusion.
Parking Information
Below are parking options and directions to Atlanta Tech Village, located at 3423 Piedmont Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30305.
PROMINENCE PARKING DECK
3699 Lenox Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30305
Parking rate information: https://prominenceinbuckhead.com/pages.aspx?p=Parking
Walking directions to ATV (Walk time: approximately 8–10 minutes):
1. Exit the parking deck onto Lenox Rd NE.
2. Head south, then turn onto Piedmont Rd NE.
3. Continue south on Piedmont Rd NE for about 0.4 miles.
4. Atlanta Tech Village will be on your right at 3423 Piedmont Rd NE.
TOWER PLACE PARKING DECK
3340 Peachtree Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30326
Parking rates:
- 19 minutes or less: Free
- 20–30 minutes (and/or each additional 30 min): $3
- 2 hours: $12
- 3–6 hours: $18
- 6–24 hours: $24
Walking directions to ATV (Walk time: approximately 3–5 minutes):
1. Exit the parking deck toward Piedmont Rd NE (the Tower Place complex sits directly adjacent to Atlanta Tech Village).
2. Head toward Piedmont Rd NE and Atlanta Tech Village will be just a short walk away, on the same block.