The Atlanta Question
If Atlanta has world-class universities, Fortune 500 companies, incredible talent, one of the busiest airports in the world, relatively affordable living, a growing VC community, and successful founders... why isn't staying here always the obvious choice?
Every year, Atlanta sees founders move to other cities, startups raise capital elsewhere, and top talent leave in search of opportunity. Is that because Atlanta is still missing critical ingredients? Or do we already have what we need—but struggle to connect, elevate, and tell our own story?
This conversation brings together a curated group of people for an honest conversation about the ingredients needed to be a thriving startup ecosystem and whether Atlanta has them.
We'll explore questions like:
What keeps founders here?
What causes them to leave?
Are we missing resources—or simply unaware of what's already here?
How do we build an ecosystem that people choose to stay in, invest in, and contribute back to?
Guiding the conversation is Nisha Kavalm, Vice President of Atlanta Tech Week.
Panelists include:
Mitesh Rao- Founder & CEO at OMNY Health
Margaret Weniger- Director of Entrepreneurial Programs at Georgia Tech's Create-X
Allyson Plosko- Partner at Springtime Ventures
Yamil Quispe Silva- Founder & CEO at Hacker House Campus
A special welcome by Atlanta City Council Member Jason Winston!
Because the future of Atlanta's startup ecosystem won't be determined by the resources we have. It will be determined by whether we can turn those resources into reasons to stay.
Thank you Tractian, Endeavor, and Biltmore Innovation Center for sponsoring and hosting!