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Movers and shakers in the Atlanta startup ecosystem spent an evening at The Farm Startup Accelerator at a highly curated event celebrating founders and innovators of color.
Co-hosted by M. Cole Jones, managing partner of RIISE Ventures, the soirée included a lively mix of networking, live music, and food & beverages. The night was a unique opportunity to introduce the ecosystem to Atlanta’s newest accelerator. It was also a chance to highlight key ecosystem players to the team at The Farm.
Burunda Prince-Jones
Last month’s gathering was the first official introduction to the ecosystem’s newest leader Burunda Prince-Jones. The seasoned executive is the Managing Director of The Farm, a program backed by Comcast NBCUniversal and directed by Boomtown Accelerator.
The initiative offers a variety of initiatives dedicated to the growth acceleration of handpicked startups. This includes coworking, incubator office space, and a cutting-edge hardware prototype lab. One of the main offerings is a 12-week accelerator program that takes place twice a year.
According to The Farm website, “the accelerator is created by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs” and “provides a complete business and management curriculum”. The goal is not simply to provide the shortest distance between ideation and funding, but instead to support entrepreneurs in building scaleable brands.
The focus is on early-stage internet, mobile and IoT startups that can leverage Comcast NBCUniversal technologies, infrastructure, and resources to solve problems across a broad spectrum of industries.
Prince-Jones, an MIT and Harvard MBA graduate, has years of experience in management and leadership with startups, non-profits, and Fortune 500 companies. She most recently operated her own consulting firm, B6 Consulting, providing leadership coaching and process improvement programming to clients.
Jones will help shape and mold entrepreneurs selected for the inaugural cohort that kicked off in early March. Under her leadership, entrepreneurs will gain access to key resources at the 12,000-square foot innovation center including support, mentorship, and guidance needed for founders to scale and grow.
“My success is really dependent on all of you,” Prince-Jones said speaking to the crowd of tech founders, innovators, investors and community builders. “And it’s not my personal success, it’s about making sure this journey works for each and every one of us.” The Atlanta-native was brought in from Philadelphia to spearhead the program.
Those looking for an electric community filled with dreamers, doers, mentors, and collaborators can look to the brand new space situated at the new Comcast Central Division headquarters. The initiative is housed at The Battery Atlanta, a 60-acre development in metropolitan Atlanta that includes SunTrust Park home to the Atlanta Braves, as well as an assortment of retail shops, restaurants, an office tower, hotel, an entertainment venue, residential units and Comcast NBCUniversal’s Southeast Region headquarters.
The goal is to drive innovation through diverse representation and vested support from Atlanta’s tech ecosystem.
Follow Carlyn Pounders on Twitter@CarlynTechTalk
