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Atlanta-based non-profit Startup Atlanta has just announced that Ambassador Andrew Young and tech innovator Ben Chestnut will be presented with its highest honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award. Both men will be officially recognized at the Atlanta Startup Awards later this year at Atlantic Yards in Midtown Atlanta.
“Startup Atlanta is excited to honor former Ambassador Young and Mailchimp CEO Ben Chestnut,” said Jennifer Singh, co-founder of Understory and Board Chair at Startup Atlanta. “Their success and commitment to the Atlanta startup community is definitely a model for our local ecosystem.”
Young, who co-founded fintech startup Greenwood in 2020, is widely recognized as a pioneer in and champion of civil and human rights and has long served in elected office and as a groundbreaking ambassador and adviser to presidents. He also works tirelessly on economic development, educational opportunities, world hunger, and poverty issues through the Andrew J. Young Foundation.
Chestnut is an Atlanta-based tech entrepreneur and co-founder of Mailchimp, an all-in-one email marketing platform. Founded in 2001, the company employs more than 1,200 people and serves millions of global users. Mailchimp is now part of software company Intuit following a $12 Billion acquisition (the largest of its kind for a private company) in 2021.
Headquartered in Atlanta, Mailchimp was named Company of the Year by Inc. Magazine and recognized as one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company. Chestnut learned about small businesses from his mom, who ran a hair salon from the family kitchen in Georgia. His business mantra is “listen hard, learn fast”.
“The success of Andrew Young and Ben Chestnut reflects the spirit embodied in our event theme, Ready, Set, Rise,” said Board Member and Awards Co-Chair, Tony Cooper. “They are both exemplars of Atlanta optimism and Startup Atlanta is proud to honor them.”
The Atlanta Startup Awards is the premier awards event for local early-stage and growth-stage businesses and entrepreneurs. The annual event brings together the startup community to celebrate its best and honor its startup trailblazers.
In 2017, UrbanGeekz.com was selected as a finalist in the inaugural Atlanta Startups Awards. Jointly organized by members of the Atlanta startup community, the awards recognize and celebrate the city’s most successful rising tech companies, startup pioneers, and disruptive innovators. UrbanGeekz was nominated for the best ’Scrappiest Startup’ in Atlanta. This award recognizes a startup that has achieved significant milestones over the last 12 months without ever raising equity of debt capital.
This year’s awards are scheduled to take place on October 12, 2022.
For more details on attending or sponsoring the Atlanta Startup Awards go here.
