Innovation Takes Center Stage at Venture Atlanta 2025

Venture Atlanta 2025 wrapped up another record-breaking year, bringing together founders, investors, and innovators to celebrate Southeast entrepreneurship. The two-day event at the Woodruff Arts Center and Atlanta Symphony Hall showcased the city’s growing influence as a technology and venture capital powerhouse.

Now in its 18th year, last week’s conference continues to drive growth and opportunity by connecting visionary startups with investors and corporate leaders. The expanded global participation reflects Venture Atlanta’s rising impact and its role as a catalyst for meaningful business connections.

Centered around the theme Growth Through Connection, the 2025 edition spotlighted collaboration, sustainability, and diversity as cornerstones of the region’s thriving innovation ecosystem. The result: a dynamic showcase of the people and ideas shaping the future of tech in the Southeast and beyond.

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Venture Atlanta 2025: Photo Courtesy of Venture Atlanta

Global Attendance and Expanding Impact

“This year, Venture Atlanta continues to be the must-attend event for venture capitalists, tech founders, and anyone who supports these groups,” said Allyson Eman, CEO of Venture Atlanta. “Venture Atlanta just completed its 18th year with 1600+ in attendance. Folks came from all over the world — literally Korea, Aruba, Canada, all over the United States. Groups of students from Stetson, Clemson, Morehouse, Spelman, and even a group from the Women’s Entrepreneurship Club at the University of Cincinnati! Founders can connect with hundreds and hundreds of investors when they attend VA, and new this year we delivered on content with Executive Sessions from CEOs who have been there and done that, a great keynote from VA Alumni Garrett Langley from Flock Safety moderated by our very own Tech Mayor Andre Dickens, and for the first time VA took another direction and addressed the topic of Procurement for founders.”

Eman’s statement captures the energy that has long defined Venture Atlanta as an event that not only convenes investors and founders but also nurtures the community’s next generation. The diversity of this year’s attendees, from corporate executives and established VCs to university students and international delegations, showcased how deeply the Southeast’s startup ecosystem now resonates on a global scale.   

Highlights from the 2025 Conference

Venture Atlanta 2025 featured more than 80 tech companies across the seed, early-stage, and growth-stage spectrum. Startups from across the Southeast, including Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, and beyond, took the stage to pitch their innovations before panels of investors, corporate partners, and peers.

Attendees at Venture Atlanta 2025, Photo Courtesy of Venture Atlanta

This year also introduced a groundbreaking focus on Procurement for founders, a practical session designed to demystify how startups can work with large enterprises and government entities. The session featured leaders from the State of Georgia, Fiserv, The Home Depot, Southern Company, Inspire Brands, FIS Global, and Invesco. By including Procurement professionals from both public and private sectors, Venture Atlanta provided founders with actionable insights into securing enterprise clients and building sustainable revenue channels.

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“Venture Atlanta continues to elevate and delight,” said Monica Delores Hooks, Founder and CEO of The Lola Group. “I’m especially impressed by Allyson Eman’s leadership, creativity, and passion for the startup ecosystem, creating spaces for innovative female founders to prosper in every way.”

Building the Future of the Southeast Tech Scene

The conference’s broader programming covered timely topics such as artificial intelligence, venture capital trends, and navigating funding slowdowns. Veteran investors and serial entrepreneurs shared candid lessons about resilience, adaptability, and maintaining traction in a changing economic climate.

“Venture Atlanta just completed its 18th year with 1600+ in attendance. Folks came from all over the world — literally Korea, Aruba, Canada, all over the United States.”

Meanwhile, networking spaces across the Woodruff Arts Center buzzed with activity as hundreds of investors met face-to-face with founders. Venture Atlanta’s signature “Startup Showcase Live” competition gave early-stage companies the opportunity to pitch for funding and visibility, with judges emphasizing clarity of vision and proof of market traction over hype.

Venture Atlanta 2025: Photo Courtesy of Venture Atlanta

A Conference that Keeps Growing

For nearly two decades, Venture Atlanta has been instrumental in shaping the region’s tech landscape. The conference has helped companies secure over $7.5 billion in funding to date. It has played a vital role in connecting local innovators with national and international investors.

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This year’s record turnout and expanded programming confirmed that the Southeast’s innovation economy is maturing. Not only producing high-quality startups but also cultivating the networks, mentorship, and infrastructure needed to sustain them.

Venture Atlanta 2025: Photo Courtesy of Venture Atlanta

As Allyson Eman and her team look toward the next chapter, Venture Atlanta’s mission remains clear. It is to champion founders, fuel investment, and strengthen the region’s place on the global tech map.