Success Beyond the Valley

In October, the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s (GDEcD) Europe Office in Munich, Germany, took part in this year’s Bits & Pretzels conference by hosting a live Masterclass titled “Success Beyond the Valley.” Bits & Pretzels is an annual startup conference based out of Munich and is one of Germany’s premiere gatherings for startups and founders.

The event, which drew over 5,500 attendees from across Europe and the world, was hosted virtually this year. Under the guidance of Ellen Kraft, business development manager of the State of Georgia’s Europe Office, GDEcD, Georgia Power, and the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce (MAC) partnered to sponsor the conference, which included a virtual booth, video networking and hosting a live Masterclass.

“Never Stop Rising”
Over the last few years, Georgia has significantly increased our technology-based industry sectors including cybersecurity, FinTech, data centers and health IT. Because of this growing tech ecosystem, it was a great opportunity for us to take part in Bits & Pretzels to better understand these sectors within Europe, speak directly with startups and founders, and introduce ourselves as a resource to the companies looking to make the jump to the United States.

According to VC Firm Index Ventures, European startups often think that Silicon Valley must be their destination when they arrive in the U.S., but are not aware of other, possibly better-suited markets that have tech ecosystems just as strong, dynamic and successful.

This is where our title, “Success Beyond the Valley,” originated, and we were honored to have three impressive panelists tell the story about their companies and how being located in Georgia has helped their businesses grow and flourish.

Deisha Barnett of MAC/ChooseATL – the economic development operation for the City of Atlanta - kicked off the Masterclass with an energetic overview of the many strengths of Atlanta and Georgia as a business location, including the entrepreneurial drive of its residents to “never stop rising,” despite the many challenges they may face.

“Cash is King but Flow is Queen”
Lara O’Connor Hodgson, president and CEO of NOW Corp, used the Masterclass to share some of the lessons she learned as an entrepreneur and how these lessons led her to the founding of NOW Corp. Her story and advice is not just relevant for those in FinTech and looking to fund their startups, but for anyone interested in some extra motivation to rethink how they do things.

“Quality of Life Brings Quality Employees”
Melanie Touchstone leads Mailchimp's efforts to support, engage and empower startups across the world. Mailchimp is a great example of a company that was founded in Atlanta and grew to become a globally recognized brand. Melanie highlighted how Mailchimp has pivoted over the years while never losing sight of their dedication to serve small businesses. Atlanta is a key character in Mailchimp’s story and in the development of their company culture over time.

“In Georgia, you can be whatever you want to be”
It was great to hear from these three leaders in our tech ecosystem, and we are proud of the work they are doing every day to create jobs and solve problems.

We also salute their passion and commitment to sharing the exciting things happening in Georgia and hope that the concept of “Success Beyond the Valley” resonated with all of the conference attendees. We look forward to our participation next year!

– From the Global Commerce division on November 13, 2020