TLDR:
- Fearless Fund fights in court to support Black women entrepreneurs.
- Fulcrum Equity Partners raises $372 million for Fund V.
Despite a slowdown in Venture Capital investments, the first quarter of 2024 still saw significant tech news in the Southeast. Some key highlights include:
Fearless Fund: The Atlanta-based venture firm focused on Black women entrepreneurs, faced legal challenges in federal appeals court regarding their support programs.
Fulcrum Equity Partners: Raised an impressive $372 million for Fund V, exceeding their initial target.
InvestTN: Deployed capital from their new $70 million fund into HRTech startup Personality Pool and invested in twelve startups in Tennessee.
Tech Square Ventures: Promoted Scott Lopano to Partner.
Top Startup Stories:
- Atlanta-based SaaS startup LeaseQuery rebranded as FinQuery.
- Celeste Grupman named CEO of Dataquest, leading the change in AI and data science skills learning.
- CareYaya uses AI in personalized art projects for eldercare.
Ecosystem Stories:
- ICBA opened the Center for Innovation in Midtown Atlanta for fintech and payments accelerator programs.
- Atlanta’s Office of Technology & Innovation aims to make the city a Top 5 Tech Hub.
- Atlanta Ventures purchased a portion of South Downtown neighborhood for new startup hub, Atlanta Tech Village – Mason’s.