Many organizations have sprung up across Atlanta over the years to help local entrepreneurs turn their ideas into job-generating companies. As valuable as their services may have been, the groups haven't always worked in synch and startup businesses didn't always know where to turn for assistance.
Start Up Atlanta, a new program announced Tuesday by the City of Atlanta's economic development agency, Invest Atlanta, is intended to better connect those organizations and entrepreneurs.
The program could help Atlanta become "a city where new businesses and startups have a partner, not a burden," said Mayor Kasim Reed.
"Start Up Atlanta will help interconnect Atlanta's entrepreneurial ecosystem and provide an opportunity to build partnerships and access local resource," said Brian McGowan, president and CEO of Invest Atlanta.
The program includes a web-based platform that lists available resources, including business incubators and accelerators. Atlanta Fortune 500 companies can participate by providing startups with feedback on market strategy, fund-raising and team development. Efforts also will be made to increase financing options for startups by connecting entrepreneurs with business advisors and investors.
Michael Zeto, CEO of two-year-old Atlanta software firm Proximus, said, "They're trying to pull a lot of those resources together. It will help give companies a better shot to be successful."
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