For women, by women: Atlanta’s female-led startups get female-led funding source

Earlier this year, Keller, who is also co-CEO of public relations firm Trevelino/Keller, was at an event with other female leaders in the region and they kept hearing the same thing: Female founders lack access to funding.

So, they decided to do something about it.

After money from friends and family, angel investment is typically the first funding that early-stage startups get and often long before they are profitable.

But it’s about more than funding, said Marianne Faloni, co-chairwoman of ATL TrailblazHER Angels. Angel investing is also about helping entrepreneurs “through being a superconnector, through funding, through just experiences that I have had, and connecting them with others in our ecosystem,” said Faloni, who is also the founder of Twin Oaks Recruiting and Advisory.

Alongside Keller and Faloni, the five other founding board members are Christy Brown, CEO of pediatric health company Dr. Noze Best; Jen Bonnett, vice president of technology & entrepreneurship for Invest Atlanta; Laura Berry, principal at accounting firm Windham Brannon; Paula Nagarajan, a partner at the law firm Arnall Golden Gregory LLP; and Loren Mount-O’Brien, founder of shopping platform Mirour.

“You look at our founding board, you have got several who are founders themselves of companies,” Keller said. “We’ve been there, done that. You’ve got several folks that understand term sheets, understand raising money … and so it’s not just about the money. It’s about the connections. It’s about the experience. It’s about that community.”

ATL TrailblazHER Angels is aiming to bring together successful entrepreneurs as well as seasoned and first-time investors interested in learning about angel investing to help support female founders in the region.

The group plans to do this by educating future angel investors, hosting pitch competitions and matchmaking female founders with potential investors. Programming is slated to start near the end of this year.

Membership in the group is open to anyone, but to invest in startups, a member must be an accredited investor, Faloni noted.

Ultimately, the women behind ATL TrailblazHER Angels hope they are filling a gap for Atlanta female founders that could have a long-lasting impact.

“There’s an energy and a passion when you’re working with brand new companies and with new founders,” Keller said. “It’s helping shape a company, could be helping to shape a market.”

AJC Her+Story is a new series in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution highlighting women founders, creators, executives and professionals. AJC Her+Story is about building a community. Know someone the AJC should feature in AJC Her+Story? Email us at herstory@ajc.com with your suggestions. Check out all of our AJC Her+Story coverage at ajc.com/herstory.