Four companies have been announced as the finalists for ACCESS, an entrepreneurship program launched by TiE Atlanta Angels, one of the fastest-growing, high-impact angel groups in the Southeast.
The companies hail from Atlanta, Georgia; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Portsmouth, Virginia:
- Inclusivv (Atlanta, Georgia) – Inclusivv is an engagement platform designed to help companies, universities, and communities increase awareness, understanding and collective action around important and challenging topics. Jenn Graham, CEO.
- MedTrans Go (Atlanta, Georgia) – MedTrans Go is a B2B healthcare appointment optimization marketplace solving the $150B problem of medical appointment cancellations in the US. Dana Weeks, Co-Founder & CEO; Dr. Obi Ugwonali, Co-Founder & President
- Talley and Twine Watch Company (Portsmouth, Virginia) – Talley & Twine was created after realizing that most watch companies just emulate the most popular brands. It creates quality, detailed, attention-grabbing timepieces that speak to a market that has been ignored by mainstream companies. Randy D. Williams, President & CEO; Eric Heyward, COO
- The Diversity Movement (Raleigh, NC)– The Diversity Movement has “productized” the DE&I journey and built years of consulting expertise into its product platform. After gathering insights from over 100 clients, The Diversity Movement has incorporated key learnings into the creation of platform components needed to foster employee engagement and build inclusive culture. Donald Thompson, Co-Founder & CEO
Each company will also have a team of mentors to prepare them for the showcase. The mentors include:
- Inclusivv: Neeti Dewan, Mussadeq “MK” Khan, Steve Smith
- MedTransGo: Joyce Freeland, Greg Johnson, Sanket Patel
- Talley and Twine: George Ayres, LaVonya Jones, Jayshree Knauf
- The Diversity Project: Christy Brown, Solomon Davis, Aarthi Sivarkkamani
The following corporations, municipalities, and organizations are also partnering with ACCESS to provide more opportunities and access to resources to founders.
- City Partner: City of Dunwoody – The city has sponsored TiE Atlanta’s ACCESS program in a strategic partnership with TiE Atlanta to grow its entrepreneurship strategy.
- Venture Partner: Drive Capital – Drive Capital is a venture capital firm in Columbus, Ohio that invests in founders building the next generation of market-defining companies. Drive is partnering with TiE ACCESS to increase its pipeline for Early Stage and Seed companies.
- Ecosystem Partner: Venture Atlanta – The top investment of the 2022 ACCESS program will get a slot in the Venture Atlanta conference held in October this year.
- Corporate Partner: TowerPoint – The telecommunications infrastructure and real estate investment company, headquartered in Midtown Atlanta, will provide mentoring in investments and finance to ACCESS finalists.
- Community Partner: Serendipity Labs will provide three months of co-working space to all finalists as they grow and scale their venture.
- Program Partner: LaunchPad2X and Zane Ventures are providing resources and thought leadership to enhance the TiE ACCESS program.
All finalist companies will receive two (2) months’ of mentorship from three experienced entrepreneurs or executives, two (2) tickets to TiECON Atlanta 2022 on September 30, and one (1) year of TiE Atlanta membership for up to two (2) co-founders.
The top female-led company will also be offered a slot to represent TiE Atlanta at the TiE Women’s global pitch competition at the TiE Global Summit in India in mid-December with a grand prize of $100,000 in non-dilutive funding to the global winner.
“We are excited to see this caliber of founders be a part of ACCESS’ third year,” said Paul Lopez, ACCESS Chair, TiE Atlanta. “With our mentors, partners, and investors, we are excited to expand the resources for this year’s cohort and all our founders.”
To learn more about ACCESS 2022, visit https://atlanta.tie.org/access or email angels@tie-atlanta.org.
About TiE ACCESS: TiE ACCESS, launched in 2020, is a diversity, equity and inclusion program that aims to pave in-roads for minority and women-owned businesses to build their companies and networks not only here in Atlanta, but at an international scale, thanks to TiE Global’s global impact.. https://atlanta.tie.org/access/
About TiE Atlanta Angels: This is the angel investment group of TiE Atlanta, making over $8 million investments in over 30 companies since 2017 with a primary focus on high-growth entrepreneurial startups in the Eastern US across all industries. The angel group has worked on a disciplined investment model and has invested in companies seeking Seed through Series A funding.
About TiE Atlanta: TiE Atlanta is a top five chapter of TiE Global, a nonprofit that generates prosperity through development of entrepreneurs in all stages by creating community and beneficial relationships to support them. TiE Atlanta develops entrepreneurs and startups through mentoring, education, investment, and networking. www.atlanta.tie.org
