I have decided to create a list of all the Georgia based companies that I can find that have been funded by angel investors since 1999. I have a database of over 200+ Georgia based angels that I have collected over the last few years and have contacted as many as I could. I have listed the names of over 100+ companies so far, and will be adding to the list over the next couple of weeks as more information is received. However, I imagine that what I find will only be roughly 50-75%% of the total companies funded during this time.
Doing this over the last couple of weeks has actually been quite rewarding. I got a chance to talk to some folks that I have not heard from in years–and the memories of funding all these companies was a treat to recall.
Why am I doing this?
3 reasons:
1.) It’s an impressive list.
2.) There is a new perception in the Atlanta area that “not that many companies in GA” have been funded by angel investors. Formal angel investing has been active in GA since at least 1989, if not before. Yes, angel investing existed before ATA and Imlay Investments–and it will likely be around long after both have gone.
3.) There is a new wave of young entrepreneurs in Georgia interested in learning about early stage investing. You need to know your history in order to be effective. So, here ya go.
If I have missed any companies, please let me know.
180Commerce
Access Integrated Systems (now Birch Telecom)
Advanced Charger (Enrev)
Agent Secure
Anydevice
Ardex
BancIntelligence
C3 (Sparco)
Chamberlain Medical Technologies
Channel Link
Chexar (formerly El Banco de Nuestra Communidad)
Chutney Technologies
Cirrex (Visionex)
Cirrux
D4 Technologies
Damballa
Digital Doctor
eAttorney
e2procure (Augusta, GA)
eBroadcasters.com
Emcien
Engineered MultiMedia
ePanacea
eQuorum Corporation(Cadnet)
ExGov
FountainHead, Inc
Fundraisinginfo.com
Gardening123.com
GroupTickets.com
GuardedNet
HERO
Homeserve
Idmon
Incanta
Informium
Integrated Broadband Solutions
Intelligent Sensor
Jacket Micro Devices
Kidsmart
Knowlagent
Knowledgestorm
LocalBusiness.com (DigitalSouth)
Mardome
MarketWorks (aka: Auctionworks)
MarketingCentral.com
Mercatus Wireless
Monorail Computer Corporation
Monticello Corporation (Wuliweb/PaperTiger)
Neurotic Media
Notice Now
Nschools (Education Networks)
NuTec Sciences, Inc.
Photobooks
RiverDrop
TradeUps (Market Velocity)
Quantira
RecoverDebt
RentMoney.com
RevenueTech
SoPworx
Stonebranch
Sprout
Technology Builders
Tcert
Unlink, LLC
USBA Holdings, Inc.
Vistascape (Acquired by Siemens in 2006)
Vocalocity 1.0 (not to be confused with Vocalocity 2.0 funded by NM and the investors who bought assets of Vocalocity 1.0)Jacket Micro DevicesWaldor Group
knox,
thanks for taking the time to put this together. i don’t know how much further you planned to take this post, but it would be great to break down the extensive list (i.e. amount raised, investor, etc.).
if atlanta & the rest of the state’s startup community had access to a crunchbase database of sorts, it would be a lot easier to identify prospective investors. thanks again!
-adam
I don’t think there is the idea that there is not a rich legacy of angel investing in Atlanta. I think there is a realization that there isn’t a lot of money flowing temporarily.
We certainly do have a rich technology entrepreneurial legacy going back to MSA.
My first gig out of college was REALM Information Technologies in Norcross. We made SOHO NAS solutions. We built the insides of the Netgear ND508/ND520 NAS boxes. REALM became ApplianceWare and moved out west, and then morphed again into Optifacio.
We were originally angel funded.
Thanks, Adam. Since most of these companies are (or in many cases, were) private, the investors and the management prefer to keep that information private. In any case, most of the local investors are already known.
Russell– Money is flowing–A lot of the local investors are working (and funding) fulltime with their current portfolio companies–to make sure they survive this economic downturn! And, some new companies are being funded–For example, SSI is one of the newest companies in ATDC that is fully funded by angel investors.
No, it’s not as robust as we would all like it–but funding is still available…
Thanks, Michael–I’ll add REALM!
I worked at World2One (http://world2one.com/) in Norcross in 2000.
OK, Matt–thanks–I’ll add.
wow, this brings back some memories knox…cool list… there are a bunch from 1999 and 2000 was I was in ventures..i will need to pull my list..such as changeaddress.com, etour, Enkia, i2Go, etc.
Thanks, Evan–I’ll add those as well. Yes, it does bring back many memories of the companies and the founders from those times! As the list grow, I think it’ll show Atlanta as a very vibrant place for both young tech companies and the investors that help support them…
Definitely an impressive list!
Might be interesting to duplicate it in a shared Google Doc spreadsheet and let the community fill in additional columns (no need for you to do the drudge work)… whatever is known about investors, amounts, birth date, death date, acquiror, etc.
Paul Freet has convinced me of the value of structured data in situations like this!
Good idea, Stephen. This is a work in progress–I’ll be working on it for a couple of weeks. Lots of information still coming in….
Excellent compilation, Knox. It is easy to forget how much has been angel funded before the downturn in the economy. It probably is taking a lot from the investors to prop up some of the portfolio companies for awhile. If you need help putting that list on a shared Google Doc spreadsheet as Stephen suggested, I’ll find a GT student to help. Thanks again and let me know if I can help.
Thanks, Celia. Thanks for offer on idea for Google Docs. I’m still adding information so as soon as I am finished, let’s talk.
As for the market–the market is what it is! We can’t control it. Credit is scarce, capital is scarce and expensive, VC’s have scaled back funding for 12-18 months. Angel investors will adapt, tho. They always have…
You can add a couple that I was involved in; ePanacea and FiscalOutlook, both of which received angel funding.
Knox, great list. Lots of memories in this posting.
You can add Securiant, Inc. Network security. Funded in 2006 by angels sold in late 2007.
DAVE Networks launched in 2002, funded initially by Angels and then several VC rounds. Moved to Hollywood CA in 2006