We empower leaders of product and recurring revenue companies by connecting them to capital, customers, talent—and each other. Our mission is simple: help CEOs thrive so their impact multiplies across generations.
I inspire, teach and build tools to help main street families get on track with their money.
70% of families live paycheck to paycheck. Few states require financial education to graduate from high school. Few financial advisors focus on the blue collar world.
We don’t teach people how to play the game and it’s the greatest injustice in capitalism.
I’m working with a team to solve that at scale.
Andrea Beach is an entrepreneur, investor, humanitarian, and a highly acclaimed life & business coach. Having started, grown and sold several successful companies, she is considered a leading authority on technology and consumer behavior, Ms. Beach has advised Fortune 500 companies, mentored a variety of startups, and created engaging activations for some of the world’s largest brands. She’s currently CEO of BeachFront Custom Development providing custom software & mobile app development for growth stage companies and IMPACT Business Marketing, the secret weapon for business owners who need affordable and highly effective marketing online.
Anik is Co-Founder and CEO of MaxRewards, a technology company with a mission to unlock financial potential. MaxRewards helps its members manage their credit cards and maximize their rewards, benefits, and offers through a beautiful app powered by proprietary financial connectors. MaxRewards has won numerous accolades, including being recognized as a Top 40 Most Innovative Company by the Technology Association of Georgia and Winner of the Atlanta Pitch Competition by Morgan Stanley.
Baha is the Co-founder and CEO of Azalea Health, a leading healthcare IT company whose mission it is to help underserved healthcare providers improve patient care and profitability.
Under Baha’s leadership, Azalea has established itself as a high-growth innovator and leader, developing a comprehensive, cloud-based health IT platform for ambulatory practices and hospitals — including introducing the industry’s first fully-integrated proprietary telehealth solution with its EHR.
It has achieved Inc. 5000 rank of fastest-growing companies in the U.S for three consecutive years, and has been named a Top 40 Innovative Technology Company by The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG).
Baha has been recognized in the industry with a number of awards including the Phoenix Award by the Metro Atlanta Chamber Bioscience-Health IT Leadership Council in conjunction with the Health IT Leadership Summit for his outstanding contribution to the growth of the health IT industry in Georgia. He is also a 2018 recipient of the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 40 Under Forty Award and a 2019 recipient of their Most Admired CEOs Award.
Throughout his career, Baha has served as a board member on various regional industry and academic groups. Currently, he serves as President of the Technology Executives Roundtable (TER), and is an active member of the Atlanta Rotary Club. He additionally serves on the Kennesaw State University Healthcare Management & Informatics Advisory Board.
A graduate of Valdosta State University, he is a strong proponent of health IT and cloud computing, mobile development, and big data analytics.
DubBot is the next generation of automated web quality assurance. DubBot thoroughly crawls your site to identify any issues with accessibility, broken links, and misspellings — plus any other custom checks you want to define. And then it gives you guidance on how to fix even the most problematic issues. Drop us a line if you want to check it out!
Seasoned CEO, technology innovator, entrepreneur and investor with several demonstrated successes building and growing significant businesses in sectors as diverse as communications, media technology, big data and cloud computing.
Founded and grown multiple successful venture-backed tech companies, leading to exits totaling more than $1.7 billion in value. Led and grown entrepreneurial divisions within large private and public companies, bringing new products and services to market across the globe. Sold to, partnered with or worked for such respected brands as Microsoft, Google, Ericsson, IBM, Verizon, Comcast, Cox, HBO, Disney, NFL and many more.
Passionate about Digital Health, as the Founder and CEO of Patientory, Inc. Chrissa McFarlane publishes international healthcare research articles and actively writes for Forbes on emerging healthcare technological advances. In 2019, McFarlane authored her first book titled Future Women: Minority Female Entrepreneurship and the Fourth Industrial Revolution in the Era of Blockchain and Cryptocurrency.
Devoted to fostering digital innovation in the healthcare industry, McFarlane served as co-chair of the Inaugural HIMSS18 Blockchain Workgroup, member of the; HIMSS Interoperability & Health Information Exchange Committee, Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur Access Network and the World Economic Forum as a Technology Pioneer.
An array of professional experiences in the healthcare industry, specializing in data analytics, technology transformation, delivering cost efficient services and products for corporate 500 enterprises/ startups achieving prestigious awards, McFarlane serves as an Influencer for the Inaugural Class of the Metro Atlanta Chamber’s Choose ATL campaign and Digital Influencer for HIMSS.
An established entrepreneur and proven leader in the sales and technology industry, Christian Ries does what he says he’s going to do.
Driven by original thought, interpersonal skills, and technology orientation, and with an extensive background in marketing, sales, and project management, Christian possesses a unique talent for integrated marketing and brand voice development. He devises strategic initiatives, builds efficient and cohesive teams, and inspires progress using a modern, hands-off leadership style.
Since 1994, we have been helping clients Make the right impression™ with promotional products and branded corporate apparel. I provide creative promotional ideas, design & launch on-line company stores, and act as a member of your marketing team, all while providing industry-leading customer service. I am part of a team of promotional products experts and I can help you find the right creative products at the right price and I guarantee that they will arrive on time while maintaining your brand integrity. I can also deliver on very tight timeframes with our Rocketship 24-hour service. The world’s most recognized brands choose Pinnacle Promotions as their promotional marketing partner and we can provide unparalleled service to your organization no matter the size or location. Learn more at www.pinnaclepromotions.com
CEO of SwissWatchExpo. SwissWatchExpo.com is the Internet’s leading retailer of authentic preowned luxury timepieces. At SwissWatchExpo, we have a passion for beautiful Swiss timepieces and unparalleled customer service. Unlike other online retailers of preowned watches, all the watches listed on our website are physically located at our showroom in beautiful Buckhead, Atlanta.
My hands-on experience in the field has shaped Gimme’s focus on empathy, problem-solving, and gumption. These values have guided every major product launch at Gimme, and I personally led the initial implementations to guarantee an exceptional experience for our first customers. This commitment hasn’t gone unnoticed; I’ve been honored as one of Automatic Merchandiser’s Pros to Know in 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2022.
Beyond the field, I’ve enjoyed spearheading marketing projects and fostering a positive, collaborative team culture at Gimme. It’s rewarding to see these efforts inspire both customers and colleagues, driving innovation in the unattended retail industry. I’m equally passionate about supporting other entrepreneurs, contributing to Atlanta’s vibrant startup ecosystem through initiatives like Startup Atlanta and Georgia Tech’s Create-X program. Watching other founders grow reminds me of the journey Gimme has taken and the potential our industry has to keep evolving.
At the heart of my work is a vision: to make unattended retail operations more efficient and empowering by embracing tools like AI that automate repetitive tasks and free up operators to focus on what truly matters—their people. Convenience services are a human-driven business, and I’m excited about the role Gimme can play in making it even more impactful.
When I’m not working, I’m at home with my wife and our son, enjoying the adventure of parenthood. I’m also a gamer at heart, diving into virtual worlds whenever I have the chance. These personal passions keep me grounded and remind me why I’m so driven to help others succeed.
Entrepreneur and serial scientist, Forrest Shriver recently finished his dissertation at the University of Florida and is now the CEO of Sentinel Devices LLC, developing the next generation of industrial cybersecurity devices. Forrest has experience working in multiple roles, from high-performance programmer and software engineer to machine learning/deep learning expert on a range of projects. He’s worked in both academic and national laboratory environments, and enjoys the challenge of solving new and complicated problems no one has an answer for yet.
Seasoned technology leader and founder of a group of 4 companies that operate in 6 countries. My ventures include: GICSOFT – software development company with the focus on complex software platform development and business process integration; Mindshine Technologies – educational technology company that specializes in predictive analytics and adaptive learning, Collective Vision – innovative computer visual platform for social and business information sharing and Evocado Ventures – venture fund with the focus on sustainability and meaningful growth.
Specialties: innovation, international business, product design, strategic management, business transformation, value driven marketing, strategic relations.
Jeremy is a software craftsman with a decade of experience building and advising others on how to build rugged, performant, and beautiful software in nearly every industry. He currently serves as an engineering advisor to executives and engineers across the United States focused on subjects ranging from continuous delivery implementations to scalable, distributed cloud architectures utilizing best of class open source software. Hailing from a small town in north Georgia, he immigrated to Atlanta to seek a BS and MS in computer science from Georgia Tech (go jackets) and has since adopted sandy springs as his hometown along with his wife and Wiemaraner. In his spare time he’s often found covering his favorite bands (Foo Fighters, Zeppelin, and Floyd to name a few) with his best friends.
HealPros makes a difference in the lives of people with chronic illness by traveling to their homes and helping them access the care they need. Our team has a unique opportunity to discover what is preventing people from accessing care – and helping them do just that. Whether we are preventing blindness by performing Retinal Screenings, helping people find ways to save on prescriptions, or preventing ER visits by addressing fall risks, everything we do centers around changing lives for the better.
John Fitzpatrick co-founded Force Marketing in 2007, and since then, has led the company to become the leading provider of ROI-driven and tech-enabled multi-channel automotive marketing services to clients throughout North America. Its clients include large dealer groups, Tier II ad associations and OEMs.
Today, he leads a team of more than 100 marketing professionals in Force Marketing’s Atlanta headquarters. The company also has a New York City office on Madison Avenue, to which Fitzpatrick often travels.
Over the past decades, have helped acquire, restructure, and scale stagnant ventures in their management strategy, business process automation, back office automation, and capital solutions.
Invested and advised fast growth ventures and lecture Cyber Security, Agent Based Modeling, and on Quantitative Computational Finance, and Entrepreneurship at Georgia Tech’s College of Management & School of Industrial Engineering
Chief Executive Officer of KServicing, the Atlanta-based financial technology company managing more than 300,000 outstanding Kabbage Funding™ and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans.
A 20-plus-year veteran of the tech sector with a track record of success driving sales growth. I am a multidimensional leader who understands changing business dynamics and who finds innovative ways to add value, focusing on people, processes and technology. My transformative approach to value creation is balanced by a commitment to integrity and principal in the achievement of business outcomes.
I’m a driven, entrepreneurial leader with experience in both early-stage startups and established growth businesses. At my core, I love figuring things out and leading people. I have a passion for building businesses and love fast-paced environments where my problem-solving skills, proven leadership and culture-building skills, and ability to understand customers can be utilized most effectively.
I’m an experienced C-Level business leader of international manufacturing operations in nonwovens and composite materials. An accomplished CEO and Board Member with 20+ years of experience in CEO and COO roles. An innovative and versatile leader with P&L responsibilities, a track record of developing high performing teams, and a proven record in creating value for customers and shareholders.
In 2000 I moved from Milan, Italy to Atlanta, GA to start and manage Atex inc. Throughout the years I have invested and became partner in other international manufacturing businesses (abrasives, nonwovens, foams/sponges).
I’m a strong international business leader, a senior executive with international experience and multi-cultural exposure (Europe, North and Latin America). At present I’m based in Georgia, USA; with dual citizen (USA & Italy).
Since 2018 I have become a shareholder partner working together with Private Equity organizations.
Strong leadership, problem-solving, and team-building expertise: relationship builder with a unique ability to unite organizations and develop programs that align with organizational goals for the greater good.
Some of my core Values & Beliefs are:
– Care for People (everybody matters!)
– Ownership & Accountability
– Entrepreneurial Drive
– Operations Leadership
– Act & encourage transparency, integrity and ethical behavior
– Product Development
– Business Planning & Growth
– Sales Development & Revenue Generation
I graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology. I studied Business Administration with a concentration in IT Management. I earned a minor in Computing & Intelligence, and a certificate in Entrepreneurship.
Programming and entrepreneurship are my passions. I have been programming since I was in middle school. I started off making websites in PHP/HTML/CSS and soon progressed to larger projects involving multiple languages and skills.
I’m a strategic problem solver with a unique blend of Engineering, Operations, and M&A experience. At Genius Lab, I lead a world-class team transforming complex business challenges into scalable tech solutions.
We help companies streamline workflows and decision-making by automating manual tasks, integrating disconnected systems, and providing centralized, real-time visibility through BI dashboards and AI-powered analytics.
Our solutions are ideal for M&A integrations, fast-growing companies, multi-generational businesses, tech-enabled services, and multi-unit organizations looking to scale efficiently and confidently.
Significant public and private experience in leading biotech, high-tech and emerging technology companies grow through a combination of organic mechanisms, internal alignment, capital-raising and strategic transactions. Heavily focused on oncology, drug development, and the use of AI and machine learning to change the risk, cost and timeline in the highly interdisciplinary field of personalized medicine.
Specialties: Biotechnology, Life Sciences, Diagnostics, Environmental Sciences, and BioPharma Services, Healthcare Data, Artificial Intelligence, Public Companies, Company Turnarounds, Oncology, Next Generation Sequencing, Precision Medicine
I am a lifelong entrepreneur with boundless curiosity and drive to learn. An engineer at heart, I love solving business, technical, financial and organizational problems – the more complex and greater the reward, the greater the enjoyment in attacking the problem. I am fiercely focused on TEAM building with a mission to support individuals and TEAMs in reaching their full potential. A former college athlete and current wannabe athlete, I am in constant quest of TEAM victories that raise expectations of where our collective potential can take us.
I gravitate to businesses that have traction but need TEAMs, systems and processes that scale. I believe the core VALUEs of honesty, integrity, humility, clarity, respect and accountability are pre-requisites for success. My TEAMs have consistently been honored with numerous awards on local, national and international levels for growth, respect of employees, philanthropic work and innovation.
In addition to Cooleaf work, spent a considerable amount of time with a great co-Director (Praveen Ghanta) to start an Atlanta chapter of the world’s largest business accelerator (Founder Institute). Responsibilities included securing Mentors (local CEOs generally), recruiting candidates, and securing sponsors for Founder Institute’s Atlanta Chapter. Successfully ran the first semester and ended up with a graduating class (Jan 2014) of 11 fantastic startup founders.
Raj’s leadership style focuses on building strong cultures and teams that drive to tackle complex problems with innovative solutions for some of the best brands in the world.
In his earlier career, Raj co-founded Spunlogic in 1998, leading it to become one of the largest privately-held digital agencies in Atlanta. Spunlogic was acquired in 2008 by Halyard Capital to form Engauge, which was then acquired by Publicis Groupe and merged with Moxie to create the largest digital agency in the Southeast. More recently, Raj served as chief delivery and innovation officer for Ansira, one of the largest global independent technology and marketing agencies with over 1,700 employees. Raj came to Ansira through the 2019 acquisition of BrightWave, a leading eCRM and cross-channel agency, where he was president. During his tenure there, he helped build an incredible high-performance team and culture that was sought after by leading brands. He also previously served as CEO for the social advertising tech company BLiNQ Media to provide new vision and rebuild its technology teams before merging the business unit within Tegna.
Raj is an investor in a number of technology startups, as well as a mentor to fellow entrepreneurs. Through his unique agency endeavors, he has become known for his hands-on approach, calm manner and work-hard, play-hard mentality.
Additionally, Raj participates as a board member and advisor for a number of non-profit groups, including 48in48 and the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership (ABLP).
Born in Uganda, Raj moved to London at age nine. He earned dual Bachelor of Science degrees in Economics and Geography from Kingston University (London) and an Executive MBA at Georgia State University.
He has traveled extensively throughout the world and is always looking to explore new places, or at least blow off some steam snowboarding. Raj has three young children and a dog and has called Atlanta home for over 24 years.
CEO & Founder of Converge (funded by Mark Cuban and some awesome local angel investors) – Automating Digital Marketing Reporting for Digital Marketing Agencies and Brands.
Worked on Product at Air2Web (acquired by Velti)
Led Engineering at Proficient Systems (acquired by LivePerson)
I love building communities, teams, products, and companies.
I build custom proprietary software solutions that help healthcare, logistics, and related companies scale their operations while keeping headcount low. With a focus on leveraging AI and innovative technology, my team and I have enabled clients to grow their businesses by over 400%.
At Spiralogics, we develop projects using an MVP approach that allows our clients to meet aggressive go-to-market timelines. Our ability to work across multiple technology stacks and scale on demand has helped organizations expand their Lines of Business and enabled one client to grow from $5M in revenue to a $80M exit. Most impressively, many executives from our successful clients have hired us again at their new companies.
Whether you need support for your in-house team, help clearing your software project backlog, or solutions that allow your case manager/nurses/care coordinators to work 5x faster through AI integration, I’m passionate about delivering tailored technology that creates measurable business impact. Let’s connect to discuss how we can help you achieve your growth objectives through custom software development.
Samir is an engineer with an entrepreneurial spirit. He is currently co-founder and CEO of Moonlight Therapeutics. Moonlight Therapeutics is focused on improving the quality of life for people with food allergies by providing patient-friendly treatments. Prior to Moonlight Therapeutics, Samir was a co-founder of Clearside Biomedical (NASDAQ: CLSD). Clearside is an ophthalmic pharmaceutical company developing targeted therapies for ocular diseases. He invented the suprachoroidal technology that lead to the creation of Clearside Biomedical and served as Director of Research from inception to the end of 2016. The company is currently in late-stage clinical trials in multiple indications and completed an IPO in 2016. Prior to that he was at Georgia Institute of Technology where he obtained his doctoral degree in Chemical Engineering and focused on research using microneedles for ocular drug delivery. He worked for Alza Corporation (A J&J company) on controlled release oral drug products between his undergraduate and graduate degrees. Samir obtained a dual B.S. degree in Chemical and Material Science Engineering from University of California at Berkeley.
Each day I am privileged to lead the startup I co-founded, dedicated to the shifting the paradigm for B2B salespeople and marketers. As a career salesperson at AT&T I became passionate about new communication models afforded by the rise of social media.
We founded and created Ready For Social powered by Thought Horizon with a mission to:
• Empower salespeople to regularly share content to engage with prospects online without wasting valuable time
• Help marketers create great content at scale and measure the impact of that content on social media
• Educate salespeople on how to effectively use social media to engage with and sell to their prospects and buyers
• Bring social media for B2B into the mainstream by empowering the people who sell in those markets
I am passionate about sales after falling into a career selling. My first real job was selling subscriptions to waste services door-to-door. I love meeting new people which has fueled my interest in travel, diverse cultures and languages. While an expert in none of these things, my super-power is my curiosity.
A results-driven leader with a passion for sustainability, innovation, and business transformation. As part of Accel1, I am dedicated to empowering organizations to build a sustainable future by leveraging cutting-edge technology and data-driven insights. With extensive experience in ESG strategies, emissions tracking, health and safety management, sustainable supply chains, and water intelligence, I focus on helping businesses achieve measurable impact and long-term growth.
I believe sustainability is not just a goal but a strategic advantage, and I thrive on creating partnerships that drive meaningful change. My expertise lies in market expansion, partner alliances, and customer success, particularly in emerging markets across APAC, Africa, and the Middle East.
I am committed to enabling businesses to align profitability with purpose—delivering solutions that inspire trust, transparency, and transformation in today’s competitive landscape. Let’s connect and collaborate to shape a greener, smarter, and more sustainable world.
• Global executive with progressive experience in strategy, product development, management, and business development in the supply chain and trade finance sector.
• Proven track record in launching successful products, managing cross-functional teams, and developing alliances.
• Ability to blend information technology and industry knowledge to positively impact results.
• Strong relationship builder and effective communicator.
Specialties: Logistics, Supply Chain Finance, Change Management, Trade Finance, Working Capital Lending, Structured Finance, Supply Chain Risk Mitigation
I am a purpose-led and driven business builder and transformation leader. I relentlessly and passionately serve and manage the interests of all key business stakeholders to drive sustainable, long-term, organizational success and growth. My formula for successful stakeholder management and execution centers around:
✦ PEOPLE – I create engaging, empowering, and inclusive cultures to provide a platform where people thrive and grow personally and professionally.
✦ CUSTOMERS – I build differentiated competitive and sustainable business models to foster long term strategic partnerships and mutual growth.
✦ INVESTORS – I generate attractive returns for all financial stakeholders through transparent partnership, trust and financial discipline.
✦ COMMUNITIES – I develop environmentally sustainable business practices and socially responsible programs to lead and serve in communities where we operate.
I’ve had the privilege and experience of leading and building purpose-driven teams and businesses in complex, high profile, global (multi-national) platform environments, while serving some of the most prominent and well recognized brands and investors worldwide in both private and public capacities, as:
• Private Equity Board Chairman and CEO
• Public Company President and COO
I’m skilled in the following industries and/or functional disciplines:
• Global apparel and textile brand, manufacturing, supply chain and distribution business models
• Strategic planning and business development
• Social and environmental sustainability
• Purpose driven culture, leadership and people development
• Mergers, acquisitions and integration
• Lean and Six Sigma continuous improvement
• Board management and governance
