Seattle, Atlanta Launch New Initiatives to Support Startups

New nonprofit initiatives have been re-defined in Seattle and Atlanta to support their cities' startup communities. Startup Seattle and Startup Atlanta will work to serve, support, and link the regional innovation systems and startup ventures in their respective cities. Both entities previously were developed by and for the local entrepreneurial communities to support new companies but are restructuring as independent organizations.

Startup Seattle was established by StartupCity LLC in 2012 as a grassroots organization to aid local startups and unite and serve the regional innovation and startup systems in the city. It originally was funded by Startup Weekend, Microsoft BizSpark, TechStars, and Founders Co–op. It now will be a collaboration between the city of Seattle and local technology and business leaders since the City Council and the Seattle Office of Economic Development, with additional support from the Startup Seattle Advisory Group, will take over operations of Startup Seattle from StartupCity LLC.

Moving forward, Startup Seattle will implement a multifaceted plan to support the community. Through the rest of 2013 and into 2014 the focus will be on developing the organization's internal structure namely through the development of the website and organizing events for high school students to make connections with local technology. In addition, Startup Seattle will develop a plan for promoting the city as a landing place for both capital and experienced technology labor, creating partnerships with other nonprofits to assist in developing connections to technology for high school students and supporting existing technology hubs in the city as well as developing high–speed fiber Internet service across the city. The initial budget for the first year is $145,000.

Startup Atlanta is a spinoff from Invest Atlanta, the development agency for the Atlanta region, and initially was established in 2011 as a roundtable of organizations in the area dedicated to entrepreneurial development. Startup Atlanta initially was supported and provided operational aid by Metro Atlanta Chamber, Entrepreneurs Organization, Atlanta Technology Angels as well as Invest Atlanta.

Similar to Startup Seattle, Startup Atlanta was conceived as a mechanism for uniting and building the entrepreneur system in Atlanta. Specifically, the goals are to create and support a network of entrepreneurs and establish connections to funding sources for entrepreneurial activity.

This month Startup Atlanta became an independent nonprofit organization and hired its first executive director and soon will appoint a board of directors and an advisory board. Initial programs have been created to assist to accomplish these goals. First, an asset map of the regional entrepreneurship system has been developed. Second, it will work to create connections with angel and venture capitalists and corporations to entrepreneurs. Last, Startup Atlanta will publicize the region's entrepreneurial strength and vitality.

Read the press release...