Atlanta
Atlanta chapter

Atlanta Startup Community

Founders Network aims to connect Atlanta-based founders to a global network of resources. Our mentorship program provides founders and their startups with full-lifecycle support, whether you’re a first-time or serial founder. Founders Network provides peer to peer mentoring for our members along with access to critical startup resources.

Atlanta chapter

Our Local Leadership Team

Alan Wilson
Chapter Director
Co-Founder, now Retired, RETIRED from Tripwire Interactive
FN October 2018 Cohort

Ex Biochemist/Immunologist, went into a career in IT and consultancy, finishing with 10 years working around Investment Banking. 2 startups through there, both service businesses. Sold one, closed the second. After having a midlife crisis and co-founding Tripwire Interactive, four of us bootstrapped the company, ran it through just over 17 years, making it one of the premier privately-owned video game developers and publishers in the industry. For fun, talk to me about Rugby (I'm English and a Bath supporter), Skiing, food and drink - and now Atlanta United.

A Founders Network member speaking at an event

The Atlanta startup scene

Atlanta's startup ecosystem is valued at $40 billion by Startup Genome, above the $25 billion global average.

Startup Genome reports $776 million in seed and Series A funding from mid-2023 through 2025 and $23 billion in exit value from 2021 to 2025. The city's research universities, including Georgia Tech and Emory, supply a steady stream of technical talent.

Founders Network in Atlanta

Founders Network is a peer mentorship community for tech startup founders. Membership is selective and by invitation, and founders request an invitation to join.

Members get mentorship from other founders, chapter events, and introductions to investors and to founders across a global network. The Atlanta chapter is run by volunteer member leaders, shown on this page.

Founders listening at a Founders Network sessionFounders talking at a Founders Network eventA Founders Network roundtable
600+
Vetted tech founders
$50B+
In exits by members
55%
Serial founders
100+
Events a year
Next step

Meet us in Atlanta

Membership is by nomination and approval. Request an invitation and we'll review your background. If it's a fit, we arrange a nomination and invite you to the Nominee Preview Q&A, a 30-minute Zoom where current members walk through how Founders Network works and take questions. The next one is Thursday, November 19 at 9:30 AM PT.

Request an invitation

Already nominated? RSVP to the Nominee Preview.

Frequently asked questions

What startup events can I attend in Atlanta before joining?

The Atlanta chapter doesn't have a regular local meeting yet. Members here join the weekly online program and the annual conferences, and local events start once there are enough members to host them. Request an invitation if you'd like to help get one going. Chapter events in other cities are open to guests by invitation, and your first one is on us with a one-time guest pass. Dates are on the events page.

How do I get a feel for the members before I apply?

Listen to our podcast. It features the network's most successful members telling the story of how they built and sold their companies. Most members are somewhere along that journey, from first-time founder to serial founder, and the episodes show the kind of founder they are learning from.

Is Founders Network a Atlanta group or a global one?

Global. Founders Network started in San Francisco in 2011 and now has city chapters and sector groups around the world, with the largest concentration of members in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Most of the program is online and runs every week: facilitated peer roundtables, live expert sessions, moderated founder forums, and 1-1 introductions to members in any city. Members meet in person at the annual conferences, fnIRL and fnSummit. Everything above is open to Atlanta members from day one, and local meetings come as the chapter grows. The full program is on the mentoring tracks page.

Who are the members?

Founders of tech startups at every point on the journey, from a first company getting to market to serial founders who have exited. Each is nominated and approved, and what we select for is alignment with the network's values and vision rather than stage or sector. Members join to find customers, raise their first rounds, hire co-founders and early teams, and work through the hard parts of running a company with peers who have done it.

Can Founders Network help me raise money?

Founders Network can make you a more competent and better-connected fundraiser. It can't guarantee funding. The Scale plan is built for founders getting to market and raising seed: 1-on-1 pitch mentoring from VCs, a curated investor directory with warm opt-in introductions, and a pass to fnIRL, the annual San Francisco conference. On every plan you can ask the forums and get introduced to members who have raised at your stage. Plan details are on the membership page. Pricing is shared on approval.

How do I join Founders Network in Atlanta?

Membership is by nomination and approval. Request an invitation and we'll review your background. If it's a fit, we arrange a nomination and invite you to an info call with current members. All memberships are annual, and we never take equity.

Not a member yet?

Get an invitation to the community.

Founders Network is an invite-only peer mentorship community for tech startup founders. Drop your email — we'll take it from there.

No spam. We review every request individually.