In February 2020, Atlanta’s own ‘Godfather of Agnel Investing’ Sig Mosley penned a piece on Hypepotamus giving entrepreneurs advice about the funding process. While 2020 has thrown more than a few curveballs at the tech startup community, Mosley’s words still ring true for those seeking outside investments.
We connected with Mosley again this week ahead of the 2nd Annual Siggie Awards, an event celebrating the very best of the local VC ecosystem.
The Siggie Awards, affectionately named for Mosley, started in 2019 to honor ‘unsung heroes’ in the Atlanta angel investing community. Winners will walk away with a custom Sig Mosley bobblehead.
Last year’s winners included CoinReg Tech’s Virginia Persons, BIP Capital’s Managing Director Paul Iaffaldano, Engage Ventures’ and Tech Square Ventures’ Blake Patton, and the Emory Impact Investing Group.
This 2nd annual awards ceremony will be a free virtual event on Tuesday, November 10 from 5 to 6 p.m. Hosted by Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, attendees will be able to hear directly from this year’s winners in virtual breakout sessions.
Other sponsors include Brady Ware & Company, Bennett Thrasher, Carlton Fields, and Nelson Mullins. A portion of the sponsorships from this year’s ceremony will go to re:imagine/ATL, the education and workforce solution to train and connect talented young people to the creative media industry.
Accredited and professional early-stage investors have voted for the following categories:
- Investor’s Choice — An early-stage investor who embodies the spirit and vision of Sig Mosley
- Founder’s Favorite — An early-stage investor who has a deep commitment to founders and has worked closely with them to help launch, fund, and scale their ventures
- Horizon Award — A rising early-stage investor who will help lead the way to build and support the Atlanta ecosystem in the years ahead
- Conscious Capital Award (selected by the Siggie Committee) — An investor funding enterprises committed to social good
Mosley’s Godfather nickname is well deserved, given his prolific work putting the Atlanta startup ecosystem on the map. After graduating from Emory in 1968 and working in the technology space, he laughed and said he got into “angel investing before it was even called that.”
Mosley has invested in 145 startups and 105 liquidity events, including one of the Southeast’s largest venture deals to date, the $5.7 billion acquisition of Tradex by Ariba.
Along with launching Mosley Ventures in 2012, he joined Zane Venture Fund earlier in 2020.
For Mosley, the awards ceremony is a great way to celebrate those in the Atlanta tech community while looking ahead.
“I think 2021 is going to be another mixed year. I don’t think we’ll be through COVID until sometime in late 2021,” said Mosley. “I do think it is a great time for entrepreneurs to begin businesses.”
“Venture funds have a tremendous amount of money they need to invest. As far as here in the Southeast, I do believe the entrepreneurial space there is more money available now than there has been. I’m not saying they are totally adequate funds, but there are more available. I think venture people will begin to warm up in 2021 and be a little more aggressive than they are now.”
“The evaluation might not be quite what they were prior to COVID, but you build a good business, you will earn a good return.”
