The Atlanta startup and investment community has a new way to honor early-stage founders and investors. And it takes its namesake from someone who has committed himself to building the community for decades of his career.
On Wednesday, May 15, the inaugural Siggie Awards will honor early-stage investors and resilient startup founders. The event will take place at startup hub, the Avondale Innovation District.
The award ceremony is named after long-time Atlanta investor Sig Mosley, often called Atlanta’s “Godfather of Angel Investing.”
Mosley has invested in 145 startups with 105 liquidity events since 1990 through his firm, Mosley Ventures. These include successes like Clearleap (acquired by IBM), FSLogix (acquired by Microsoft), and many more.
He also holds the record for the largest venture deal in the Southeast — a $5.7 billion acquisition of Tradex by Ariba in 1999.
Nominations for the awards will be accepted from investors and startup founders through April 30 for four categories.
The Founder’s Favorite category is looking for an angel or seed-stage investor (supporting companies that have raised between $250,000 and $1 million) that supported a founder through investment, customer acquisition, or helping find the right talent.
The Investor’s Choice category asks local investors to nominate someone that embodies the vision of Sig Mosley and has built their career while supporting first-time founders.
The “Comeback Kid” award will go to for a startup founder that tried again after their first startup wasn’t successful; and the Conscious Capital award to an investor that has committed to investing in startups with a social impact.
“[These two] awards are close to Sig’s heart,” said Gordon Rogers, venture partner at Avondale Innovation District and a long-time friend of Mosley’s.
“He wants to encourage the entrepreneurs who’ve learned from their mistakes, picked themselves up and gone back to the mat. He also wants to create an opportunity for investors to interact with those starting social enterprises. A major challenge for any startup is getting seed investment, and those that fall into the ‘social good’ category often have even higher barriers,” said Rogers.
A portion of the proceeds from the event will go to educational program STE(A)M Truck, a program that helps narrow the STEM opportunity gap in low-income neighborhoods with its fleet of interactive trucks.
“I’m honored and humbled by the naming of the Siggies,” said Mosley. “My hope is that the awards will shine a light on investors who have taken the time to help entrepreneurs get their startups to a fundable stage, and then led the charge to secure for them that all-important seed round.
A group of Atlanta investors and business leaders have been appointed to the Siggie committee and will be responsible for selecting the award recipients based on the published criteria and their deliberation of each nomination.
“I’m grateful to the Atlanta startup community for my career, and I look back with great admiration at the people who’ve built businesses with their innovation, talent and determination. I’m incredibly proud of what we have collectively achieved,” Mosley said.
Nominations are open through the end of April. Tickets are available through the Siggie Awards’ website. Admission includes networking, drinks, hors d’oeuvres, and entry to the ceremony on May 15.