102 events over the course of one week?
That would be an tough feat for any conference to pull off. But Atlanta Tech Week proved to be a departure from the traditional tech conference. And to pull that off, organizers turned to the community.
Instead of booking a giant conference hall and bringing tech enthusiasts into one place, Atlanta Tech Week worked more like a roadshow. Each day, events were centralized around different parts of Metro area. That gave out-of-town attendees and Atlanta locals alike a chance to get out of their bubbles and see all the tech hubs across Atlanta. Events took place at Atlanta Tech Park in Peachtree Corners, Atlanta Tech Village in Buckhead, the Atlanta Blockchain Center, Science Square in West Midtown, Microsoft’s offices, Ponce City Market, ATDC in Midtown, Hotel Indigo in Downtown, and The Gathering Spot, just to name a few.
Yes, there were the standard panels about what venture capitalists are looking for…and there were more than a few happy hours to help tech professionals mix and mingle with one another. But there were also deep dives on how businesses can get government contracts, practical advice on preparing for a startup exit, and wellness events for stressed out founders. Instead of a centralized agenda that ushered people from activity to the next, the organizers let community members create their own tech-focused events throughout the week. That meant the week unfolded more as a “choose your own adventure” than a fixed conference menu.
The Hypepotamus team was roaming all week to meet startup founders and taking in the energy around town. While we didn’t make it to all 102 events, we’re here to give you a little inside look at how the week unfolded.
Here are just a few pictures from events that took place:
Is it even a tech event if there isn’t a coding challenge included? To kick off the week, Build Day X came to town to host its 24-hour sprint and bootcamp. Participants built an MVP via ACT House‘s gamified design sprints.
Part of the fun of the week was seeing startups in action. One example was StageWing, a gear rental marketplace for A/V professionals and DJs. Not only was the startup selected to participate in Atlanta Tech Village’s Showcase on Tuesday, it also brought the beats and energy as the musical entertainment for the packed Happy Hour that followed at Kula Coffee.
Pitchfest brought out more than 100 people to the small but mighty Atlanta Blockchain Center‘s Buckhead location. 11 local startups pitched . 100+ people came out to see pitches from 11 amazing startups. The big winner was Yamini Sagar from Instarails, who received a $25,000 investment.
Hypepotamus got in on the action as well on Monday, participating in the panel about what startups need to know about journalists and PR professionals. The panel included Meredith Fletcher (Fletcher PR), Mirtha Donastorg (AJC), Maija Ehlinger (Hypepotamus), and Ekaette Kern (Tenet Consultancy). Audience members got to hear directly about what tech reporters and business journalists want to see from startups looking for press appearances. A big takeaway: The press release is dead. Curated, personalized pitches are in!
Of course, no conference is complete without plenty of times to connect over a beer, mocktail, and a appetizer spread. Atlanta Tech Village was packed on Tuesday with networkers, and the fun moved to Midtown on Wednesday with several rooftop parties helping the local community connect. On Thursday, a casual gathering happened over at Torched Hop on Ponce to help founders connect.
What’s Next?
Tech Week keeps rolling on through Saturday the 15th, as focus shifts into RenderATL, a growing tech-focused conference for engineers and tech professionals. We’ll be updating this page with more photos from the coming days…so keep checking back for a full recap!
