The event formerly known as “Capital Connections”, and now simply referred to as “Capital Lounge” will be held on the evening of May 21st, 2008, from 5:30 to 9:30pm (location made available to you once you’ve been approved to attend). This should be another fantastic event, especially as we will be infusing a new wave of angel investors that are actively participating in our AngelLounge events. We’re expecting another raucous crowd.

Attendance will be capped at 250 people. We’ve historically had a backlog of people trying to get into the event, so if you are planning to attend, it would probably be best to sign up sooner rather than later. You can check out photos from past events here.

There are some changes to the event format and signup process, so be sure to read the official announcement.

We look forward to seeing you all at the event! Please continue to spread the word!

Cheers.

If you’ve ever been curious about what Stephen Fleming and his crew are tinkering around with down inside the bowels of Georgia Tech’s VentureLab, you won’t want to miss this. Through countless hours of toiling over database schema and Maker’s Mark, Stephen has rolled out a really cool new site that lays out all the various research and commercialization ventures that are bubbling up down at VentureLab. Click on the link called “current technology projects and companies” for the lowdown.

Good stuff …. and a great resource for investors, entrepreneurs, and researchers looking for more visibility into the innovations on the horizon here in Georgia.

Cheers.

I just saw this report on Yahoo … in their new list of “best places for business and careers”, Atlanta (and the Southeast) fared pretty well.  Some snippets:

In our 10th annual ranking of the Best Places for Business and Careers, the Southeast is home to half of the top 10 for a third straight year. But there is new blood near the top, including Lexington, Ky., Atlanta, Ga., and Richmond, Va. (Spokane, Wash., and Fort Collins, Colo., also made big jumps).

Topping the list for a second straight year is Raleigh, N.C. Business costs are 14% below the national average, and the area boasts one of the most educated labor supplies in the country, with 38% of the adult population possessing a college degree and 12% holding a graduate degree. Raleigh’s secret is out, though, as people have been flocking to the area.

One metro that made a big jump was Atlanta, which improved to sixth from 25th last year. Its ranking benefited from strong job and income growth and a big reduction in crime. “Hotlanta” features a diverse economy and pro-business environment. Another built-in advantage for big employers like AT&T, Home Depot and IBM is Hartsfield-Jackson, the busiest passenger airport in the world.

Cheers.

For the past few years, Justin Rubner has been diligently covering the technology beat here in Atlanta. In particular, I found his coverage of the tech startup scene to be a positive thing for the community. Justin recently left the Chronicle and landed at The Content Factor. However, the Chronicle has yet to replace him, or to provide any sort of coverage of the tech scene at all.

A week or two ago, I emailed Ed at the Chronicle and asked a simple question: are you guys going to bring back the technology column? I’ve yet to receive a reply.

Edit/Update: I have heard through the grapevine that they do not have plans to bring the technology column back.

Atlanta is the most “wired” city in the world, according to Forbes Magazine (for the second year in a row). Money Magazine was quoted as saying that Atlanta has “a bustling community of Internet-related start-ups.” (thanks to Lance Weatherby for those 2 snippets). So why then does the Atlanta Business Chronicle forego technology coverage in order to continue to fill my driveway with piles of dead trees containing in-depth coverage of the real estate market (which we all know is tanking)? See Mike Blake’s recent presentation for some statistics on this …

Since TechLinks has evolved into a love fest for big company CIOs and sponsors, we have little-to-no traditional media coverage here (save for Tech Journal South, based out of RTP/Carolina, which tries to provide at least some coverage for us).

Come on guys … this is embarrassing. There is a whole new wave of technology players in Atlanta, and you are missing the boat. Then again, since most of us get our news online these days, maybe it doesn’t even really matter.

Cheers.

The next Angel Lounge meeting is coming up on Thursday, March 6th at 11:30-1pm.

The purpose of the Angel Lounge (a part of Startuplounge.com) is to create an unstructured environment for local angels to meet each other and learn from each other. Our goal is to stimulate investment in Atlanta startups while creating the next generation of Angel investors.This is our second monthly luncheon. Last month we had about 15 angels and everybody was excited about the opportunity to come together on a monthly basis and talk angel investing. We also took a small survey to determine what topics may be of interest to discuss.

This month’s topic is “How to develop your investment profile.” Some of us will share while others will just listen. Not all attendees have made investments. Some of the attendees are just investigating angel investing.

Please feel free to invite a guest or two. The more angel investors and potential investors the better. Just be sure to tell me how many will be coming.

If you are interested in attending, contact me and I’ll put you in touch with the right person. To attend, you must either be (A) an active angel investor here in Georgia, or (B) someone who is interested in becoming an angel investor (and has the means to do so).

Cheers.

It was just announced that ChoicePoint was acquired for $4.1B by Reed Elsevier, a London-based publisher and information provider.  The good news, is that it appears the company will remain here. This is an aggressive move by Elsevier, best known for LexisNexis.  They effectively just “bought” a new industry for themselves.

Alpharetta, Ga. — Reed Elsevier, a London-based publisher and information provider, has agreed to pay $5 billion in cash to acquire ChoicePoint, an Alpharetta-based provider of technology and information-based risk mitigation products. The deal values ChoicePoint at about $50 per share. Alpharetta will remain the location of ChoicePoint’s headquarters, according to the announcement on Thursday. ChoicePoint was founded in 1997 in a spin-off from Equifax, the credit bureau. The company’s annual revenue grew from about $400 million to approximately $1 billion since then. ChoicePoint provides businesses, government agencies and non-profit organizations with technology, software, information and marketing services to help manage economic and physical risks as well as identify business opportunities.
http://www.ChoiceTrust.com

Hopefully, some of these new soon-to-be millionaires will get back into the early-stage game here in Atlanta and help fuel things … we’ll see.

Cheers.

My good friend and StartupLounge.com co-conspirator, Mike Blake, is going to be presenting a very “unique” presentation at the upcoming TAG/ATDC Entrepreneurs gathering on March 6th. Sadly, I will be out of town, and won’t be able to attend, but trust me, you will want to attend this one. Mike has put together perhaps one of the most compelling and thought-provoking presentations I’ve seen in a long time.

Please join us for TAG/ATDC Entrepreneurs “The South Shall Raise Again: Raising Early Stage Capital in Georgia and the Southeast” with Michael Blake, CFA and managing director of Adams Capital, Inc. This session will focus on the challenges early stage companies in the SE are facing in respect to raising capital. Mr. Blake will also convey success stories and address his thoughts on best practices. Finally, he will forecast the fund availability outlook going forward, and discuss what GA needs to do to be competitive with the SE and the most successful parts of the USA.

The event details are as follows:

• Organization: Technology Association of Georgia
• Event Name: TAG/ATDC Entrepreneurs “South Shall Raise Again: Raising Early Stage Capital in Georgia and the Southeast”
• Date: March 6, 2008, 7:30am to 9:00am
• Entrepreneurs Only Roundtable:* 9:15am to 10:00am
• You MUST attend the presentation in order to attend the Roundtable*
• Location: Centergy One Building
• 75 5th Street NW Atlanta, GA 30308
• http://www.tagonline.org

Cheers.