On Jan. 9, Mayor Andre Dickens and senior tech advisor Donald Beamer Jr. shared their plan for how Atlanta will shape its economic future and create new jobs with the launch of the first Office of Technology and Innovation. Throughout the evening, Mayor Dickens and Beamer detailed how they envision making Atlanta one of the top five ecosystems for technology and education.
The night ended with a fireside chat with three of the leading tech entrepreneurs in Atlanta: Tope Awotona, the CEO of Calendly; Eileen Lee, the managing director of Endeavor Atlanta; and AJ Piplica the CEO of Hermeus.
Beamer spoke with rolling out about the Office of Technology and Innovation, and tips for start-up businesses and tech entrepreneurs in Atlanta.
What should people with startup businesses know about raising capital?
I guess one thing about raising money [is that] it’s going to be hard everywhere. Some people have had challenging experiences and feel like it’s a function of them or the city, but that’s not unique. We want to dispel that narrative [and] make people understand that this place is built for you. Everything that you need is here; we just need you to come and engage and find out. I’m not going to guarantee any positive outcomes. Your first bet isn’t going to be your best — and it’s not going to lead you to be like Tope Awotona from Calendly — but we want to support you on every swing that you take and hopefully hit one out of the park.
What are tips or advice you can give to tech entrepreneurs looking to make a positive impact in the community?
I’ve been working on this thing, and it’s going to be in my book. It’s called “water bottle wisdom.” In starting a business, you want to be like water. There’s going to be a bit of resistance, but you need to be able to pivot, be flexible and respond to the ecosystem. The world will tell you if you’re moving in the wrong direction. At the same time, the second point is if you have a significant amount of focus, then you can work your way through stone. Water is such a powerful force, so even just a drip of consistency will allow you to make progress — but you have to have that focus. The last thing and this is also true about water, you need to be clear. That goes with your message and with your value proposition. You need to know very clearly what it is the value that you deliver for your customer. If you can capture that and tell somebody in an elevator pitch, then you’re halfway there.
