

Samir Patel is the Owner at Thrive Logistics and Instructor of Entrepreneurship at Georgia State. Investor that focuses on turning around failing companies. It has led a handful of startups himself. He is a military veteran, West Point graduate and native of Atlanta.
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Dr. Paul Lopez is the President of TiE Atlanta. TiE is the largest non-profit global organization focused on entrepreneurs with 13,000 members at every stage of business in 61 chapters across 14 countries, of which Atlanta is ranked as a “Top 5” chapter in the worldwide network. Dr. Lopez is also the co-founder and partner in 11-11 Ventures which is one of the most active venture capital firms in the Southeast US investing in and growing early stage technology companies. 11-11 Ventures is headquartered at Tech Alpharetta’s Innovation Center. Paul has been an entrepreneur and worked for major corporations in banking and high tech with 41 years of business experience. He has been a faculty member at Kennesaw State University and California State University. Paul holds a doctorate in business administration from Louisiana Tech University, an MBA from the Queen’s University of Belfast, Northern Ireland, and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Calcutta, India.
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Sigourney Chavez started Zen Pods along with Rosemary Somefun to ensure that college students have a chance to experience a peacful enviroment to unwind, sleep, and do homework in a private closure. Their goal is to reach every possible college campus to establish a place where students can find their zen amongst daily stress in their personal pod.
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Matt Markham is the Director of the Center of Innovation for Logistics, which helps companies take advantage of the state’s world-class logistics industry, so that they can improve supply chain efficiencies, support growth, and increase global competitiveness. Matt brings to the position more than a decade of experience in transportation policy at the state of Georgia, having served in leadership roles at the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority, the State Road and Tollway Authority, and as a policy advisor to Lt. Governor Casey Cagle. Matt holds a bachelor’s degree from Hampden-Sydney College and a Master of Public Administration degree from Georgia State University. Learn more about the Georgia Center of Innovation for Logistics:
David Nuckolls is the Global Account Manager for Marketing and Operations working in support of two divisions within the Georgia Department of Economic Development – the Centers of Innovation and Rural Georgia Initiatives.
Will Haraway is Founder & Lead Evangelist at Backbeat Marketing. Will has 20 years of executive experience in B2B Technology Marketing. Will is a certified analyst relations practitioner by the Knowledge Capital Group and has helped companies including Manhattan Associates, Aptos, Atlantix Global Systems, American Software and Rubicon Global improve their brand reputations with marketing results that help increase sales. Will also serves as a member of the APICS Atlanta Executive Advisory Board and serves as co-host of the popular #SupplyChainCity series on Supply Chain Now Radio. The Backbeat team includes lead generation, digital marketing, media relations and content marketing specialists with a combined 50 years of experience in their chosen disciplines. Connect with Will on
Scott W. Luton is the founder of 







































