CONFERENCES, Panels, Events & Sessions
Whatever you call them, I'm interested in them. If you've got one I should know about, reach out and let me know!
“How to thrive as an early-stage founder in the ATL startup ecosystem” | SPEAKER
Join Aly and James Oliver of Kabila, a co-founder matching app for tech startup founders, to talk through the Atlanta ecosystem and how to grow and thrive here as a founder.
Cap Treeger’s '5 Underrated Essentials of Success’ | “Finding the right customer-driven business model” | GUEST SPEAKER
In Week 4 of this five-part series, Cap, host Eric Pinckert, and Aly Merritt of Atlanta Tech Village will discuss the the importance of finding a customer-driven business model.
Pitch Atlanta 2023 | Host
An exclusive, invite-only event connecting entrepreneurs and investors. Our mission is to connect 14 of the best early-stage local startups with 100+ top-tier investors in a dynamic event with true Atlanta style.
EVERYTHING COMMUNITY | “Q&A with Aly Merritt: Community, Relationships, & Trust”
In our most recent Q&A, we sat down with Aly Merritt, Managing Director of Atlanta Tech Village (America’s 4th largest tech hub! 🌎). We covered building community in a physical space, the importance of trust in relationships, and measuring community impact.
Panoramic Ventures: “The Power of Community and Collaboration for Startups” | SPEAKER
Great wisdom from Atlanta Tech Village Managing Director Aly Merritt about networking best practices. And she knows a thing or two about building connections and community! Aly shared this insight as a Startup Showdown mentor for Panoramic Ventures.
Georgia Tech CREATE-X Female Founders Speaker Series | SPEAKER
Kicked off the 2023 Georgia Tech CREATE-X Female Founders Speaker Series with Aly Merritt of the Atlanta startup scene!
VENTURE Atlanta & Hunt Club | “Partnership & Persistence: Enriching Venture & Portfolio COmpany Relationships in Uncertain Times” | Panelist
This private virtual event with top business leaders Scott Lopano, Aly Merritt, Maurice Boissiere, and Christina Innocenzi, presented by Hunt Club, discussed how the venture community is leaning in to help startups during uncertain economic times, and the changing expectations between investors and their portfolio companies.
Dell for Startups Atlanta Pitch Competition in partnership with Dell Technologies and Atlanta Tech Village | Panelist
Join us at Atlanta Tech Village on August 25th for the Dell for Startups Atlanta Pitch Competition in partnership with Dell Technologies and Atlanta Tech Village. The Dell for Startups Annual pitch competition where we celebrate 8 startups from various Startup Communities all across the U.S. to compete for over $500k worth of prizes.
Founder FIRESIDE CHAT WITH h AJ Piplica, Founder and the CEO of Hermeus, and John Armstrong, Founder and CEO of Reibus International | Moderator
Join in-person at Atlanta Tech Village for an exclusive conversation on Aug. 11 with AJ Piplica, Founder and the CEO of Hermeus, and John Armstrong, Founder and CEO of Reibus International. AJ and John will chat with Aly Merritt, Managing Director of Atlanta Tech Village, about building and maintaining company culture in a fast-growing startup.
USPAACC Southeast Region: “What’s Your Pitch?” Innovation Competition | Judge
Created by the U.S. Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation (USPAACC), this competition seeks promising and innovative startups from diverse industries. They pitch their ideas to a panel of judges for a chance to win cash prizes and exciting business opportunities.
ATL Unlocked: The Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs | SPEAKER
Join us at a Block Party for the ATL Unlocked Tour, a partnership between our region’s innovation centers and the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. RICE was the second stop on the 2022 ATL Unlocked Tour – “Welcome To The Westside” – the tour celebrated RICE and a neighborhood that has become home to numerous global technology companies such as Microsoft and major universities including the #AUC and Georgia State University.
Atlanta BlockChain Center: Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony | SPEAKER
The Atlanta Blockchain Center held their Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on June 17. This center intends to cultivate growth, inclusivity, and education through blockchain while thinking differently and building together.
INNOVA SyMposium: Reimagining Your Business Purpose with Technology | PANELIST
The INNOVA Symposium 2022, "Igniting Innovation, Leadership , Talent and Technology,” took place in June at the Georgia Tech Research Institute conference center, in partnership with Georgia Institute of Technology Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2).
Pavilion: How to do Personal Branding as an Introvert | Speaker
Join Daniel Weiner, Founder of YouShouldTalkTo, and Jenny Bunn, Director of Programmatic Marketing at Florence Healthcare, on May 25 to talk about personal branding as an introvert with Aly Merritt of Atlanta Tech Village.
ATL Unlocked: The Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs | SPEAKER
Join us at the first stop of the 2022 ATL Unlocked Tour, a partnership between our region’s innovation centers and the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. Atlanta Tech Village is the first of five innovation hubs in the metro ATL area showcasing what we have to offer!
FIRESIDE CHAT WITH STEVE KOONIN, PRESIDENT AND CEO, ATLANTA HAWKS AND STATE FARM ARENA Branding | Moderator
Join in-person at Atlanta Tech Village for an exclusive conversation on May 10 with Steve Koonin, President & CEO of the Atlanta Hawks & State Farm Arena. Steve, a lifelong Atlantan who led three iconic local brands – The Coca-Cola Company, Turner Broadcasting, and Atlanta Hawks – will chat with Aly Merritt, Managing Director of Atlanta Tech Village, about innovation, customer experience, embracing change and building company culture and brand.
ATLANTA Tech VILLAGE: Women+Tech meetup | Speaker | Personal Branding
Many women in business default to being “behind the scenes” supporting their company or initiatives, but it’s a missed opportunity when you ignore your personal brand. This session will cover why and how to establish your voice, authentically expand your network and position yourself as a subject-matter expert, all while driving value for yourself AND your company.
GSU: Main Street Entrepreneurs Seed Fund | Judge
The Georgia State University MSESF program involves a multi-round company selection process; in the second round, applicants are invited to pitch their businesses to a panel of external reviewers consisting of investors, serial entrepreneurs, and community partners.
RisING TIDE PODCAST | “Aly Merritt: Career Chameleon”
Rising Tide is the destination for career driven women to share their incredible journey and to find inspiration, find courage, and trust their voice. Through sharing stories, wisdom, and advice women can collectively rise.
ATLANTA STARTUP VILLAGE | HOST
ATLSV is the largest bi-monthly gathering of entrepreneurs in the southeast, hosted at Atlanta Tech Village. Typically the last Monday every other month, five companies will get five minutes apiece to pitch and then a short stint at Q&A. Beer flows at 7 (temporarily virtual b/c pandemic), join us here!
CMX Summit 2021: Rise | “Hidden Figures: Why You Should be Building Your Personal Brand for the Good of Your Business and Your Career”
Many community professionals default to being "behind the scenes," but it's a missed opportunity when you ignore your personal brand. This session will cover why and how to establish your voice, authentically expand your network and position yourself as a subject-matter expert, all while driving value for your company.
Panoramic Ventures: Startup Showdown | Mentor (June 2021 & Aug 2021)
Startup Showdown is a unique opportunity for early-stage startups to present to well-known investors and innovators in the tech ecosystem as they look to take their company to the next level. All finalists will pitch to VC investors while at the same time building long-lasting connections in the innovation ecosystem.
Airmeet: Marketing Roundtable | Panelist, "Why having a community-driven approach is necessary for businesses in 2021"
2020 brought loads of adversities in business but it also inspired the marketers to be creative with their campaigns. Join the community leaders of Discord and SalesLoft as they discuss why is it important to have a community manager for your business now more than ever.
ATLANTA Startup Week: techstars |
TECH/FINTECH Track CAPTAIN
Techstars Startup Week Atlanta is a celebration of the region's innovation and startup ecosystem, with five days of events, all free of charge. Get to know the community, and learn from and connect with entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, investors, and other innovation leaders.
CMX: CMX Summit 2019 | Main Stage Panelist, “How Top SaaS Communities Drive Business Impact Through Community”
The best SaaS companies have been able to leverage community to drive differentiation and build a competitive moat. That said, the ability to quantify tangible, business impact remains a challenge. In this session, you’ll learn how community leaders at best-in-industry SaaS companies like Marketo (an Adobe company) and Salesloft, at different stages of their community, are thinking about driving and quantifying business impact.
SalesLoft: REVstars | Interviewer & Program Director
SalesLoft kicked off a program to recognize leaders in sales, with a unique twist — instead of the standard “Top 30 in X” list, we wanted to really get to know them as people. So we dug deeper with a styled photo shoot with a fashion photographer to showcase their style, and conducted an in-depth video interview to learn what motivates them, what their goals on, and what they put their heart and soul into.
ATLANTA Tech VILLAGE: Women+Tech meetup | Speaker
I joined the ladies of ATV as we openly discussed personal and professional growth, challenges in the workplace, community involvement and more. The meetup’s mission is to empower women in tech through a kick-ass network, intentional teaching & purposeful community, because it does take a village.
Rainmaker Conference 2019 | Moderator, Keynote SessioNS Day 1 & 2
Rainmaker is the Sales Engagement Conference for modern sales leaders. Over two different sessions, I spoke with leading community influencers and experts, shared best practices, and expounded upon our commitment to Community with Purpose.
Adelphean COmpass 2019 | Panelist, Keynote
The Adelphean Compass leadership program is one of Alpha Delta Pi’s signature leadership programs designed specifically for women, and emphasizes a focus on Leading with Self, Vision, Action, and Relationships. Held every year in January, the program is attended by chapter presidents and is funded by a generous grant from the Alpha Delta Pi Foundation.
Invest Atlanta | Panelist, students2Startups Lunch-n-Learn
Invest Atlanta and Worksource Atlanta are further developing a tech talent pipeline by subsidizing Atlanta-based students to complete entrepreneurial-focused internships with Atlanta startups. The program also offers monthly lunch-n-learns for the students at local startups and tech hubs.
Rainmaker Conference 2018 | Moderator, Keynote Session
Rainmaker is the Sales Engagement Conference for modern sales leaders. We also brought industry luminaries Jason Green, David Cummings and Tom Noonan to the stage, where I led an open conversation around innovation and the role of B2B and sales technology in supporting trusted human connections.
SUperNova South | Content Coordinator
SuperNova South is the Southeast’s largest and longest running tech conference. We are the conference for the people. For five full days, attendees have access to twelve content-rich tracks, evening events, keynotes, exclusive opportunities with community partners, and opportunities for both structured and unstructured networking every day.
We RISE | Women in Tech Conference, Presenter, “I Feel Like a Fraud: Impostor Syndrome & What to Do About It”
The We RISE Women in Tech Conference amplifies women in technology. We RISE stands apart as a conference committed to rigor, connection, and enthusiasm in equal parts. I spoke on why Imposter Syndrome happens, and discussed action items attendees could take back to combat it in their personal and professional lives.
WOMEN WHO CODE: International Women's Day Celebration | Keynote
I joined the women in tech in Atlanta to celebrate International Women's Day! Inspirational speaking to Spoken Word with a special Performance by Queen Sheba, and an opportunity to meet all your favorite ATL women in tech groups.
Rainmaker Conference 2017 | Participant, Keynote Session
Rainmaker is the Sales Engagement Conference for modern sales leaders. A three-day, exclusive invitation to gain modern sales insight from the best thought leaders in the industry, and foster relationships that will help your business thrive for years to come.
Rainmaker Conference 2017 | "Sales Ops & The Modern Customer Acquisition Engine"
Sales operations is a requirement for creating any modern customer acquisition engine. This panel featured Deb Berman of Skaled, Alea Homison of GLG, Tracy Zirbel of Cisco Meraki, and Tori Moss of Greenhouse, and covered the fundamentals sales ops needs to bring to the table in order to develop that engine.
General Assembly | "BREAK INTO PRODUCT MANAGEMENT"
Have questions about a career in product management, launching your own digital product, or would like to understand how to work better with the product managers in your organization? Bring your burning questions and find the direction you've been looking for from local Product Managers with experience spanning from startups to fortune 500.
Atlanta Tech Village | "Atlanta Startup Village #44"
The Atlanta Startup Village is a fun, informative, and inclusive forum for networking and feedback. A selected group of new or emerging startups get 5 minutes to pitch their business, with time for Q&A to discuss roadblocks, opportunities, and get feedback.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY | "#ALLTHETHINGS: HOW TO BALANCE WORK, LIFE & YOU"
How do some people seem to balance everything so well? Hear from a panel who have their hands full but excel at keeping it “all together;” see how they do it and how you can, too.
General Assembly | "The Future of Work and the Rise of Hybrid Jobs"
Industry leaders met for a discussion around the growing demand for workers who can combine business and technology skills and the emergence of a new class of "Hybrid Jobs."
Atlanta Tech Village | "Modern Best Practices of a Product-First Organization"
A lunch-and-learn featuring the top product leaders in Atlanta about how prioritizing world-class product leads to more sales, higher customer satisfaction, and greater revenue.
