ATLANTA — The Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) at Georgia Tech celebrated its largest-ever graduating class of startups — continuing its 45-year legacy as the state’s globally recognized premier technology incubator.
Keynote Speakers Inspire the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs
ATDC’s graduating Class of 2025 was honored at an awards banquet and dinner Oct. 21 that featured Georgia House Rep. Todd Jones (R-South Forsyth District 25) and Donnie Beamer, CFA, senior technology advisor to Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens in the Office of Technology and Innovation as keynote speakers.
The class includes:
Finosec
Gatherly
MaxRewards
Orderly Wellness
PorterLogic
ReadyForSocial
RippleWorx
Skintelligent
Slip Robotics
SoloPulse
Speedscale
SpotSource
Terzo
Vennfi
VoiceWorx
Wave Health Technologies
Wripple
“Graduation from ATDC is no small milestone,” Jones said in his address to the graduates. You’ve proven that your idea is more than a concept. Each of you has done exactly that, taking something abstract and giving it shape, purpose, and momentum.”
Building on that momentum and supporting technology founders who are driven to solve problems is key if Atlanta is to succeed in becoming a top-five city for startups, ATDC Director John Avery said.
“Collectively we’re all working together to realize the city’s dream to make Atlanta a top-five city for startup development and creation,” Avery said. “All of you here tonight are essential to making that dream a reality.”
Startup Success Stories from the Class of 2025
That collective support, talent pool, and ecosystem convinced Terzo’s founders to move their vendor management software platform from California to Georgia.
“Just the fact that people here believe so much in the companies and what they are trying to do,” said Terzo co-founder Eric Pritchett. “Georgia ranks as the number one state to do business. It’s a great place to live, it’s a great place to start a family, and it’s a great place to build a business.”
Sam Eniojukan, co-founder and CEO of VoiceWorx, which provides AI-powered voice solutions, echoed those sentiments. “With the support that we got from ATDC, John Avery, the mentors — we persevered and we built it,” he said, noting VoiceWorx’s 2024 acquisition. “When I look back at the experience, I wouldn’t have done it anywhere else but ATDC.”
Graduation Criteria and Investment Impact
To graduate, each company met several key metrics including, targeted annualized recurring revenue of at least $3 million to $4 million, an identified scalable business model, the ability to finance growth, or acquisition. As a class the 17 ATDC graduates raised more than $116 million in investment capital.
Introducing the ATDC Hall of Fame
ATDC also announced the inaugural class of inductees to the ATDC Hall of Fame, which recognizes trailblazers who have shaped Georgia’s entrepreneurial landscape and left a lasting legacy in the state startup ecosystem.
The inaugural hall of fame class includes Wayne Hodges, Georgia Tech vice president emeritus and instrumental in the incubator’s launch in 1980; Bird Blitch, co-founder of Patientco, a 2014 ATDC graduate; Paul Judge, co-founder of successful ventures including 2014 ATDC graduate Pindrop and TechSquare Labs; and Dolan Falconer, founder of ScanTech AI, a 2007 ATDC graduate that went public earlier this year.
The four are pivotal in supporting ATDC and Georgia’s startup ecosystem, Avery said.
“Public leadership and a desire to build an ecosystem of innovation 45 years ago came together to shape the future,” Avery said. “Wayne’s leadership helped accelerate tech entrepreneurship in Georgia. Bird, Paul, and Dolan’s successes as founders at ATDC reinforce Georgia is a great place to launch successful technology companies.”
ABOUT THE ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT CENTER:
The Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), a program of the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Enterprise Innovation Institute, is the state of Georgia’s technology startup incubator. Founded in 1980 by the Georgia General Assembly, which funds it each year, ATDC’s mission is to work with entrepreneurs in Georgia to help them learn, launch, scale, and succeed in the creation of viable, disruptive technology companies. Since its founding, ATDC has grown to become one of the longest running and most successful university-affiliated incubators in the United States, with its graduate startup companies raising more than $6.2 billion in investment financing and generating more than $14 billion in revenue in the state of Georgia. To learn more, visit atdc.org.