Atlanta’s Top 50 Tech
I was somewhat suprised and candidly disappointed that the Atlanta’s Business Chronicle’s recent list (subscription required) of the 100 Most Influential Atlantans did not include anyone from the local business technology community. Yes, Governor Sonny Perdue was there along with Hank Aaron, President Carter, Mayor Shirley Franklin, the heads of Georgia Tech and Cox Commmunications and 94 others, but there was nobody on the list who is trying to put Atlanta on the map as a technology hub.
So in the interest of recognizing achievement and raising awareness, I propose we create Atlanta’s Top 50 Tech that would feature Atlanta’s most influential technology leaders. Now other organizations like the Technology Association of Georgia recognize individuals, companies and Hall of Famers, but I am hoping to put together a snapshot in time. Here are some names to consider:
Scott Burkett - Serial Entrepreneur and a Founder of the Startup Lounge
Dolan Falconer - Founder and CEO at ScanTech
David Harnett - Vice President Technology Industry Expansion at the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce
Christopher Klaus - President and CEO of Kaneva and founder of Internet Security Systems
Benn Konsynski - George S Craft Professor of Business Administration at Emory University
Tino Mantella - President, Technology Association of Georgia
Sig Mosley - President Imlay Investments
Sanjay Parekh - Founder and Organizer for Startup Riot
Paul Stamatiou - Georgia Tech student, widely read blogger, Founder of Skribit
Marie Thursby - Hal and John Smith Chair in Entrepreneurship, Professor Executive Director, TI:GER®
Lance Weatherby - Venture Catalyst with the Advanced Technology Development Center at Georgia Tech
John Yates - Partner, Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP
Please don’t ding me for forgetting the obvious (or stating the obvious for that matter). The list covers some important names in the entrepreneurial space, but I want to include individuals from startups to large corporations. Candidates can be established veterans or up and comers. They can be in the entertainment or content business. They can be at non-profits or in business education and government. They don’t necessarily have to live in Atlanta. The goal is to highlight leaders who are promoting technology or harnessing its power to grow a business or impact how we live our lives here in Atlanta.
Why 50? 100 seemed too many and 25 too few. I am looking to compile a list by Labor Day.
In the the spirit of collaboration, I am soliciting names. Personally, I am most interested in individuals who are using Web 2.0 or social media as a business model or a principal marketing strategy. But send comments with recommendations along with your reasons why. I am also open to getting feedback on the selection process itself.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Let me get back to you.
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