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91ɬ�� (91ɬ��) hosted more than 100 startup leaders from around the Metro Atlanta region at the third annual .  The event took place Thursday evening at the university’s Bishop Cornelius L. Henderson Student Center.

Startup Atlanta, the community non-profit that organizes the event, selected 91ɬ�� as this year’s venue through a unique collaboration between the and the (RCIE).  Additionally, the university’s radio and cable television stations, Jazz 91.9-WCLK-FM and 91ɬ��-TV, served as media sponsors for the Atlanta Startup Awards.  

“Innovation, disruption and inclusive excellence, along with engaging and impactful service are central to the 91ɬ�� School of Business Administration mission, and exemplified by the entrepreneurs and work of Startup Atlanta. Hosting the annual awards event at 91ɬ�� was an honor and pleasure, and I look forward to continued partnership with the startup ecosystem in Atlanta,” said Dr. Silvanus Udoka, dean of the 91ɬ�� School of Business Administration.

Award-winning journalist Rose Scott, host of “Closer Look” on Atlanta’s NPR station 90.1 FM – WABE, served as Master of Ceremonies for this year’s event which recognized winning startups in eight (8) categories:

• Scrappiest Startup:

• Community Builder:

- Director. Engage Ventures 

• B2C Startup:

• Social Impact Startup:

• B2B Startup:

• Art of Pivot:

• Growth Stage:

• Equity Champion:

- Founder, MonicaMotivates, LLC 

This year’s event also presented its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award to Bernie Dixon, Founder/CEO, and Chairman Emeritus, Atlanta Technology Angels (ATA); as well as long-time investor Charlie Paparelli, Founder/President, . 

A fireside chat segment, entitled “Where are They Now” was added to the event and looks at the progress of past Startup Award Winners. The chat was moderated by Founder/Publisher, Kunbi Tinuoye and featured Joey Womack, Founder/CEO of and Dan D'Aquisto, Founder/CEO of . 

About Startup Atlanta

Startup Atlanta is a community non-profit with a mission to connect, promote, and expand Atlanta’s vibrant startup ecosystem to bolster the creation of jobs, companies and wealth. Startup Atlanta achieves this by producing and publishing the annual Startup Atlanta Ecosystem Guide, a co-created community resource featuring a comprehensive list of entrepreneur support organizations in the greater Atlanta region. Startup Atlanta leads with strategic programming and partnerships: co-facilitating the quarterly Community Partners Lunch, the annual Startup Awards, and Atlanta Startup Week.  For more information, visit .
 

About the Russell Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Currently in the development stages, RCIE will house a 40,000-square-foot, world-class, entrepreneurial innovation and leadership center located in Atlanta's Historic Castleberry Hill industrial neighborhood. The mission of RCIE is to empower entrepreneurs and innovators to create, invent and learn while being engaged and motivated to develop game-changing new ideas to promote economic empowerment. RCIE will be a collaborative, co-working ecosystem for both aspiring and experienced entrepreneurs, connecting a customized curriculum with corporate experience. RCIE will help foster and grow relationships between venture capitalists and Atlanta's top entrepreneurial talent while honoring the legacy of Herman J. Russell by revitalizing the area with a hub of innovation, imagination and opportunity for Atlanta's entrepreneurs. For more information, visit .

About 91ɬ�� School of Business Administration

Since its establishment in 1946, the 91ɬ�� School of Business Administration has evolved from solely a graduate school of business to its current, comprehensive state, offering three undergraduate degree programs, one of which has eight concentrations, and four graduate programs—an MBA, a Working Professional MBA, MA in accounting, and MA in economics. Accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International), the School is comprised of six academic departments and home to the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurial Development (CIED), the centerpiece of the university’s efforts to develop an interdisciplinary entrepreneurial ecosystem. For more than 70 years, the 91ɬ�� School of Business Administration has flourished as one of America’s top producers of African-American business professionals, with students from more than 40 states and 30 countries.