ATLANTA (September 8, 2020) — The Siggie Awards, an event honoring the early-stage investors helping to grow Atlanta’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, announced today that it is accepting nominations now through September 30. Named after well-known Atlanta investor Sig Mosley, the Siggie Awards strive to showcase the best of Atlanta including the diversity that makes us unique and will be hosted by Emory University’s Goizueta Business School for the next three years. The event will be held virtually on November 10 from 5 to 6 p.m.
Since 1990, Sig Mosley has been the most prolific Southeast investor, encompassing 145 startups with 105 liquidity events. Widely regarded as the “godfather of angel investing,” he is also the record holder for the largest venture deal in the Southeast with the $5.7 billion acquisition of Tradex by Ariba.
“Sig has been a pillar of the startup community for the past three decades,” said Gordon Rogers, early-stage tech investor and a long-time friend of Mosley’s. “He was the first post that helped our tent stand, laying the foundation for other risk-takers to follow. Without that first step, the angel community in Atlanta may have taken many more years to get going. In giving investors an opportunity to nominate their peers, and giving founders who have raised angel and seed capital the chance to nominate their unsung heroes, we can honor Sig’s legacy and show him that the Atlanta startup community will continue to grow and thrive.”
Siggie Awards Nominations Now Open
Accredited and professional early-stage investors, as well as startup founders, are invited to nominate individual investors in the following categories:
- Investor’s Choice — An early-stage investor who embodies the spirit and vision of Sig Mosley as nominated by their peers
- Founder’s Favorite — An early-stage investor who has a deep commitment to founders and has worked closely with them to help launch, fund, and scale their ventures
- Horizon Award — A rising early-stage investor who will help lead the way to build and support the Atlanta ecosystem in the years ahead
- Conscious Capital Award (nominated and selected by the Siggie Committee) — An investor funding enterprises committed to social good
Nomination information can be found on the Siggie Awards website.
Last year’s award recipients included Virginia Persons, CFO and co-founder of CoinReg Tech and an investor with Atlanta Tech Angels (Investor’s Choice); Paul Iaffaldano, managing director at BIP Capital (Founder’s Favorite); Blake Patton, managing partner at Tech Square Ventures and managing general partner at Engage Ventures (Horizon Award); and the Emory Impact Investing Group managed by Goizueta Business School student Priyanka Desai and advised by Sam Moss, former president of Gray Matters Capital and current senior director of Finance at East Lake Foundation (Conscious Capital Award).
“I continue to be honored and humbled by the naming of the Siggies,” said Mosley. “Now in its second year, it’s my hope the event will continue to shine a light on investors who have taken the time to help entrepreneurs get their startups to a fundable stage, and then led the charge to secure for them that all-important seed round. I’m incredibly proud of what we in the investment and startup communities have collectively achieved.”
A portion of the sponsorships from this year’s ceremony will go to re:imagine/ATL, the education and workforce solution to train and connect talented young people to the creative media industry. An alumni of the Civic Accelerator program, re:imagine/ATL exists to equip the next generation of storytellers by providing career exposure, training, and placement in media. Through their programming, youth have the opportunity to explore career pathways in film, music, podcasting, and more.
“At re:imagine/ATL, we choose to invest in young creatives because we believe that they are the next global changemakers,” said Kimberlin Bolton, executive director for re:imagine/ATL. “We are so grateful for Sig Mosley and the Siggie Awards committee who continue to find ways to help communities thrive.”
The Siggie Awards join an already impressive list of entrepreneurship initiatives at Goizueta Business School, including an accelerator, a funding forum, an annual entrepreneurship summit, and more. From ideation to early-stage investment to corporate innovation, Goizueta’s initiatives span each phase of venture creation. The Hatchery is Emory University’s newest space for student ideation and innovation. A highly configurable, 15,000-square-foot facility, The Hatchery includes collaboration areas, a makerspace, a presentation and event space, classrooms, online tools, a breakroom, and more. Emory University is Mosley’s alma mater (BBA, ’68).
“Over the last few years, as part of Goizueta’s strategy, we have been consistently growing our entrepreneurship and investing initiatives into a complex portfolio to serve the venture aspirations of our community, from students to alumni,” said Robert Kazanjian, Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Organization and Management of Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. “The Siggie Awards complement the building of a network of investors across the entire Southeast, which starts with programs like the RAISE Forum and fits the growing number of startups we’re helping to fund.”
The Siggies will take place on Tuesday, November 10. Registration is free and information for this virtual event can be found on the Siggie Award website. Attendance will be limited in order to provide a high level of networking and a more personal experience, so register today.
About the Siggies
The Siggie Awards were named after well-known Southeast investor Sig Mosley and created to recognize and honor early-stage investors who are helping to grow the metro Atlanta entrepreneurial ecosystem. Siggie award recipients will be selected by the Siggies committee from the pool of nominees. The committee will continue to work to ensure its nomination and selection process includes the diverse members of the ecosystem. For more information or to nominate an investor, visit our website.
