Engage Ventures
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Engage is one of those rare finds where the gimmick actually works. Most corporate innovation 'platforms' are just marketing BS, but Engage has somehow convinced 17 Fortune 500 companies to actually write checks and do business with startups, not just shake hands at conferences. The corporate partnerships aren't just for show - they've signed over 140 real contracts with portfolio companies. Blake Patton is a true ecosystem builder who gets both the startup and corporate sides, having scaled iXL to $400M+ revenue. The $250K check won't change your life, but the corporate access absolutely might. Just know you're signing up for enterprise sales cycles, not consumer tech magic.
- —Best for: B2B startups needing Fortune 500 customers, not just capital
- —Watch out for: Enterprise sales timelines and corporate bureaucracy
- —Known for: Real corporate partnerships that actually generate revenue contracts
Engage is a strategic investor that invests in companies selected for the Engage Go-To-Market Program. Engage deploys both capital and enterprise expertise to help startups breakthrough corporate barriers and operate at full speed. Our mission is to build the future of the enterprise.
Our corporate partners are looking for B2B enterprise-focused startups. Stage: Seed to Series B. Revenue: $100k to $10M ARR. Industry: Serve at least 4-5 different industries represented by Engage corporate partners · Location: Anywhere in the US with a focus on Southeast. Each startup receives a $250,000 investment from Engage's enterprise accelerator fund, usually in the form of a convertible note
Blake Patton is the Founder and Managing General Partner of Tech Square Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm investing in enterprise technology companies. Under his leadership, the firm has backed more than 130 startups and launched Engage, a first-of-its-kind corporate innovation and startup accelerator program that connects global enterprises with leading entrepreneurs. He is also a Professor of the Practice at Georgia Tech's Scheller College of Business, where he teaches Entrepreneurial Finance.
Bill is a Partner at Tech Square Ventures where he supports the firm's early-stage investments and oversees the growth of the Engage program and fund · Bill spent most of his career as a tech CEO. His first company, which he co-founded in high school, provided graphics software for early, text-based personal computers. Bill spent most of his career as a tech CEO, founding Da Vinci Systems, before working as a venture capitalist with Greylock. He served as CEO of iXL and later Silverpop before they were acquired by IBM 2014, when Bill was promoted to IBM's VP Corporate Strategy.
Today is a big deal for me and my family, to announce that I get to join Blake Patton and Bill Nussey as Partner at Tech Square Ventures, the firm I have been honored to help build since 2017. Scott is a Partner at Tech Square Ventures where he leads the investment team and co-investment network, while overseeing the internship and EIR programs at the firm. He covered insurance companies and banks and helped his clients raise $26B in preferred stock and debt capital during his time. Following UBS, Scott joined Tech Square Ventures to pursue a passion in building a firm, supporting entrepreneurs at the early stage, and investing in the future of the Southeast.
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