Christian Ross, VP/Managing Broker, Village Realty at Atlanta Tech Village (photo credit: Kunbi Tinuoye)

UrbanGeekz has joined forces with Atlanta Tech Village to offer women and underrepresented minorities the chance to be part of a thriving technology innovation hub in the heart of Atlanta.

We have teamed up to offer an exciting opportunity for a talented tech entrepreneur to gain around the clock access to Atlanta Tech Village’s flourishing startup community in the Buckhead district.

To help foster inclusion and engagement of underserved communities in the technology space, we are launching a competition where one lucky winner will win six months of free co-working space at Atlanta Tech Village’s state-of-the-art facility. The competition is open to women of any background and underrepresented minorities.

This is an amazing chance for one fortunate entrepreneur to kick-start their startup without having to worry about the cost of office space. It is also an invaluable opportunity to network, exchange ideas, access curated mentors, and much-needed resources.

To participate applicants should apply here and submit a video up to 60 seconds introducing themselves and their startup. Each submission will be judged based on the mission, viability, and the long-term impact of the company.

“UrbanGeekz is less than a year old and in a short time we have had a lot of success, including partnerships with the likes of AT&T and 20th Century Fox,” says Kunbi Tinuoye, founder and CEO of UrbanGeekz, whose editorial team is based at Atlanta Tech Village (the Village). “But this collaboration is by far the most rewarding on both a personal and professional level. We’re thrilled to partner with Tech Village to support an ambitious entrepreneur.”

“Being an entrepreneur isn’t for the faint-hearted, “she adds. “You need a huge amount of faith, self-belief, and dogged determination. Having access to a supportive community, resources, mentorship, business coaching, and guidance on raising capital in a space like Tech Village can give entrepreneurs a tremendous boost to scale their startup.”

Atlanta Tech Village, a thriving ecosystem for tech firms, is the Southeast’s largest co-working and office environment for emerging technology companies and tech startups. There are nearly 300 companies and 900 plus members based in the Village. As one of the fastest-growing technology startup centers, the Village is dedicated to fostering innovation, encouraging collaboration, and driving economic development in Atlanta community and beyond.

“Atlanta Tech Village is proud to partner with UrbanGeekz to support entrepreneurship and empower women and minorities on their quest to change the world through technology,” says Karen Houghton, director of Atlanta Tech Village. “We are a community of innovators that becomes greater with ever increasing diversity. We understand that startups are hard, and having a community of positive, supportive people around you can be inspiring.”

“The Village offers an abundance of resources from work space to meet-ups and networking events, to mentors and advisors for advice. We look forward to growing our community and supporting entrepreneurs on their startup journey.”

Atlanta Tech Village is an incredible place for new startups to land. It’s so much more than an office space,” says Aliceson Y. King, whose company Center for Excellence in Drug Safety and Pharmacovigilance (CEDSPV) is based at the Village. “It is a community that provides amazingly talented colleagues in a diverse array of areas and super knowledgeable mentors who can assist in guiding you and your business to success from the start. Being at ATV for the last year has made all the difference in moving my startup to the next level.”

Since its inception in 2013, the Village has been home to some of the most successful startups in Atlanta, such as Yik Yak, BitPay, and Insightpool. Three years in, it is one of the top 10 tech hubs in the U.S. The technology hub also boasts a competitive accelerator, Atlanta Ventures, where startups receive mentor support and up to $120,000 in investment capital.

David Cummings, a serial software entrepreneur, founded Atlanta Tech Village to foster the kind of community he felt was missing when he first moved to the city 13 years ago. In interviews, the former CEO of Pardot has said he is on a mission to fuel Atlanta’s rise to one of the leading tech startup centers in the U.S.

Applicants must…

– Submit a video (up to 60 seconds) introducing themselves and their startup.

– Be over 18 years old.

– Be a woman (any demographic) or male/female underrepresented minority.

We will consider entrepreneurs from any field but our focus is on tech startups and technology related companies. The application deadline is March 13th at 11:59 pm EST.

Meet the panel of judges:

Kunbi Tinuoye is an award-winning British-born journalist and broadcaster based in the United States. She is the Founder and CEO of UrbanGeekz.com, a groundbreaking digital news platform focused on technology, science, and business. Prior to launching her startup, Tinuoye was the Southeast News Correspondent for NBC’s African-American digital news platform theGrio.com. She is a sought after on-air contributor, speaker, panelist, and moderator at conferences across the country. More recently she has appeared on MSNBC & Arise News and facilitated a panel discussion at the Spelman College Leadership and Women of Color Conference. Tinuoye graduated from Trinity College, University of Cambridge, with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Social & Political Sciences. She studied a post-graduate in print journalism and is an NCTJ accredited UK professional journalist, with credits in media law and 100 wpm shorthand.

Kelly Burton is a successful serial entrepreneur and recently appointed columnist for UrbanGeekz. As the CEO of Nexus Research Group, Kelly advises non-profits, foundations, and government agencies on how to increase their social impact and maximize their philanthropic investments. In 2014, Kelly launched Bodyology, a smart-tech clothing line that infuses performance technology into women’s innerwear to maximize their comfort and confidence throughout the day. In a short time, Bodyology has garnered strong press, having been featured in publications like Inc., Essence, and BizWomen. Additionally, the company was one of ten companies nationwide selected by Macy’s to participate in its Workshop vendor development program designed for high-potential firms destined for retail success.

Claudia Offei – who oversees the marketing and social media at UrbanGeekz – describes herself as a startup enthusiast, visual marketing maven, and lover of arts. She is an immensely talented and creative person, with the ability to pay close attention to details. Offei is an expert at utilizing visual content to enhance UrbanGeekz’s branding, marketing, storytelling, and overall messaging. You can catch some of her outstanding creations on our Instagram page and across our social platforms. Offei has a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) with Marketing from the University of West Georgia.

Karlee Young is the Community Manager at Atlanta Tech Village. She runs the day-to-day operations for all membership needs, from curating memberships to leading tours. She also spends time hanging out with high schoolers as a Young Life Leader. She was raised in Michigan and then headed south to attend the University of Central Florida.

Check out these images of Atlanta Tech Village…