How We Met Our Studio Founders (8 True Stories)
I’ve been wanting to write this post for 3 months now.
BUT IT’S SO HARD TO KEEP IT CONCISE!!!!!!
Because I start explaining founder stories, how we met them, what they are building, and then it’s 3 paragraphs. Per founder. And that’s the short version!!!!
It’s basically impossible to capture entrepreneur awesomeness in a few bullet points.
So I gave myself advice that I give founders:
Ship the smallest, scrappiest version!
So, here’s the “How We Met Them” extra-abridged edition of the Atlanta Ventures Studio, that does not even come close to capturing the nuance, determination, or excellence of these founders, their process, or the businesses they’re creating.
But hopefully sheds a tiny bit of light on the many and varied paths of a Studio Entrepreneur!
I’ll share some of our insights at the end (and would love to hear yours!) but, like all startup playbooks, you’ll see there’s no “right” or “only” way!
P.S. Our Studio is where we co-found companies from scratch with amazing entrepreneurs. Read more about our Studio process here and here.
Charles Brian Quinn (“CBQ”), Greenzie
CBQ and David Cummings met through Entrepreneurs Organization Accelerator in November 2008 (!!!!!).
They stayed in touch, talked shop, and after CBQ grew and sold his first company, he reached out to discuss and explore new ideas.
Greenzie was founded in 2018.
Read more:
Michael Williamson, Intown Golf Club
We knew Michael from IO Education, his successful startup at Atlanta Tech Village.
We were noodling on the magic of Trackman golf simulators and an indoor golf club. Michael said he loved his Trackman at home!
We pitched him the idea of Intown Golf Club over lunch at Jack’s Deli in Oct 2018. Intown Golf Club’s first location opened in April 2021 (with 6 more since then and 3 more coming soon!)
Read more: A Conversation with the Founder of Intown Golf Club
Christian Reis, The Perlant
We knew Christian from Atlanta Tech Village, where he founded his first company.
At the end of 2020, he sent David Cummings a thoughtful email that led to Christian joining the Studio in early 2021.
The first business we pursued together was Zeto. But after several months, we pivoted away and went back to idea exploration, which led to The Perlant!
The Perlant, founded in 2023, opened its first location in Jan 2025, with its next location already underway.
Read more:
Bryan Dinner, Undaunted
We met Bryan at Atlanta Tech Village. He was a hot desk member who dropped by the office one day. He was winding down his first company but not ready to give up on entrepreneurship. Big ambition and determination.
He deep dived into several markets with many experiments and discovery conversations before landing on robotic security.
With South Downtown as a first customer and testing ground, Bryan figured out the right tech and solution, brought on Chris Ozgo (former Atlanta Ventures intern), and launched Undaunted in Jan 2025!
Read more:
Shawn Tucker, Good Bird
Shawn reached out in 2021 to get advice on his startup. He asked many thoughtful questions periodically over the years.
Fun fact: we went to the same high school (Go Paideia!) which is how we originally got connected. We never overlapped in school but it was good conversation starter.
In 2025, he exited the original company and reached out to explore new markets and ideas.
Shawn landed on an idea we’d been talking about for years — a healthier, family-friendly fast food brand with a delicious, gluten-free, crispy-but-not-fried chicken tender as its anchor menu item.
Available to purchase this Nov at ATV Buckhead and in a permanent spot in 2027!
Rebby John, Fastlane AI
Rebby was a standout employee at Salesloft who knew he wanted to start a company.
Salesloft founders Kyle Porter and Rob Forman raved about Rebby, offered their support, and encouraged him to join the Studio.
Fastlane AI, an AI consulting firm helping companies achieve their goals with AI (with heavy focus on construction and CRE), launched in early 2026 and the team has been non-stop since!
Read more: The Two-Part Formula for Best-In-Class Culture (inspired by Rebby!)
Kathryn Farrell, Studio Entrepreneur
She had a fledgling healthcare tech company (she pitched onstage at Pitch Atlanta in 2023), joined as an exec then CEO at one of our portfolio companies, and eventually reached out to start her own thing!
She joined in the Studio in Aug 2026 and is already deep into selling, testing, authentic demand, and customer discovery Mom-Test style!
Read more:
Jacey Cadet, Studio Entrepreneur
Jacey was the Atlanta Ventures Head of Marketing & Community for over a DECADE — working with founders to launch brands and marketing strategies, while also founding many things of her own (Community Bucket, Pitch Practice, Launch Creative, and Altuvo).
Announced THIS MONTH, she’s launching a series of experiential retail spaces along Broad Street (to start…😉).
Read more: Announcing Our Newest Studio Entrepreneur, Jacey Cadet
Coming Soon…
I’m hoping there will be a few more Studio Entrepreneur announcements over the next few months but I can’t say anything more.
(Oooooo, mysterious cliff hanger 😉)
Common Threads
As you can see, there’s definitely some themes:
Previous founder
Atlanta Tech Village
Building the relationship over months and years
Looking for a big idea
But you can also see these are not true every time!
Exceptions to every rule.
(That’s why we don’t follow rules at startups 😂)
Every founder has their own journey, special talents, personality, and destiny!
Do you see any similarities? Notable differences? Other insights about what makes an amazing founder? Anything else you want to know about the Studio?!?