Margaret Gifford
Margaret Gifford is Co-Founder of Abundance Capital, leading impact investment management and entrepreneurial ecosystem development. She brings a wealth of experience from consulting with impact driven companies.
Lee Blakeborough
Lee is the Community Manager at LaunchpadGVL, driving community-building efforts for Upstate Upstarts. Previously, she owned and operated a hybrid coffee shop/game store, reflecting her long-standing commitment to entrepreneurship.
Yusuf Sulaiman
Yusuf Sulaiman supports communications, marketing, and overall development at Upstate Upstarts. He previously interned at East Tennessee State University's Research Corporation, offering accounting and finance support to Appalachian start-ups.
Charlie Banks
Charlie Banks is the Executive Director of Venture Carolina and Co-Creator of Upstate Upstarts, leading efforts to spotlight early-stage tech companies and expand access to startup investing across the region.
Paul Clark
Paul Clark is the Managing Director of VentureSouth and Co-Creator of Upstate Upstarts. He’s helped champion a community-led effort to spotlight promising early-stage tech startups across the region.
Our Sponsors
Comerica Bank
Home-run benefits for your small business. Comerica small business customers have access to free resources and services designed to create more opportunity for your small business.
Appalachian Regional Commission
ARC’s mission is to innovate, partner, and invest to build community capacity and strengthen economic growth in Appalachia.
Abundance Capital
Abundance Capital is a nonprofit venture philanthropy platform that empowers charitable donors to turn their giving into high-impact investments.
VentureCarolina
The Venture Carolina team and its partners consist of successful entrepreneurs, investors, venture capitalists, board members, and executives across many industries.
VentureSouth
VentureSouth backs the most promising entrepreneurs and early-stage ventures in the Southeast with capital and expertise.
LaunchpadGVL
Launchpad GVL provides a collaborative environment and resources to help select startups thrive.