One of the most impactful things for me as an early founder was connecting with other founders—those who had done what I was trying to do, and those who were still attempting to. Some of those conversations were pivotal. They led to key hires, experience sharing, and idea generation. I had access to these people because I was a member of Entrepreneurs’ Organization—EO, as it’s known.

EO, an elite network of high-quality people, facilitates the free flow of information, connections, and ideas. Member companies pay an annual fee. The impact on members is material. Because certain revenue criteria must be satisfied before admission to EO, though, membership isn’t accessible to all founders. Most early-stage companies are excluded from this high-quality network.

Early-stage founders in Atlanta need more free-flowing information and relationships. Some great groups are trying to fill this void, but I don’t think it’s something a centralized group can tackle. I need to think more about how you solve for this, but this void is one of the missing ingredients in Atlanta’s start-up ecosystem reaching its full potential.