Every December, I enjoy writing a “Year in Review” blog for Tech Alpharetta, revisiting the year’s memorable events and accomplishments. This year, I’m changing it up, and I want to recognize the community, instead. Tech Alpharetta’s purpose is to serve the community, but in truth, it’s the community that poured into Tech Alpharetta, and into me, in 2025.
First, our Board of Directors. At our 2025 Executive Board meetings and our June Strategic Planning Session, our board members and I discussed and formulated exciting, major new initiatives that Tech Alpharetta will launch in the first quarter of 2026. The initiatives themselves are transformational, but it was the support of my Tech Alpharetta board member community that truly resonated. Time and again, they showed up, for late afternoon calls and early morning meetings, enthusiastic and determined, collaborative and ever- supportive, ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work. No matter how busy, they always answered the call and made time to join me in envisioning next steps and new pathways for Tech Alpharetta. This board is my rock and the very foundation of Tech Alpharetta, and I’m incredibly grateful for this closely-knit group, this community of executives who believe in Tech Alpharetta and in me.
In addition to my board community, there’s our community of tech startup members here at our startup incubator. These founders inspire my team and me every single day with their incredible talent and their tremendous humility. They possess a fearless determination to build, and an astonishing ability to envision tech’s future, while the rest of us are focused upon the quotidian. They’re highly disciplined, eager to learn, and quite honestly, a joy to work with. This is the community with whom my team and I are so very fortunate to work, every single day.
Next, there’s the local tech ecosystem here in north Atlanta – the tech executives and tech professionals who show up, sometimes in small groups and sometimes en masse, to learn, to network, and to connect, at our programs and events. Collaborative, inquisitive, and always open to meeting new people, they’re the very fabric of our thriving, local innovation community.
And, behind all of this, are our sponsors, who make our work possible by generously dedicating resources to support Tech Alpharetta’s programs and incubator. Over time, we’ve built enduring friendships and business partnerships with our sponsor community, and we’re grateful for every one of our sponsor companies.
Finally, there’s the larger community – the metro Atlanta innovation ecosystem. It may be vast, but it’s every bit as welcoming, connected, and collaborative as a small Southern town. I’m honored to have been warmly welcomed and embraced, on behalf of Tech Alpharetta, by that larger community, and I’m excited to be working together, to help to collectively transform the metro region into a top 5 tech hub.
At the end of the day, it’s the people that matter. In 2025, you, our community, have repeatedly shown up for Tech Alpharetta and for me.
Thank you all, and I wish you the happiest of holidays!
Best,
Karen
