Where do Black founders in Atlanta find mentorship from people who have actually exited?

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Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs

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Village Micro Fund

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Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs

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Village Micro Fund

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If you mean “where can I find mentors who have actually built, scaled, and sold companies—not just people who teach entrepreneurship?” the Atlanta ecosystem is smaller, but there are some good places to look. The trick is to avoid generic “business mentors” and get into rooms with operators, angel investors, and exited founders.

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1. Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs (RICE)

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(404) 912-8494

Probably the most obvious Atlanta home base for Black founders. It was built specifically around Black entrepreneurship and tends to attract founders, investors, corporate executives, and ecosystem builders.

How to use it strategically:

Don’t just attend events—ask for introductions to founders who have raised institutional capital, sold companies, or built $10M+ businesses.

Spend time in founder circles there; experienced operators are usually found through relationships, not mentor directories.

2. Village Micro Fund

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(720) 515-5047

A strong fit for Black…

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Named: Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs, Atlanta, Atlanta Technology Angels, TiE Atlanta, Atlanta Tech Village

Sources cited: mapbox.com, foundersnetwork.com

Claude

Atlanta has a real cluster of exited founders who mentor there, but they show up through specific channels rather than a general "mentorship" listing. Here's where to actually find them:

Organizations with exited-founder networks

Collab Capital — founded by Barry Givens (Monsieur, acquired), Jewel Burks Solomon (Partpic, acquired by Amazon), and Justin Dawkins. This is probably your best bet: it's an investment firm built specifically around Black founders backing Black founders, so the people writing checks and advising have actual exits behind them.

RICE (Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs) — provides business education, mentoring and networking opportunities to Black entrepreneurs, working with companies in any industry, at every stage of development, and has drawn large corporate backing (Mastercard, Google).

Mastercard

TechSquare Labs — Paul Judge's hub, part of the same circle of Atlanta Black tech founders who've built and sold companies.

Goodie Nation — a nonprofit dedicated to eliminating the relationship gap that stands in the way of success for entrepreneurs, especially those who are people of color; it's built around connecting founders to relevant mentors, including operators who've exited.

Startupatlanta

Google for Startups Black Founders Fund — beyond the capital, selected founders receive hands-on support to help their startup grow, and Google's U.S. Head of Startups is Jewel Burks Solomon herself, an Atlanta exited founder (Partpic).…

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Named: Atlanta, Collab Capital, Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs, TechSquare Labs, Goodie Nation, Morehouse College, The Gathering Spot

Sources cited: mastercard.com, guide.startupatlanta.com, urbangeekz.com

Gemini

Black founders in Atlanta seeking mentorship specifically from entrepreneurs who have successfully exited startups can plug into a few key ecosystems, organizations, and hubs.

Because second- or third-time founders and exited operators are often busy managing venture funds or angel investing, the best mentorship happens through dedicated founder networks, incubators, and private clubs.

Inc. Magazine

Top Platforms & Ecosystems for Exited-Founder Mentorship

Goodie Nation & ATL BLK TCH: Led by Joey Womack, Goodie Nation runs structured founder support programs, roundtables, and founder-therapy sessions. They frequently pair early-stage diverse founders with serial entrepreneurs and angel investors who have gone through complete acquisitions or IPOs.

ATL BLK TCH

Collab Capital: Founded by Jewel Burks Solomon (who founded Partpic and exited to Amazon) and Barry Givens (who founded Monsieur and exited), Collab Capital is an Atlanta-based venture fund. Beyond investment, they actively mentor Black tech founders, sharing playbooks on fundraising, operations, and navigating M&A.

Inc. Magazine

The Gathering Spot (TGS): Founded by Ryan Wilson, TGS serves as a primary physical networking hub for Black executives, founders, and investors in Atlanta. Many exited Black founders hold memberships here, making it one of the top organic spots for relational mentorship.

Inc. Magazine

Center for Black Entrepreneurship (CBE) / LIFT Atlanta: A joint initiative between Spelman College,…

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Named: Atlanta, Goodie Nation, Collab Capital, The Gathering Spot, Spelman College, Morehouse College, Atlanta Tech Village, Techstars Atlanta, TechSquare Labs, Cox Enterprises, OHUB

Sources cited: inc.com, atlblacktech.org, accessgaf.org

Perplexity

The strongest path is to use Atlanta’s Black-founder community as the entry point, then deliberately ask for introductions to specific former founders—not merely generic “mentors.” The most relevant current options are the Atlanta Black Tech Founder Project/Goodie Nation network, the Center for Black Entrepreneurship’s LIFT program, and broader networks such as ATDC and Founders Network. None guarantees that every mentor has personally sold a company, so verify an advisor’s operating history before committing time.

atlblacktech

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Best local entry points

Where Why it is relevant How to use it to meet exited operators

ATL BLK TCH’s Atlanta Black Tech Founder Project Built specifically for Metro Atlanta Black tech founders with at least an MVP. Participants get priority access to Goodie Nation’s Next Generation Program, a private Slack community, founder/investor events, product and investor-readiness evaluations, and curated introductions.

atlblacktech

Apply, then ask the program lead for two targeted introductions: a Black founder who has sold a company and an operator who has led a company through a strategic acquisition. Bring a one-paragraph brief explaining your company, stage, and exact decision you need help with.

Center for Black Entrepreneurship (CBE) — LIFT Atlanta LIFT is a 16-week program for early-stage Black-led startups that combines mentorship, pitch coaching, fractional executive support, and investor connections; it has an Atlanta in-person/hybrid track.…

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Named: Atlanta, Goodie Nation, ATDC, Georgia Tech, Startup Atlanta

Sources cited: atlblacktech.org, cbecenter.org, foundersnetwork.com, guide.startupatlanta.com, atdc.org, wabe.org, blog.google, feeds.ajc.com, forbes.com, eiexchange.com, abc7.com, blackfounders.com, linkedin.com, atlantastartuppodcast.com, agetechconnect.com, accessgaf.org, bossip.com, startupatlanta.com