^{Friends of HatchBridge,}  

As we enter December, I want to take a moment and reflect on 2025. We have much to be thankful for at HatchBridge:

• The support of a world-class, rapidly growing university

• Fantastic entrepreneurs from across our community

• Dedicated faculty that are committed to ensuring their research has impact

• A fantastic new building that is home to many of our startups and programs

• A community that does not settle and always looks to the future

And I am thankful for you. Whether you open these emails monthly, or read them every other month, or if you're at HatchBridge on a daily basis, you're part of this community. You are what makes HatchBridge what it is.

2026 is a year for growth and expansion — where you'll see new programs and the improvement of existing programs. But all of that builds upon the foundation that you and the rest of the community have built here.

Thank you.

Hoping that you and yours have the best holiday season this year,

Colin Ake
^{Director of Incubation and Commercialization
HatchBridge Incubator}

PS: holiday snack pro tip from my kitchen: make Chex Mix but add 1.5 the amount of butter / Worcestershire sauce it calls for.

Angel investing didn’t start in Silicon Valley. Its roots go back to early 1900s Broadway, where private backers, known as “angels,” funded productions that would never have opened without them. They weren’t chasing returns. They were supporting their community and giving stories a chance to exist. 

A century later, angel investing has become a major asset class. Angels now invest $25 to $30 billion a year in the United States, backing more than 60,000 early-stage companies. It remains one of the most important sources of funding for startups in their most fragile stages. 

But as the field professionalized, the focus shifted almost entirely to financial metrics. Portfolios, IRR, power laws. Important, but not the whole picture. The original spirit of angel investing was about connection. It was about giving founders enough runway to turn possibility into reality. 

Today the landscape is opening again. New regulations and platforms allow people to invest smaller amounts, often $1,000 to $5,000, spreading risk while still supporting meaningful work.  

Angel investing is becoming more accessible, and with that comes an opportunity to reconnect to what made it powerful in the first place: community, belief, and supporting ideas before they are fully formed. 

This is why we’re hosting an introductory session on angel investing on December 18th at HatchBridge. We’ll explore the history, the mechanics, the risks, and the ways people can participate thoughtfully in supporting local founders and strengthening our regional ecosystem. 

Angel investing began as an act of community. It still can be. 

Mark Feinberg
^{Entrepreneur In Residence
HatchBridge Incubator}

If you want to talk about what this means for your own path, join us for a conversation with experienced angel investors,Graham Gintz and Mark Feinberg, who will walk through the ins and outs of early stage investing in a casual, open chat:

HatchBridge is excited to welcome Avoilan Bingham, Atlanta Seed GM at Drive Capital, for our next Build It! session. Avoilan will share insights on how AI is reshaping the venture capital landscape, what early-stage founders should know about raising in this environment, and where the biggest opportunities are emerging.

Join us for an afternoon of learning, honest conversations, and BUILDING!

December 5 10:00-1:00pm | 📍 HatchBridge Incubator (1111 Chastain NW)

RSVP now to save your spot!

Celebrate hardware engineering, innovation, and community at our holiday party hosted by Kickr Design and Hatchbridge Incubator!

Join us for an evening of celebration, collaboration, and creativity as Hatchbridge and Kickr Design bring together the hardware engineering community for a special holiday gathering!

December 9 5:00-7:00pm | 📍 Kickr Design (440 Interstate N Pkwy SE)

Join us at HatchBridge on Monday, December 16 from 2:00–3:30 PM for a festive holiday party! We’ll have cookie decorating, hot beverages, and light snacks, plus plenty of time to mingle with fellow founders, mentors, and friends of the incubator. Swing by for some sweet treats, creativity, and end-of-year cheer 🎄🍪✨

See you there!

Interested in getting involved at HatchBridge? Follow us on Social Media for the latest events and updates

Contact: Marie Northington, Operations Manager - [email protected]