Author: David Cummings

David Cummings is a Partner and co-founder of Atlanta Ventures and co-founder of Pardot (acquired by Salesforce). He has invested in and supported hundreds of early-stage startups in the Southeast and writes regularly about entrepreneurship, SaaS, and the Atlanta tech ecosystem.

Focus on Building a Great Business, Not an Exit

Last week, I was talking with an entrepreneur about ensuring a business is set up for an exit. After a few minutes of discussing the pros and cons of thinking about an exit early in the startup journe

Control Your Controllables

Last week, I had the opportunity to spend time with a group of executives working on a regional project. One phrase that came up repeatedly was: control your controllables. Although this was said in t

When Potential Investors Don’t Like the Market

Last week, I was catching up with an entrepreneur who was lamenting how potential investors didn’t like his market. It reminded me of the early days at Pardot. We were about three years into the busin

Plugging into the Local Startup Community

Once or twice a month, I’m introduced to someone who wants to plug into the local startup community. Sometimes it’s a person new to town. Other times it’s someone who has been here for a few years, he

Raise Institutional Capital or Make Do Without

Last week I was talking to an entrepreneur who had built a solid business, growing modestly with plenty of room to run. During the conversation, the question came up about whether or not to raise inst

What to Look for in an Entrepreneur

Last week I was catching up with an entrepreneur who was thinking about doing some angel investing, and he asked me what I look for in other entrepreneurs. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to

When Competitors Raise Large Rounds

Last week, I was talking to an entrepreneur who is building a new business. The company has some decent traction, and he’s deciding what to do next on the fundraising side. As part of the discussion,

Customer Value Financing Part 2

Last week I was talking with an entrepreneur about financing options and the current fundraising climate. One of the topics that came up was customer value financing, an idea I first explored a couple

Beyond Hyper Growth

Last week, I spoke with an entrepreneur whose company is growing at a pace that goes beyond even traditional hypergrowth standards. I’ve read about companies like Replit and Lovable going from $0 to $