Blake Patton

Founder & Managing Partner

Blake Patton is the founder and Managing General Partner of Tech Square Ventures where he leads investments in enterprise software, marketplace, and platform technology companies. Under his leadership, the firm has invested in more than 100 early-stage companies and launched Engage, an innovative corporate innovation and enterprise startup accelerator program. He currently represents Tech Square Ventures as a director or observer on the boards of Danti, Nok, Pointivo, Saleo, Slip Robotics, Toolpath, Yesler, and Vizion.

Prior to founding Tech Square Ventures, Blake was General Manager of the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) at Georgia Tech – named by Forbes as one of the “Top 12 Incubators Changing the World”. Prior to leading ATDC, he served as President & COO of Interactive Advisory Software and EVP of iXL, an internet services company that he joined through the acquisition of Swan Media and was part of the executive team that grew the company from startup to over $400 million in annualized revenue and an IPO. He started his career as an Associate at SEI Corporation.

Blake is an active leader in the technology community, serving on the boards of Engage, Georgia Advanced Technology Ventures (GATV), and High Tech Ministries. He also serves on the advisory boards of ATDC and Georgia Tech’s Cowan-Turner Center for Servant Leadership, and is a former Chairman of Venture Atlanta, former Chairman of the Center for American Entrepreneurship, a Georgia Research Alliance Industry Fellow, and a member of the selection committee for the NC State Chancellor’s Innovation Fund. Blake is a part-time Professor of the Practice at Georgia Tech’s Scheller College of Business where he teaches Entrepreneurial Finance.

Blake earned a Bachelor of Industrial and Systems Engineering degree from Georgia Tech, where he was captain of the swim team. He was inducted into the Georgia Tech College of Engineering’s Council of Outstanding Young Engineering Alumni, is a former Georgia Tech Alumni Association Trustee, and previously served on the Georgia Tech Advisory Board

Bill is a Partner at Tech Square Ventures where he supports the firm’s early-stage investments and oversees the growth of the Engage program and fund

Bill spent most of his career as a tech CEO. His first company, which he co-founded in high school, provided graphics software for early, text-based personal computers. His second company, Da Vinci Systems, was started out of his college dorm room and grew to serve millions of users across 45 countries. Later, he spent several years as a venture capitalist with Greylock. In 1998, he left the firm to become CEO of a portfolio company, iXL, which went public and grew to nearly $500 million in revenue. After iXL, he joined Silverpop as CEO. The company grew to nearly $100 million in recurring revenue and became a global leader in cloud-based marketing. In 2014, IBM acquired the company and made it the foundation of the IBM Marketing Cloud. Shortly after the acquisition, Bill was promoted to IBM’s VP of Corporate Strategy, helping the CEO and SVPs set IBM’s strategic roadmap.

In 2018, Bill co-founded Solar Inventions to commercialize a series of scientific breakthroughs for improving the manufacturing of solar cells and panels. He has spent his career in the tech industry, centered on go-to-market and customer experience, and over the last few years, he has focused on energy and sustainability.

Bill received a degree in electrical engineering from North Carolina State University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He holds several patents and has published three books.

Scott Lopano

Partner

Scott is a Partner at Tech Square Ventures where he is responsible for the investment team and activity, along with how the Firm supports our portfolio companies.

Since joining TSV as the first member of the investment team in 2017, Scott has led or supported our 100+ investments focused on early-stage enterprise (B2B) and marketplace technology companies.

Scott is involved in supporting the Atlanta ecosystem, proudly serving on the board of Venture Atlanta, and as an Advisor at Atlanta Tech Village for many years.

Previously, Scott worked at UBS Investment Bank in New York where he advised clients on capital structure and funding strategy across debt and preferred stock.

Scott holds a B.S. from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, where he also led the Penn Quaker Football Team to 3 Ivy League Championship seasons. He currently holds the record for most punts and most punt yardage in the school’s history. Scott competed at Rookie Mini Camp with the Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers before starting his career in finance.

He and his wife Sarah are blessed with 3 kids and are happy to call Atlanta home.

Joelle Fox

CFO & Operating Partner

Joelle is CFO and Operating Partner at Tech Square Ventures where she manages fund administration and accounting, supports the investment process, and assists portfolio companies with financial and operating strategies.

Prior to joining Tech Square Ventures, Joelle served in roles including starting, growing and exiting high growth technology companies. After successfully selling Velocity Medical Solutions to Varian Medical Systems, she joined Varian to integrate Velocity’s team and systems into the publicly traded medical device and software company. Previously, Joelle served as SVP of Finance and Acquisitions at iXL, Inc. and was part of the PWC audit practice for eight years in Atlanta where she focused on technology, media, and consumer goods.

Joelle earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Tennessee. She is actively involved with the LEAD2Legacy program, LOVE Atlanta, and the Flourish women’s mentoring program.

Jason Kuo

Principal, Tech Square Ventures

Jason is a Principal at Tech Square Ventures where he is responsible for sourcing new deals, deal execution, and supporting portfolio companies.

Jason started his career as a software engineer before joining several health tech startups as an early product manager. He has also advised several software and tech-enabled services companies through successful M&A transactions as an investment banker with Citizens Capital Markets. Before joining Tech Square Ventures, Jason co-founded Onboard, an immigration technology company focused on the international education market.

Jason is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University and received his MBA from the Goizueta School of Business at Emory University. Originally from the northeast, he now resides in Atlanta with his wife Jolinta and their two children. Jason enjoys cycling, running, and hiking; he has circumnavigated the island of Taiwan on a bicycle and has completed a half Ironman in addition to several marathons and century rides.

David Malloy

Associate, Tech Square Ventures

David serves as an Associate at Tech Square Ventures. He finds companies, supports diligence, and executes transactions for Engage. David actively supports Engage Network portfolio companies.

Previously, he was an Associate at Columbus, OH-based firm LOUD Capital. David invested in early-stage software companies focused on supply chain, logistics, and healthcare. He also built a software agency and interned with local startups in Columbus.

Passionate about entrepreneurship, David founded an angel-accelerator and mentors founders through SEA Change, a social impact accelerator. An Atlanta native, he holds a BA in Finance from The Ohio State University.

Jordan Greenberg

Associate & Chief of Staff

Jordan is an Associate and Chief of Staff at Tech Square Ventures where he is responsible for investment activity and supporting the Managing Partner.

Jordan began his career as an engineer at various venture capital and private equity firms, using data science to reimagine the traditional investment process. Previously, he’s been a Machine Learning Engineer at Vista Equity Partners, a Data Science and Investment Analyst at Norwest Venture Partners, and most recently a Data Science Consultant for General Catalyst.

Jordan earned a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Stanford University, where he was a captain of the swim team.

Steve George

Entrepreneur in Residence

Steve George is an Entrepreneur in Residence at Tech Square Ventures where he supports the firm’s new investments and advises portfolio companies on go-to-market acceleration and overall company building.

Steve is an executive leader who co-founded and grew Inovity from a start-up business into a prominent integrator in the specialty technology industry. With fiscal, sales and strategic planning responsibility, he, along with his team, developed Inovity into a nationally recognized and highly respected provider of mobility, enterprise printing and industrial automation solutions.

After leading the growth and ultimately participating in the sale of four technology businesses, he is excited to provide his expertise to the next generation of high growth tech companies.

Outside of work he volunteers his time mentoring youths and has served on the Board of Directors for a local youth sports league.

Steve is a fervent advocate for environmental sustainability.

He graduated from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA with a Bachelor of Business Administration/Marketing degree.

Steve lives in Atlanta with his wife Kim and three children. He is a sports enthusiast and avid traveler who is always interested in exploring new cultures. He also enjoys the opportunity to get outside and hike whenever possible.

Matthew Stevens

Entrepreneur in Residence

Matthew Stevens is an Entrepreneur in Residence at Tech Square Ventures where he supports the firm’s new investments and advises portfolio companies on go-to-market acceleration and overall company building.

Matt is also an EIR with the ATDC, an angel investor and an advisor to several early stage technology companies located in Atlanta and San Francisco. He specializes in EOS, Culture Creation, Organizational Design and Go-to-Market for early stage companies across several industry verticals including Public Safety, Supply Chain, Cloud Infrastructure/Telecom and Managed Services.

As both a CEO and President, Matt has Founded and Co-Founded several companies including CENTEGIX which sustained triple-digit growth and achieved a $20M ARR run rate in 3 years despite a global pandemic. Through his leadership CENTEGIX was twice recognized by Inc 5000 as a Fastest Growing Company in America, Atlanta Business Chronicle Pacesetter Award, twice a Technology Association of GA Top 40 & Top 10 Innovative Company, a Hire Vets Gold Medallion recipient and a finalist in the FETC Pitch Competition. He’s has several successful exits and is now focused on helping other entrepreneurs achieve their startup dreams.

Matt has been coaching founders and entrepreneurs for over a decade, helping them navigate capital raise, building leadership teams, creating high-performing sales organizations and selling to enterprise customers. His niche is high growth recurring revenue technology companies with a B2B, enterprise focus. He serves on several startup Boards and Advisory Boards.

He’s a community builder and serves on the Advisory Board of The City Springs Theatre Company, and is the former Chairman and current Board Member Emeritus of Atlanta’s High Tech Prayer Breakfast.

Matt holds a Bachelors of Science and Management degree in Computer Sciences from SUNY Fredonia and has continued his education with Management courses at Georgia Tech and Emory University.

Matt lives in Atlanta with his wife Candace and three children. He’s an active outdoorsman who spends his free time fishing, hunting and hiking.

Junior Gaspard

Head of Startup Growth

Junior Gaspard is our Head of Startup Growth at Engage where he supports the firm’s new investments and advises portfolio companies on go-to-market acceleration and overall company building.

Junior Gaspard is a Go-To-Market leader with a 15+ year track record as a CEO and executive GTM leader. Prior to his current role as co-founder and CEO of Frax, Junior served as CEO of Experience, a multi-million dollar mobile commerce platform used by 200+ partners across professional sports and entertainment that was acquired by Cox Enterprises. The product was used by millions of fans at 10,000+ events a year across the MLB, NBA, NCAA, NFL, and NHL. Prior to his time at Experience, he led large sales and marketing functions at multiple early-stage SaaS companies, including marketing automation company Silverpop, which IBM acquired in 2012.

He serves on the Advisory Board for Jump Technologies and is a Limited Partner with Collab Capital. He has also been recognized by the SportsBusiness Journal (Forty Under 40)

Taylor Schwan is the Director of Corporate Innovation at Engage and is responsible for building a world-class program that delivers accelerated innovation, learning, and networking opportunities to our partner companies and executives.

Prior to Engage, Taylor served in management consulting roles at Atlanta-based firm, GXG, and at Marriott International where she was a Senior Manager of Enterprise Strategy for the Global Loyalty Business. At Gartner, Taylor was a Senior Researcher supporting legal and compliance executives on corporate governance, data privacy, and compliance initiatives. During her time in DC, Taylor also had the privilege of running a non-profit called National Student Leadership, which focuses on equipping the next generation of student leaders through the idea of servant leadership.

Taylor is passionate about mentorship and innovation, at both a professional and personal level. She serves as a mentor for National Student Leadership and as a member of Women Shaping Shepherd, an Atlanta-based non-profit focused on funding patient-centered programs to fulfill Shepherd Center’s mission of helping people with temporary or permanent disability to rebuild their lives with hope, independence, and dignity. 

Taylor is an Atlanta native and earned a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs and Political Science from the University of Georgia. 

Madeline “Maddie” Harper is the Manager of the Enterprise Accelerator Program at Engage where she is responsible for operations and program support.

During her college career, Maddie as a Corporate Development and Sales Associate worked for 3 years at Stackfolio, Inc, a machine learning-enabled online marketplace for loan trading and participation. She worked with product, sales, and operations teams on projects encompassing corporate strategy, B2B sales, and internal operations.

Maddie has earn her B.S. in Business Administration in May 2021, with highest honor, from the Georgia Institute of Technology where she specialized in Operations and Supply Chain Management with a certificate in Leadership and Organizational Change. She was actively involved in The Society of Women in Business and Ronald McDonald House Charities.