Startup Champions Network Fall Summit
For more than a decade, theClubhou.se and Make Startups have been at the center of Augusta’s entrepreneurial transformation. What began as a local experiment in community-driven innovation has grown into a nationally recognized model for inclusive ecosystem building.
Since 2012, our work has helped launch over 2,000 startups, trained more than 5,000 students in coding, robotics, and entrepreneurship, and hosted over 50,000 people at events designed to inspire and empower the next generation of innovators. With over $35 million in capital raised by companies in our network, we are proving that midsize cities can punch well above their weight.
This November, that work gets a national spotlight.
From November 5 to 7, with a pre-summit golf day on November 4, Augusta will host the Startup Champions Network Fall Summit. We will welcome 150 to 200 startup community leaders from across the country. These aren’t just attendees. They are the people who shape how capital, policy, and support flow to founders nationwide.
The SCN Summit is more than a conference. It is an opportunity to showcase the depth and diversity of our region’s innovation ecosystem, to invite national partners into our story, and to spark connections that lead to real investments and long-term opportunities. Few midsize cities are chosen to host. Augusta is ready to prove why it belongs on the national stage.
According to Mark Lawrence, Startup Champions Network Chairman of the Board, Augusta stood out for its deeply embedded culture of collaboration. “At SCN’s core, we lean into the essence that entrepreneurial ecosystems are all about the people and the culture of trust and collaboration that allows them to interact successfully. Augusta exemplifies this — from military veterans transitioning to civilian entrepreneurship to academic researchers commercializing breakthrough technologies, to established businesses mentoring the next generation of innovators. We believe that this is a community where collaboration isn't just encouraged; it's essential to survival and success.”
He also shared why Grace Belangia and Eric Parker, Co-founders of Make Startups and theClubhou.se, were chosen to lead the effort. “We chose them because they embody the collaborative leadership that drives the advancement of the field and this work. They demonstrate a long-time commitment to SCN, and they are part of the group of 'co-founders' behind Augusta’s thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem. They have the unique combination of experience and proven results with some of their key programs and projects that make them ideal summit hosts.”
Hosting the SCN Summit isn’t just a recognition of past work, it’s a forward-looking investment in what comes next. “Hosting an SCN Summit isn’t about bringing a conference to your city — it's about getting out in the community and connecting them to other entrepreneurial ecosystem builders and the national entrepreneurial ecosystem building conversations. SCN fosters the culture that connects, empowers, and amplifies ecosystem builders who are creating thriving entrepreneurial communities. We provide peer-to-peer networks that foster trust and collaboration to transform individual efforts into movements, ensuring that every community has the tools to build inclusive, sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems.”
Our region has always been a launchpad for bold ideas. From cybersecurity and medicine to energy, advanced manufacturing, and AI, the Greater Aiken-Augusta area is home to pioneers. Local startups aren’t just reacting to the future. They are building it.
At the Summit, we’ll take this story national. The theme, “Open Invitations,” plays off Augusta’s iconic golf history, but in the founding spirit of theClubhou.se, where everyone is welcome.
We will kick off with a golf outing at a local golf course, followed by tours, talks, and collaborative sessions designed to uncover real lessons about what it means to build ecosystems in places like ours.
The SCN Summit will explore cross-border collaboration between Georgia and South Carolina, the role of research in founder support and community investment, workforce development as a catalyst for economic mobility, and how to build sustainable organizations that outlast any one leader or grant cycle. Attendees will explore venues across the city, from the Georgia Cyber Center and The Imperial Theatre to downtown restaurants and more, connecting directly with the people shaping Augusta’s future from the ground up.
For Augusta, this is a moment to be seen. It is a week to introduce new energy, strengthen existing partnerships, and create new pathways for founders and funders alike.
