ATLANTA – Sept. 24, 2024 – The Technology Executives Roundtable (TER), an organization of more than 120 Georgia technology leaders, will honor Blake Patton, founder and Managing General Partner of Tech Square Ventures, with the 2024 John Imlay Leadership Award. The ceremony will take place from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Nov. 19 at SCAD.
The John Imlay Leadership Award recognizes and celebrates those who have shown exceptional leadership on behalf of the Georgia high-tech community. It is named in honor of the late John Imlay, Jr., former chairman of Imlay Investments, who is credited with helping create two of Atlanta’s biggest tech industries — software and internet security.
This year’s award recipient, Blake Patton, is the founder and Managing General Partner of Tech Square Adventures, 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.
Before founding Tech Square Ventures, Patton 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. There, he was part of the executive team that grew the company from a startup to over $400 million in annualized revenue and an IPO.
“We couldn’t be more honored to present this award to Blake, given his unmatched dedication to building the Atlanta tech community and investing in its future,” said John Wichmann, TER president. “Much like John Imlay, Blake is committed to engaging and growing talent and innovation in the Atlanta technology space — which he demonstrates in his work and community leadership.”
Patton is an active leader in the technology community, serving on the boards of Georgia Advanced Technology Ventures, High Tech Ministries, and the ATDC Advisory Board. He is a former Chairman of Venture Atlanta and the Center for American Entrepreneurship. Patton is a part-time Professor of the Practice at Georgia Tech’s Scheller College of Business. Patton earned a Bachelor of Industrial and Systems Engineering degree from Georgia Tech. 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.
“Throughout my career as an entrepreneur and investor, I’ve been incredibly blessed to have so many amazing people in the Atlanta community support me and shape who I am both personally and professionally,” said Patton. “Atlanta is where startups thrive, universities create the future, and enterprises find new ways to leverage groundbreaking discoveries. It is an exciting time to be part of what I believe is the fastest-growing innovation region.”
”Considering the legacy of John Imlay and the impact past recipients of the award have had in molding Atlanta’s technology community, I am grateful to be a small part of the momentum in the city's tech community.”
Past recipients of the John Imlay Leadership Award are:
For more information about the Technology Executives Roundtable (TER), visit www.ter-atlanta.com/
About Technology Executives Roundtable
Technology Executives Roundtable (TER) is an association for Georgia technology executives that provides CEOs, CFOs and general managers with the ability to maximize the value of companies through the exchange of top ideas, candid talk and a forum to share what is working, what is not and best practices to unlock business value. Monthly meetings feature speakers and panels of local and national experts covering topics such as strategic alliances, crisis management, non-conventional financing, M&A, intellectual property protection and other issues of interest to senior executives on company growth. For more information, vvisit www.ter-atlanta.com/