Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathryn O’Day.
Hi Kathryn, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Born and raised in ATL, I often feel like I “grew up” as Atlanta did… especially with the tech scene.
I was your typical liberal arts college graduate looking for gainful employment when I stumbled on a tech company willing to take a chance on someone who could barely turn on a computer!
I joined Pardot in 2009 as employee #9. Pardot was based out of the old MTV office in a Buckhead office building, a far cry from places we have now like Atlanta Tech Village.
With a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck, Pardot was acquired $95M in 2012. Exact Target was acquired by Salesforce for $2.4B in 2013, and by then, the tech bug had taken hold — in me personally and also across the city.
Fast forward 15 years, and I’ve been part of multiple tech exits, scaled startups as COO, and now spend all day, every day, helping the next generation of Southern entrepreneurs.
I’m a partner at Atlanta Ventures, where we are passionate about funding founders, empowering entrepreneurs, and creating companies.
My bold goal is to support ten female-founded unicorns (companies valued at $1B+) in the next ten years in the Southeast.
To all my founders identifying as women or non-binary who want to build BIG — let me know! We have events, office hours, intros, office space, inspiration, mentorship, capital, and MORE.
The collaboration, talent, and ambition of Atlanta is unparalleled. There is nowhere better to build the next big-ass business!
When I’m not singing the praises of the Atlanta tech scene, I’m walking my two sons to school or training for endurance events. I have done 7 Ironmans (including the World Championship in Kona, HI).
I love the alignment between startups and endurance events:
Hours of unglamorous work over weeks, months, and years, with lots of highs and lows.
It doesn’t always feel like you’re moving forward, but you show up every day and do it anyway.
One day, you take a moment to reflect and realize how far you’ve come!
An overnight success…decades in the making.
Just like Atlanta! 😉
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Building companies is hard!
Our running office joke was that it was more efficient to cry at your desk than in the bathroom.
All that said…when I look back at the hardest times, something good has come out of it.
A stressful but unsatisfying role caused sleepless nights…but it ended up being the catalyst for a COO role at a high-growth startup!
As you know, we’re big fans of Atlanta Ventures. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
At Atlanta Ventures, we empower entrepreneurs to start, grow, and learn — focusing on Atlanta and the Southeast!
We create companies from scratch in our venture studio by partnering with amazing founders who are looking for the next billion-dollar idea.
We invest in early-stage subscription tech companies (examples: Calendly and Salesloft).
Our #1 priority is to help entrepreneurs through content, community, and capital. We do 100s of blogs, events, and coaching sessions that are free and open to anyone!
I host 15-minute Founder Calls here: https://calendly.com/kathryn-av/15-min-founder-call-w-kathryn
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
I work with the most optimistic, motivated, and talented individuals every day.
If you’re having a bad day, talk to an entrepreneur!
They are working hard to change the world. They believe it’s possible. And their positive energy is contagious!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kathrynoday.substack.com/, https://www.kathrynoday.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kathrynoday
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathrynoday/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/kathrynoday
- Youtube: Atlanta Ventures: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnDyikaEvIApOf1gg9qm0DA
- Other: https://www.atlantaventures.com/
