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Melissa Pegus
Experienced leader in accelerating business growth
Melissa Pegus is an accomplished startup operator, early-stage investor, and the Managing Director of Techstars Atlanta and New Orleans Accelerators Powered by J.P. Morgan.4 With over a decade of experience in scaling startups from pre-revenue through Series C growth, her career has resulted in seven acquisitions.13
Professional Experience
Melissa's current role at Techstars began in March 2022.2 Her responsibilities include:
- Managing the J.P. Morgan accelerator programs in Atlanta and New Orleans
- Focusing on startups building the future of Commerce, Consumer, Climate, and the Creator Economy
- Identifying and supporting purpose-driven entrepreneurs with vision, fearlessness, and self-awareness3
Career Highlights
- Chief Revenue Officer at Chord Commerce and mBolden
- Head of Revenue at diff (acquired by WPP)
- SVP, Head of Sales & Strategic Partnerships at MPP Global (acquired by Aptitude Software Group)
- Director, Business Development & Strategic Partnerships at Curalate (acquired by Bazaarvoice)
- Manager, Strategic Partnerships at Spree Commerce (acquired by First Data)2
Additional Roles
- Instructor at MIT Enterprise Forum Cambridge
- Executive Member of Revenue Collective
- Advisor for various companies including The Port Global and Retina AI
- Former Entrepreneur In Residence and Senior Associate at Tech Square Ventures2
Education and Skills
Melissa graduated from Georgetown University with a B.A. in Government.5 She is multilingual, with proficiency in:
- English (native)
- Spanish (native or bilingual)
- Italian (professional working)
- Portuguese (elementary)2
Philosophy and Approach
Melissa emphasizes the importance of strategic partnerships for startups, believing they can transform businesses by building brand awareness, establishing credibility, and facilitating growth.3 She is committed to supporting diverse, early-stage founders and believes in creating opportunities that drive innovation and global impact.6
Highlights
Thrilled to share my recent conversation with @SPYJared on why agility is critical for success in today’s market. It’s all about making smart, fast pivots to seize opportunities and drive growth. Bonus: we’re all familiar with unicorns but what’s a zebra?
🚀 Introducing the Inaugural class of Techstars New Orleans Powered by J.P. Morgan 🌟 These 11 category-leading start-ups are poised to disrupt the commerce technology, consumer brand & platform, creator economy technology, and climate tech industries.
🌐Read the class announcement here: https://rb.gy/kdsxo 🌐
Over the next 13 weeks, our founders will be immersed in a transformative experience, benefiting from the invaluable mentorship, resources, and guidance that Techstars and J.P. Morgan offer. The significance of this partnership cannot be overstated, especially as we collectively strive to foster an environment where innovation thrives and barriers are broken. In a world where innovation knows no bounds, these startups exemplify the endless potential that resides within the startup ecosystem.
I hope you’ll join me in rallying behind our founders from following their journey through our program, meeting them IRL at TechCrunch Disrupt & Afrotech, leaning-in to mentor them, and investing in their businesses as they dare greatly, push boundaries, and create lasting impact.
Commerce Technology
- Airyvl (Mark Thayer)
- GroceryList (Rory Richards & Jermain M.)
- Head Office (Khary Sharpe)
- Monocle Software (Amir Sigari)
- PipeOps (Samuel Ogbonyomi, Taye Joseph, Alex Idowu)
- Ticket Avengers (DeAngelo Smith)
Consumer Brands & Platforms 7. Gently Soap (Kristen Dunning) 8. PopViewers (Chris Witherspoon)
Creator Economy Technology 9. Cyphr (Dylan Brennan) 10. Audioland (Sergei Baranov & Dima Abramov)
Climate Technology 11. Munivestor (Damon Burns)
