October 18-20 | Tucson, AZ

The Research Institution GAP Fund and Accelerator Program Summit

The Venture Arcade at Georgia Tech names Laura Hodgson to lead new startup accelerator

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October 16-17, 2025 / Seattle, WA

The annual summit for research institution gap fund and accelerator programs, including proof of concept programs, startup accelerators, and university venture funds

The Story

Previously known as Velocity Startups, The Venture Arcade serves as a bridge between early-stage startup founders who have participated in Georgia Tech initiatives like CREATE-XQuadrant-i, and Biolocity and are focused on scaling their businesses and preparing themselves for late-stage accelerators such as the Advanced Technology Development CenterEngageFusen, and Atlanta Tech Village.

Hodgson brings more than two decades of entrepreneurial leadership, capital markets expertise, and global operating experience to the role. As CEO of RoxWrite, she led the development of an industry-leading, AI-powered underwriting, onboarding, and risk-monitoring platform. Hodgson co-founded and led Now Corp from 2010 to 2024, serving as president and CEO of the innovative business-to-business payments company that created NowAccount. Earlier in her career, she co-founded Nourish Inc., served as executive VP of Dunk.net and chief marketing officer and chief operating officer of Dewberry Capital Corporation, and was senior vice president and general manager at iXL, where she built and led the Retail and Consumer Products Practice across 26 global offices serving clients such as The Home Depot, Coca-Cola, and Nike.

About The Venture Arcade

The Venture Arcade is a startup accelerator that propels deep-tech innovation, providing the resources and infrastructure for founders to take their innovations to market. Located in the heart of Tech Square in the historic Biltmore Innovation Center, The Venture Arcade offers mentorship, infrastructure, strategic programming, and funding opportunities. The accelerator is made possible through a partnership with Georgia Advanced Technology Ventures Inc. and the Georgia Tech Foundation.

Consortium For Gap Fund and Accelerator ProgramS

The Consortium provides a dedicated, institutional coordinating forum for collective insight, program refinement, and structured engagement with aligned commercial, investment, and philanthropic partners.

GAP are an interdependent institutional innovation and capital strategy that includes:

  • Translational research

  • Proof of concept programs

  • Startup accelerators

  • University venture funds

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