Since its founding in 2016, Valor has built a platform that offers the weekly Atlanta Startup Podcast; Startup Runway, the largest pre-seed pitch event for under-represented founders in the country, and hosts VC DAY, the private early-stage conference that attracts billions in capital focused on the South.
(NASDAQ:CDLX), an Atlanta business recognized as one of the country’s fastest-growing
technology companies by Deloitte Fast 500 and Inc. 5000.
In February 2018, Lynne took Cardlytics public on the Nasdaq, making Cardlytics the
first tech IPO of the year. Lynne is one of only a handful of women who have led their firm to public markets.
Lynne raised over a billion dollars in public and private markets to scale Cardlytics into the
dominant global leader in purchase history-based analytics. It's also been frequently at the top of Atlanta's Best Places to Work lists.
In 2016, Lynne was named one of the top 10 venture-backed female founders by Inc. Magazine and Entrepreneur
360. In 2012 and 2013 Lynne was a finalist for the E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
Before founding Cardlytics, Lynne held multiple executive positions with Capital One from 1994 until 2008.
Lynne began her career at Bank One. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for NerdWallet and
Endeavor, a global organization of, by, and for entrepreneurs.
Lynne holds a Bachelor of Science degree in finance and marketing from the University of Cincinnati’s College
of Business and is a graduate of Darden’s Executive Leadership program from the University of Virginia. Lynne
is a mother of two and enjoys working out and cooking in her limited spare time.
Wiliam got his first taste of the startup ecosystem working for his friend's startup at the Mercer Innovation Center (MIC). The MIC provides aspiring entrepreneurs the programs, networking opportunities, physical space, tools, experts, student interns, and access to potential funders that can help take an idea from conception to market. Going forward, William is hopeful to pay it forward as a mentor at the MIC and is excited to help cultivate future entrepreneurs emerging from the southeast US.
In his free time, William enjoys community service, options trading, golfing, cooking, and reading autobiographies; along with his best friends, he mentors underserved youth in Metro Atlanta. His [current] favorite shows on Netflix are Ozark & Lupin.
While Dike started her career in corporate, she is no stranger to the local startup scene.
After working at Merck commercializing vaccines, she found herself drawn to the procurement side of business. That move helped her catch the “business bug,” so she went to the University of Chicago Booth School of Business for her MBA before going into management consulting, a path she described as “the equivalent to a residency after medical school.”
In 2021 she founded UltraViolet Insights, a business consulting firm for startups and SMBs (small and mid-sized businesses). This last spring she joined ATDC, Georgia’s business accelerator, as the Georgia AIM Startup Catalyst. The grant-funded role is designed to help the state transition to automation in manufacturing.
In addition to her work at Spelman, she leads a college planning cohort internship program that recruits college student volunteers to guide high school students through the college application process. In her free time, Williams enjoys watching historical documentaries and reading.