Melissa Pegus

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