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Newsletter Edition #1231: It's Time To Pay Attention To Local DefenseTech

Sending this from the opening of Venture Atlanta 2026. We'll be keeping you up-to-date with the latest news from the conference on your LinkedIn page...so hit that follow button if you want updates about what we are learning, who are are meeting, and what news is breaking at Venture Atlanta this year.

(And if you're here and want to chat about what you are building, send a note!)

Now, onto the news of the day:

Keep on scrolling to see who is hiring, which companies are on the move, and what events are happening next.

This edition of Hypepotamus is brought to you by Live Oak Bank.

The Big Headline: DefenseTech will be a big topic at this week's Venture Atlanta conference. The industry, and DeepTech as a whole, has been growing steadily in the Southeast, with startups to watch coming out of Georgia, Alabama, and North Carolina. Is this the new industry to watch? More on the evolving world of local DefenseTech here.

Startup To Watch: It started with handmade dumplings...and a marketing problem. While helping his mother launch a dumpling business, HealthTech executive Runbin Dong (who is pitching today at Venture Atlanta) found that influencer posts brought attention that quickly faded. That frustration sparked Raleigh’s Scale Social, which uses an AI director to help real customers record experiences brands can reuse across campaigns. More on the North Carolina-based Scale Social here.

Community News: The four teens behind NeuroCore are developing a wearable brace designed to help children with cerebral palsy practice core control and give therapists better movement data. With support from TiE Atlanta, Georgia State, and Georgia Tech’s CREATE-X, they’re bringing their medical device startup to life. Now comes the next challenge: finding more pilot partners...and graduating high school. Meet NeuroCore's team here.

Live Oak Bank's (NYSE: LOB) Venture Banking team provides non-dilutive growth financing that complements equity, along with tailored banking solutions, for venture-backed B2B software and healthcare companies at every stage of their financing journey. We understand entrepreneurs because we are entrepreneurs. Member FDIC.