C-Suite Connect: Lara Hodgson, Nowaccount Network Corporation

Step into the world of innovative financial solutions at our next C-Suite Connect event. This series is your gateway to the insights and strategies that are shaping the future of business and technology.

Featured Speaker: Lara Hodgson, Co-founder, President & CEO of NowCorp

We are thrilled to welcome Lara Hodgson, a visionary entrepreneur and the driving force behind NowCorp, a groundbreaking financial services company that is transforming the way businesses manage their cash flow. As the creator of NOWaccount®, NowCorp is revolutionizing the B2B payment landscape by helping businesses get paid faster and grow smarter.

Event Highlights:

• Meet Lara Hodgson: Learn about Lara’s journey as an entrepreneur, from her early ventures to her current role as CEO of NowCorp. Discover the passion and drive that fuel her daily routine, and how she balances her roles as a leader, author, activist, and mother.
  
• Deep Dive into NOW Corp: Gain insights into the financial services industry and how NOW Corp is empowering businesses with innovative solutions like NOWaccount®. Understand how the company helps businesses improve cash flow, reduce risk, and accelerate growth.
  
• Market Insights: Explore the current landscape of the B2B and B2G sectors. Lara will discuss the biggest challenges and opportunities for her business and its customers, and how she is positioning NOW Corp to continue its growth trajectory.
  
• Technological Impact: Delve into the technologies and products that are shaping the future of small and medium-sized businesses.
  
• Company Culture: Learn how Lara’s values around customer service and relationship-building permeate the culture at NOW Corp. Discover how she ensures these principles are embraced by her team and reflected in every aspect of the business.
  
• Personal Insights: Lara will share her thoughts on community involvement, the strength in differences, and her approach to life as a leader, author, and activist.
  
• Future Vision: Get a glimpse into what’s next for NOW Corp, the Atlanta tech scene, and for Lara herself as she navigates the next chapter of her personal and professional journey.

About Lara Hodgson

Lara serves as President & CEO of NOW Corp, a company she co-founded to free small businesses from the burden of being a free bank to their customers.

Lara co-authored “Level Up: Rise Above the Hidden Forces Holding your Business Back,” an award-winning book written with Stacey Abrams and with Heather Cabot, and published by Portfolio Penguin that is now used in many university entrepreneurship courses.

Lara spent 5 years with Dewberry Capital Corporation, an Atlanta-based commercial real estate development and investment firm, where she served as the company’s Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Operating Officer, overseeing development, sales & leasing, property management and marketing.

Lara served as the Executive Vice President of Dunk, a performance footwear and apparel manufacturing/retail company built on the concept of mass customization and founded with Shaquille O’Neal & Mike Piazza.

Lara was the Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Retail and Consumer Products Division of iXL, an Internet strategy and consulting firm. She founded the division in 1999 and built it into one of the top performing groups within iXL. The group operated across 26 offices worldwide with clients such as The Home Depot, Coca-Cola, and Nike.

Lara is an internationally recognized speaker on creativity, innovation and access to capital. Internationally, Lara has worked in Koriyama, Japan with the U.S. Defense Department’s EAGLE Japan Program and served as the Ambassador to Lebanon for the 1996 Olympic Games.

Lara received an MBA from the Harvard Business School, and a BS in Aerospace Engineering with highest honors from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She was featured in USA Today as one of the top 20 students in the US, was the ODK National Leader of the Year and was a scholarship member of Georgia Tech’s Track & Field team.

Lara currently serves as a Trustee of the Georgia Tech Foundation and as President of the Board of Atlanta Heights Charter School, which she co-founded. She also serves on the boards of CTE (formerly known as Carolina Tractor & Equipment Company), Patterson Real Estate Group, and Georgia Tech’s Alexander Tharpe Fund. Lara formerly served on the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) Board (appointed by two governors), Georgia Tech’s Scheller College of Business Advisory Board, the Georgia Tech College of Engineering Advisory Board and the Georgia Tech Alumni Association Board.

Lara is a member of the Leadership Georgia Class of 2005 and the Leadership Atlanta Class of 2004. Lara taught finance as an adjunct instructor in Georgia Tech’s MBA Program for 10 years. Lara was honored by the Georgia Tech Athletic Association with the Total Person Alumnus Award and by the Georgia Tech Women in Engineering as the Alumnus of the Year. She is a member of the Georgia Tech Young Alumni Hall of Fame, was a recipient of a Womenetics 2013 POW! Award honoring Purposeful Women and was named to the 2016 Enterprising Women of the Year. Lara was a 2018 Southeast US Finalist for E&Y’s Entrepreneur of the Year and was named one of twelve 2019 E&Y Entrepreneurial Winning Women. In November 2022, Lara was selected from over 1,000 nominations and was named to the Worthy 100 List by Worth Magazine, celebrating the 100 people who have had the greatest impact on the world this year.

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About the series

C-Suite Connect is a series at Atlanta Tech Village, powered by Dualboot Partners, designed to bridge the gap between ambitious entrepreneurs and seasoned C-Suite executives in the startup ecosystem. This event offers a unique opportunity to gain insights from the industry leaders who are shaping the future of business and technology.

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This series is powered and moderated by Dualboot Partners
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