Athens area startup founders, small business entrepreneurs, and community supporters will gather at the offices of local economic development nonprofit Four Athens for its fourth annual Open House event on Monday, January 25th. A series of events are scheduled to take place throughout the day at the Four Athens office spaces on the second floor of the historic building at 345 West Hancock Avenue.

The Four Athens Open House is an annual celebration of local entrepreneurs, startups, and tech-based businesses driving innovation, creating jobs, and supporting economic growth in the Classic City. Each year the organization presents three awards to recognize those who represent the best of the local startup community and true entrepreneurial spirit: Startup of the Year, Founder of the Year, and Volunteer of the Year. The winners are chosen by the Four Athens community at large.

Jim Flannery, Executive Director of Four Athens, explains, “It’s important to recognize the hard work early company founders put in day after day in obscurity while striving to realize a vision. By asking the community to vote on the recipients, we encourage the continued engagement and investment of our members and partners in a bold vision for the future of Athens.”

Events for the all-day Four Athens Open house begin with a meet and greet over coffee from 10-11am, followed by pitch practice demonstrations from member companies The Dorm Room Beautician, The Wish Dish, and ProxyServer. There will be a catered lunch presentation of resources available to entrepreneurs in Athens from 12:30-1:30pm, and an information session about the first official Athens, GA Startup Week happening March 28th-April1st later in the afternoon. From 5-7pm, the first annual State of Athens Startups report will be presented, and the winners for Startup of the Year, Founder of the Year, and Volunteer of the Year will be announced. In addition, the UGA Idea Accelerator will officially launch during the evening. Throughout the day, resident startup offices in the Hancock Avenue building will be open for visitors to engage with Four Athens member company founders and staff.

Schedule updates and participant spotlights for the fourth annual Four Athens Open House will be posted to the Facebook event page at facebook.com/events/966528413417199/. For those not in attendance, award winners will be posted to the Four Athens Facebook page at facebook.com/fourathens/ the following morning.