Mark Flickinger, BIP Ventures, on the State of Startups 2025: How the Southeast Became a Venture Powerhouse

Triangle Tweener Talks

Mark Flickinger is the COO and General Partner at BIP Ventures, one of the Southeast’s most active venture firms. Based in Atlanta, Mark brings a rare dual perspective, an operator who scaled startups before joining the investing side. Since 2015, he’s helped BIP expand from an Atlanta-centric firm into a major player across the Southeast and Midwest.

Every year, BIP Ventures releases its State of Startups in the Southeast report, arguably the most comprehensive snapshot of our region’s innovation economy. In this episode, Scot sits down with Mark to break down the 2025 findings, from AI and valuations to where the capital is really flowing.

Tune in to hear:

• How the State of Startups in the Southeast report came to be, and why it’s become a key annual benchmark for founders and investors.
• The Southeast’s steady growth amid national volatility, and what that says about the region’s resilience.
• Why North Carolina now ranks #2 for capital invested, with a healthy mix of early, mid, and late-stage deals.
• The rise of AI-driven startups, not in infrastructure, but in real applied use cases driving revenue.
• Which investors and funds are most active across the region, from Triangle Tweener Fund to Hatteras, IdeaFund, and CoFounders Capital.
• How Atlanta continues to anchor Georgia’s innovation scene, with momentum in cybersecurity, fintech, and healthcare tech.
• Why balanced growth across industries is dampening volatility and attracting new waves of talent and capital.

Where to Find Mark Flickinger:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-flickinger-24295538/
BIP Capital: https://www.bipcapital.com/

Where to Find Scot Wingo:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thescotwingo/
• Tweener Times: https://www.tweenertimes.com/
• X: https://x.com/scotwingo

In this episode:
02:00 – Meet Mark Flickinger & the BIP Ventures origin story
05:30 – How the State of Startups report began
10:00 – What makes the Southeast data different
15:00 – Why the 2025 report matters
18:00 – Trends: AI, capital concentration, and valuation health
23:00 – The Southeast’s unique resilience
27:00 – North Carolina’s rise to #2 in regional investment
31:00 – Triangle Tweener Fund and other active players
37:00 – Atlanta’s current momentum and industry strengths
42:00 – What founders should take away from the data
46:00 – Closing thoughts and Mark’s advice for founders

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This episode of Triangle Tweener Talks is hosted by Scot Wingo, presented and produced by Triangle Tweener Fund, with creative assets and design support from Walk West.

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Triangle Tweener Talks is sponsored by:

• Atomic Object: https://atomicobject.com/