Editor’s note: Local Tech Wire profiles a venture capital or investment firm each day. Matthew Burns, Worth Civils and Daniel Pearson prepared the series, which now includes more than 50 ventures. Imlay Investments is an active seed and early-stage investor that has nurtured many of Atlanta’s top startups over the past decade.

The firm was founded by John Imlay, considered by some to be the godfather of Atlanta’s technology community since the days he ran one of the nation’s first independent software companies and began training proteges who would later run their own technology companies around town.

Imlay’s portfolio has included huge successes such as Tradex Technologies, which was sold to Ariba Software two years ago, and Internet Security Systems, which had a big stock offering in 1998, and still includes promising local companies, such as KnowledgeStorm, Silverpop Systems, Ockham Technologies, Chutney Technologies, Knowlagent and Cirrex.

Given John Imlay’s background, the firm has a soft spot for software developers, but it also backs a number of telecommunications infrastructure and information technology services companies. Imlay usually invests $100,000 to $1 million in each portfolio company and then uses its connections to bring in other venture firms for follow-on funding rounds.

Here’s the skinny:

Featured Firm: Imlay Investments

Mailing address: 945 E. Paces Ferry Road NE, Suite 2450, Atlanta, GA 30326-1125

Phone number: (404) 239-1799

Web site:
www.imlay.net

Management Team:

John P. Imlay, Founder
I. Sigmund Mosley, Jr., President
Melanie Bialko Leeth, Associate

Focus of firm: Encourage the development of high-technology companies headquartered in the Southeastern U.S., especially those in information technology, infrastructure and wireless.

Size of current fund: Not available

Money under management: Not disclosed

Companies funded over the last five years:

eQuorum
Tradex (merged with Ariba)
Fountainhead Water
Synchrologic
ISS Communications (now ISSX)
Witness Systems
Cirrex
Advanced Charger/Enrev
Wuliweb
AudioFax
eTour
Electrifier
Vitalcast
NSchool
ezgov
Idmon
Engineered Multimedia
Silverpop
ePanacea
FigLeaves
Vadum
Knowlagent
VetExchange
Medizeus
RFS Solutions
FundraisingInfo.com
Auctionworks
SmallBizPlanet
Incanta
TogetherWeb (merged with Proficient)
Ockham Technologies
Gardening123
Crossport Systems (acquired by Lineo)
Ardext
NuTec Sciences
180Commerce
Quantira Technologies
BancIntelligence
Encover
Revenue Technologies
KnowledgeStorm
Chutney Technologies
Overture
TradeUps
Turtle Software

How many new deals do you expect to fund in 2002: Three

In what size range: $100,000 to $1 million

Sweet Spot (types of deals, stage of the company): We like companies dealing in software, IT, infrastructure and wireless technologies, usually in the earlier stages.

Most important attributes for companies seeking funding: Strong management team and quality people, hot market, good and efficient revenue model.

What differentiates you: Our experience, considering we have been angel investing for more than 10 years.

Thursday’s profile: Yamacraw