New angel fund launched in Middle Georgia to help start-up businesses

People who want to start their own business may be able to get help from what is touted as the first angel fund in the midstate.

Central Piedmont Investment Group has been created to provide financial resources as well as leadership and guidance for local startup companies, according to a news release.

"(Central Piedmont) will focus their efforts on new and existing companies located in the region that exhibit potential for high growth and economic impact," the release said. "The organization's goal is to positively impact the central Georgia economy by assisting companies develop, thrive and stay in the area."

For more than a year, a group of local entrepreneurs have been creating the investment group and invested their own funds to start the company. Members of the group are accredited private investors with years of entrepreneurial experience. They will provide mentorship for the companies selected to receive funds from Central Piedmont.

"This angel fund will allow us to provide local entrepreneurs with startup capital so they can secure additional funding resources to get off the ground," Stewart Vernon, founding member of Central Piedmont Investment Group, said in the release. Vernon is the founder and CEO of Macon-based America's Swimming Pool Co., and he is a newly appointed entrepreneur-in-residence at Mercer University's Innovation Center.

More information about the investment group, including its process for selecting entrepreneurs to receive assistance, can be found on its website, http://www.piedmontinvestmentgroup.com.

Partners of the investment group include the Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce, the Macon Economic Development Commission and NewTown Macon.

To contact writer Linda S. Morris, call 744-4223, or follower her on Twitter@MidGaBiz.

This story was originally published February 10, 2016 at 10:44 AM with the headline "New angel fund launched in Middle Georgia to help start-up businesses ."