On May 28, 2026, I had a powerful strategy conversation with my mentee, Austin Evans, founder of Guala, while sitting inside The Gathering Spot.
The conversation was bigger than technology.
It was about Atlanta.
It was about economic mobility.
It was about culture.
It was about social capital.
And ultimately, it was about who gets access to opportunity.
From L.E.A.D. Ambassador to Founder
I met Austin years ago through L.E.A.D. Center For Youth, where he developed as a L.E.A.D. Ambassador alum.
L.E.A.D.’s mission is to advance equity and well-being through the methodology of sports-based youth development. Our vision is to develop equity-centered Ambassadors that lead their city of Atlanta to lead the world.
Watching Austin evolve from a young Ambassador into a founder building technology for working class entrepreneurs is a reflection of what long-term youth development can produce when young people are given access, relationships, accountability, and opportunity.
Today, Austin is building Guala while actively raising a $1.5 million pre-seed round.
To date, Guala has raised approximately $400,000 from supporters including Pinnacle Financial Partners and Jesse Draper through Halogen Ventures as part of the company’s current active $1.5 million pre-seed raise.
That progress matters because it represents more than startup capital.
It represents belief.
Belief in a young Black founder from Atlanta.
Belief in culturally connected innovation.
And belief that technology can help create greater financial access and opportunity for communities often overlooked by traditional systems.
Austin asked me a simple but important question:
“How would you approach becoming truly embedded into the fabric of Atlanta if you were building Guala from scratch today?”
That question matters because Atlanta is complicated.
Many people around the country view Atlanta as the Black Mecca. And in many ways, it is. There is Black excellence here. There is Black leadership here. There is Black wealth here.
But there are also two Atlantas.
There is the Atlanta of opportunity.
And there is the Atlanta of economic immobility.
Atlanta ranks near the bottom nationally in economic mobility. If you are born into poverty here, your chances of making it out are incredibly low. That reality changes how you must think about building a company, building trust, and building community.
If Guala wants to become embedded into Atlanta, it cannot simply market to the culture.
It must understand the conditions impacting the culture.
Guala and the Working Class Entrepreneur
Guala is culturally coded for hustlers.
Not criminals.
Not scammers.
Not stereotypes.
Hustlers.
People selling products from their phones.
People creating culture.
People trying to survive.
People building businesses without traditional systems, networks, or institutional access.
Guala exists for people who are already making money but need better infrastructure around their money.
Professional invoicing.
Tap to pay.
Cash advances.
Legitimate transaction systems.
A merchant wallet built for modern entrepreneurs.
The challenge is that many people with wealth, institutional trust, or traditional business backgrounds naturally lean toward platforms like Square because of familiarity and perceived legitimacy.
That is not just a technology issue.
It is a social capital issue.
Social Capital Is Just as Important as Financial Capital
One of the most important concepts we discussed today was this:
Social capital is just as important as financial capital.
Financial capital is money.
Social capital is access.
It is relationships.
It is trust.
It is proximity.
It is introductions.
It is being invited into rooms.
It is credibility being transferred from one person to another.
Social capital gives people access to opportunities they otherwise would never encounter.
In many ways, economic mobility is impossible without social mobility first.
So my advice to Austin was not simply to market Guala better.
It was to create environments where people from different races, classes, and economic realities could actually interact with one another in meaningful ways.
Imagine an event where successful executives, investors, creatives, and working class entrepreneurs all gather together in one space.
Imagine people who trust Square purchasing products from entrepreneurs who use Guala.
Not because they were forced to.
But because trust was built through human interaction.
That is how myths get debunked.
That is how credibility grows.
That is how culture scales.
Technology alone does not build trust.
Community does.
Values Versus Virtues
Austin also asked:
“What do you think Atlanta actually values and supports long term versus what it only celebrates temporarily?”
My answer centered around one of my core frameworks:
Values versus virtues.
Values are what you say you believe.
Virtues are those values put into action consistently.
Atlanta says it values Black excellence.
And in many ways, it does.
But if Black excellence only benefits middle class and wealthy Black people while working class and poverty-stricken communities remain trapped, then Black excellence has become more of a slogan than a virtue.
A city cannot claim excellence while ignoring economic immobility.
A city cannot celebrate culture creators while failing to create systems that sustain the people creating the culture.
That is why platforms like Guala matter.
Because many of the people using Guala are the very people shaping culture every single day.
They simply need access.
Access to opportunity.
Access to systems.
Access to relationships.
Access to trust.
Why Ryan Wilson Matters
Austin asked another important question:
“If you were me trying to raise meaningful capital in Atlanta while still thinking nationally, who would you intentionally build with first?”
My answer was immediate:
Ryan Wilson.
Ironically, while we were having this conversation inside The Gathering Spot, Ryan Wilson literally walked around the corner giving a tour.
That moment itself represented social capital.
Ryan Wilson has already built one of the most culturally influential relationship ecosystems in the country through The Gathering Spot.
Not just a business.
A network.
A community.
A trusted ecosystem.
He understands culture, entrepreneurship, access, and national positioning while remaining deeply connected to Atlanta.
For someone like Austin, building proximity to people like Ryan Wilson is not just about fundraising.
It is about learning how ecosystems are built.
Making the Vision Real
Austin shared another vision with me:
“I want to buy a physical space eventually and turn it into something impactful for the city through grants, youth, entrepreneurship, and culture.”
My response was simple:
The vision is possible.
But systems matter.
I encouraged him to explore The Center Atlanta, formerly the CNN Center, because location matters when building community infrastructure.
I also encouraged him to study Cafe Momentum Atlanta.
Cafe Momentum uses food as a bridge to rehabilitate and employ formerly incarcerated youth.
That model is important because it proves something powerful:
People gather naturally around things they already enjoy.
Food.
Culture.
Music.
Commerce.
Sports.
Those become bridges for transformation.
I also encouraged Austin to connect with Arelious Cooper, whose work and presence inside The Center reflects the type of cultural ecosystem building that Atlanta needs more of.
The Safe at Home Opportunity
Austin also mentioned wanting to create a Guala giveaway activation during the Saturday, July 11, 2926 Safe at Home Game.
The question was:
“What would make something like that actually meaningful to the community and aligned with the mission?”
My answer was that giveaways should not just distribute money.
They should distribute opportunity.
I encouraged him to think about grants for young entrepreneurs connected to L.E.A.D. Center For Youth.
But beyond financial support, I encouraged him to connect those young entrepreneurs to people with social capital:
Anna Roach
Courtney English
Bill Vogel
Because sometimes one relationship can change an entire trajectory.
Final Thought
One thing I thought about after our meeting that I did not get a chance to tell Austin:
He should document his becoming.
Not just build Guala.
Tell the story behind Guala.
Write the book.
Publish the blogs.
Record the podcast.
Because people do not just buy products.
They buy purpose.
They buy belief.
They buy understanding.
The story behind the builder often becomes the bridge to understanding the mission.
And if Guala truly wants to become embedded into the fabric of Atlanta, it must become more than a fintech platform.
It must become a connector of people, trust, opportunity, culture, and mobility.
That is how systems change.
That is how cities change.
And that is how impact scales.