Photo by Noah Washington/The Atlanta Voice Three years after Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens created the city’s Office of Technology and Innovation, Atlanta is making its case that it has already arrived. The Atlanta Tech Hub previewed its 2025 Impact Report on Wednesday at Intuit’s Midtown o ffice, laying out a year of milestones: more than $37 million in OTI investments since the office’s inception, 1,155 organic new hires from OTI-supported companies, and $85 million in city pension capital committed to private equity and venture capital, a first for Atlanta. “We have a stated goal to become a top five tech hub, one of the best places to build a technology company,” said Donnie Beamer, the city’s Senior Technology Advisor and head of OTI, “because it is a great way to change the outcomes for Atlanta residents.” Over a five-year period, Atlanta attracted roughly $12 billion in venture capital. According to Jon Petty’s model, the city’s ecosystem strength would move closer to $66 billion. Photo by Noah Washington/The Atlanta Voice Beamer noted that technology jobs pay roughly two and a half times the average salary, framing the ecosystem push as an economic equity issue as much as a competitiveness one. A 30-page study from Georgia Tech’s Office of Commercialization, previewed at the event by researcher Jon Petty, found that Atlanta ranks in the top tier among 13 peer cities across 16 metrics spanning people, innovation, infrastructure, and place. Atlanta showed distinct advantages in general entrepreneurship and place-based factors, including airport access, commercial real estate costs, and ease of doing business. Only one of the 16 metrics reflected a relative weakness. But the study also surfaced a significant gap. Over a five-year period, Atlanta attracted roughly $12 billion in venture capital. According to Petty’s model, the city’s ecosystem strength would move closer to $66 billion. “This is not supposed to be negative,” Petty said. “This is actually putting a number around just how big it is, how much it’s worth for us to come together and tell that story.” “When I say Atlanta is leading from the front, when I say Atlanta is a top five tech hub, like that’s the evidence that I point to,” CEO of Eco Map and a co-founder of the Connect Georgia initiative, Sherrod Davis, said. Photo by Noah Washington/The Atlanta Voice Jennifer Bonnett, who moderated the report panel, pointed to a pair of findings from an OTI founder survey: 90% of companies surveyed said they plan to hire this year, and 78% said they would build their company in Atlanta again if starting over today. The event also doubled as a call to action on state legislation. Beamer urged attendees to contact their legislators in support of Senate Bill 23, which would raise the alternative investment cap for Georgia municipal plans from 10% to 15%. The city currently manages $5 billion, and Beamer said movement at the state level, where the pension plan totals $120 billion, would significantly expand capital deployment. “Every percent at the state level with their $120 billion plan completely changes the landscape,” he said. Cox Enterprises executive Jack Semrau, whose firm has invested roughly $140 million in Atlanta startups and programs over the past decade, said the next challenge is visibility, not infrastructure. “Atlanta is the best city in the country to build a growth-stage business,” Semrau said. “But we have quite a bit of work to do to be the best city for the little tech guy.” Sherrod Davis, CEO of Eco Map and a co-founder of the Connect Georgia initiative, pointed to that platform,  a coalition spanning the city, a university, and a network of nonprofits, as evidence of Atlanta’s front-footed approach. “When I say Atlanta is leading from the front, when I say Atlanta is a top five tech hub, like that’s the evidence that I point to,” Davis said. The post ATLANTA TECH HUB MARKS THREE YEARS WITH $37M IN INVESTMENTS appeared first on The Atlanta Voice. ...read more read less