With no shortage of picturesque mountain views and an unparalleled urban trail network, the Mile-High City is where I spent the last two years of my 30-year technology career.
Leaving Denver for the economic capital of the South wasn’t easy. Denver’s vibrant startup community, like its wildlife, drew me in. Incubators overflowed with entrepreneurs buzzing with excitement. In Colorado — with Denver and Boulder as epicenters — a startup launches every 72 hours! The bootstrapped and bullish mentality there motivated me as I started my fifth business.
However, while Denver provides a great environment for entrepreneurs to start businesses, too few start-ups actually stick around.
In 2014, 36 Colorado digital tech companies were acquired or had initial public stock valuations. More frequently, though, many joined the nearly 90 percent of startups nationwide that ultimately dissolved.
After my Denver-based startup was acquired, I set my sights on growing the next phase of my career in a more mature market: Ultimately, somewhere warm, where snow — for the most part — couldn’t impact my morning runs.
Often overshadowed by Silicon Valley, Boston, New York and even Denver at times, Atlanta is the best-kept secret for tech startups. Although the city serves as home base to 30 longstanding Fortune 500 and 1,000 companies like The Coca-Cola Co., Delta Air Lines and NCR Corp., these brands are masters of reinvention that support the technology community and tap the city’s culture to fuel innovation.
Denver, meanwhile, claims 20 Fortune 1000 companies in its wheelhouse.
Further, many of the Atlanta-based Fortune 500 and 1,000, including NCR, are creating startups within their own organizations. NCR Small Business was created to run with a startup mentality to introduce the NCR Silver point-of-sale system to a new market. Now, I’m tasked with taking that “startup” to the next level.
Like Denver, Atlanta has its fair share of independent startups. An often-overlooked advantage in the Atlanta market is the technology reinvention going on in the Fortune 1000. And that’s happening in Atlanta. It’s a more seasoned marketplace, the perfect location for companies which aspire to expand globally.
Atlanta is home to the world’s busiest international airport, making it easier for entrepreneurs to travel to meet investors and take businesses global. For me, that’s one of the biggest selling points for starting and growing a business here.
Beyond funding and travel perks, Atlanta offers a one-of-a-kind tech culture. Chalk it up to Southern hospitality, but you can’t help but get a sense that everyone is rooting for you to win.
From the Atlanta Tech Village, where more than 800 entrepreneurs and 230-plus startups reside, to ATDC at Georgia Tech, ranked one of the world’s top technology incubators, there is an enormous amount of camaraderie and support.
Starting a company can be a lonely experience. Organizations like the Technology Association of Georgia, Technology Executive Roundtables, MIT Enterprise Forum of Atlanta and the Metro Atlanta Chamber, however, go out of their way to make entrepreneurs feel secure. They’ve certainly welcomed an Atlanta transplant like me, connecting me with other entrepreneurs in the area and offering support at every step.
Atlanta is a force to be reckoned with in the technology arena and there is room for improvement. However, it helps to be located in the nexus of 30 Fortune 1000 companies while being adjacent to Georgia Tech, Georgia State, Emory, Morehouse and six other university systems that work to drive innovation.
Local colleges and universities graduate nearly 2,500 engineers annually. Can you imagine the impact Atlanta could make if all of that talent remained here? If generating more awareness about the opportunities, resources and encouragement available can help, sign me up to spread the word.
The city is beaming with accomplishments and promise. From Midtown to the northern suburbs, you know the next big thing in technology is emerging.
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