Being recognized as the No. 1 tech hub in the U.S. by Business Facilities Magazine is a fitting feather in the cap for the city of Atlanta. In recent years, the city has attracted massive investments from giants like Google and Microsoft, high-tech startups and growing global companies.
Overall, more than 18,202 technology facilities and 234,140 tech employees call Georgia home. In FY2021, the tech sector brought 17 new locations to the state, representing $49.8 million in investments and 3,798 new jobs. Several foreign firms are among the companies choosing to invest in the state. The Atlanta metro area’s wealth of diversity, affordability and robust transportation network are crucial factors behind the city technology industry growth.
German software company TeamViewer recently opened a new office in Atlanta and will hire more than 100 employees over the next four years. In 2020, Kainos, a UK-headquartered IT provider, invested $1.2 million in opening a North American sales and IT hub in Buckhead, bringing 137 jobs to the metro region. Additionally, South Africa-based Skynamo also recently chose the city for its North American headquarters, creating 30 new high-tech jobs.
“Choosing to open our North American headquarters in The Battery Atlanta is critical in helping us grow adoption of our field sales app and management platform,” said Skynamo CEO Sam Clarke. “Atlanta provides us with a lower-than-average operations cost compared to other major cities, and there is a very supportive business-to-business SaaS community we can tap into for knowledge sharing.”
Zillow’s newest Atlanta address
In August 2020, Zillow Group, the largest portfolio of real estate brands on the web, named the metro Atlanta area its Southeastern hub, bringing nearly 200 jobs to the area. Founded in 2005 in Seattle, Zillow’s new office will be conveniently located in metro Atlanta – the epicenter for growth in the cyber and tech industries.
The majority of Zillow’s hiring will focus on supporting Zillow Offers, the company’s home buying division. In addition, multiple other business lines will have a presence in the metro Atlanta area, including Zillow Closing Services, Zillow Home Loans, Zillow Rentals, Zillow’s Premier Agent team, as well as Bridge Interactive, a B2B software business that has been headquartered in Atlanta for the past 14 years.
“While Zillow Group has had a presence in the Atlanta area for a number of years, we’re excited to expand our presence and make it our Southeastern U.S. hub,” said President of Zillow Jeremy Wacksman. “At Zillow, we are working to reimagine the real estate transaction and build innovations for the evolving demands of our customers. The Atlanta area has been a great partner for the tech sector to thrive and innovate, and we look forward to our continued growth in the market.”
Automated fulfillment company relocates to “Supply Chain City”
In April, GreyOrange, a global leader in AI-enabled software and robotics for fulfillment automation, announced its plans to relocate its global headquarters to Atlanta. The company, founded in New Delhi, India, is investing more than $1 million and will create 200 additional jobs in the area.
“Atlanta is internationally known as a ‘supply chain city’ due to the infrastructure, university support, and leading companies headquartered in the metropolitan area,” said Chief Operating Officer of GreyOrange Jeff Cashman. “Atlanta is the perfect environment to accelerate the evolution and growth of GreyOrange as we continue to innovate intelligent fulfillment concepts for our global customers.”
The company’s new international headquarters is located in Roswell, a northern Atlanta suburb. The site includes 110,000 square feet of office and warehousing space as a global fulfillment center for building and shipping autonomous mobile robots.
“GreyOrange’s decision to locate their global headquarters in metro Atlanta reflects the ongoing strength of our supply chain and technology ecosystem,” said Katie Kirkpatrick, president and CEO of the Metro Atlanta Chamber. “Our region’s e-commerce capabilities and digital supply chain focus are among the many assets that make metro Atlanta the #SupplyChainCity and an attractive choice for global technology leaders like GreyOrange.”
Betting on Atlanta’s High-Tech Workforce
FanDuel Group, a leading sports-tech entertainment company, will invest more than $15 million into a technology campus in Atlanta, creating more than 900 jobs over the next five years. The new state-of-the-art facility will primarily focus on supporting its product development, tech, and IT operations. FanDuel’s 68,0000-square-foot space will be located in Atlanta’s Midtown area.
As part of the company’s commitment to building a diverse, inclusive, and equal workforce, FanDuel will support educational training programs with a broad coalition that will include Georgia’s first-class university system, the state’s private colleges, its renowned Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other non-collegiate programs. The company will work closely with these institutions to help structure and create curriculums that train and educate candidates for future careers in the tech industry.
“We are excited about this opportunity to partner with FanDuel, with the state’s public colleges and universities offering some of the best courses and advanced technology training in the nation to help it thrive in Atlanta and Georgia,” said University System of Georgia Chancellor Steve Wrigley. “A number of institutions within the University System of Georgia are at the forefront of preparing graduates for careers in this dynamic industry, teaching them critical skills that companies need to create jobs and drive Georgia’s economy.”
