Today marks the start of the three-week series of events called InnovATL2024 (you can tell it is tech related by the title formation). The actually-19-day marathon of events promotes entrepreneurs, creators, tech pioneers and influencers from across metro Atlanta and the country more broadly.
“InnovATL capitalizes on the world-class innovation ecosystem we have built over the years, and this year’s events showcase just how inclusive and wide-ranging our community is,” said Katie Kirkpatrick, president and CEO, Metro Atlanta Chamber. “This intersection of corporations, higher education, startups, and creators makes for a catalyst for innovation and business growth.”
By the Metro Atlanta Chamber’s count, last year, entrepreneurs from the full 29-county area founded nearly 200,000 new startups and small businesses. The metro Atlanta economy includes more than 200 companies on the Inc. 5000 list and 13 unicorn startups (meaning a valuation of a privately owned company at more than $1 billion). Of the Fortune 500 companies, some 350 of them have at least a presence in metro Atlanta, with a number of them setting up R&D or innovation centers. Between Georgia Tech and Georgia State alone, Atlanta is churning out thousands of highly tech-capable college graduates, not to mention the many more from Morehouse, Spelman and another university over in Athens that turns out some pretty good grads who might be interested in living in Atlanta.
“This kind of community collaboration is an incredible strength for metro Atlanta,” said Mason Ailstock, president and CEO, Rowen Foundation. “Much like the mission of the Rowen Foundation, InnovATL convenes the components of the innovation ecosystem in a way that allows us to find solutions and achieve a more prosperous future, together.”
The events are grouped along four categories: corporate, startup, academic and creative industries. There are dozens of events to choose from, including the Atlanta Digital World Summit at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium Delta Sky Club and FinTech Atlanta: Run It By the Buyers at the Home Depot Headquarters. Some of them are finely tuned to a particular industry, like Unlocking Medical Device Innovation: Industry Trends and Capabilities at the Georgia Tech Advanced Manufacturing Pilot Facility. That event is part of a partnership between the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP), Global Center for Medical Innovation (GCMI), Georgia AIM (Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing), and, something James readers may be familiar with, the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC). The ATDC has long been an incubator for medical device innovation, featuring a number of startups that have seen success in this area.
Even if you are not a professional in these areas, some of the venues might be interesting enough to take a look and perhaps find out more about an exploding area of the economy in Atlanta. One of those events might be the Cine Gear Expo Atlanta at Trilith Studios.
Registration is required for most events, some at least several days before the event, many of which are free to attend.
To learn more and find an event that interests you: https://www.innovatl2024.com/#
