When Atlanta Tech Village opened about a decade ago, the innovation incubator reignited Buckhead's reputation as a hub for technology.
But now, Atlanta's center of innovation is concentrated in Midtown because of that neighborhood's proximity to the talent coming out of Georgia Tech.
But Atlanta Tech Village isn't leaving Buckhead anytime soon.
“It's as far north as a lot of engineers and creative will go from Kirkwood, Decatur, Grant Park," said Jon Birdsong, a partner at ATV-based venture capital firm Atlanta Ventures.
“It's perfect in terms of a relatively central location when you look at the context of who's building businesses, where's the talent and how far people are willing to commute,” Birdsong added.
In other words, the incubator's leaders feel they sit at Atlanta's business and tech crossroads.
Atlanta Tech Village's reputation
ATV has nurtured over 300 startups, among them success stories like Calendly and Salesloft, both of which have been valued at over $1 billion. It is considered one of the city's premier incubators.
Startups from the incubator have raised over $2 billion in capital and helped create over 10,000 jobs, according to the ATV website.
Nowadays, ATV is one of many options for startups. The city sports two Techstars accelerator programs, the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurship, Georgia Tech's ATDC and a host of other accelerators, incubators and venture funds.
ATV leaders welcome the competition.
"We have a world of abundance mentality," Birdsong said. "We want 10 unicorns a year to be created in Atlanta."
ATV, located at the corner of Piedmont and Lenox Road and walking distance from the Buckhead MARTA, remains one of the only innovation options in its neighborhood.
"We are a collection of hubs. We are an innovation ecosystem," said ATV Managing Director Aly Merritt. "We all work together, play nicely together."
'Reenergized Buckhead'
ATV was founded in 2012 by David Cummings and David Lightburn — aka "The Davids." The two wanted to create a work space that can grow with startups' needs as well as a deep sense of community, mentoring and networks.
John Yates, a well-known tech lawyer and partner at Morris, Manning & Martin, said the incubator revived the neighborhood's reputation.
Back in the 1980s and 1990s, Buckhead was the home of some of the most successful software companies in the country, Yates said, listing Peachtree Software, Management Science America (MSA) and American Software as examples. But that reputation had waned by the early 2000s, Yates said.
“The ATV has reenergized Buckhead by providing a home for startups and growing tech companies, as well as a magnet for tech entrepreneurs,” said Yates, pointing to the continued addition of new tech companies in the neighborhood since its founding.
Focus on collaboration
ATV is focused on collaboration and growth — whether that's helping companies with access to capital or with connections to partners.
The governing ethos is "be nice," Merritt said. The six-story building is set up to include spaces that encourage serendipitous interactions. It has a coffee shop on the ground floor and a rooftop community space. The team hosts a wide range of events from weekly pitch practices to twice-monthly Startup Chowdown lunches.
Tech companies can purchase a wide range of memberships, from common space access to 21-person offices. ATV also provides larger offices for its residents in a constant game of what Merritt calls "office tetris." That model allows startups to have lease flexibility to account for fast growth.
Tech Rise — next door to ATV — is another flexible office space building for larger tech companies, including some that have outgrown ATV. Merritt said she thinks of ATV as high school for tech startups who can then graduate to college and obtain a larger space at Tech Rise or another venue like it.
This story has been updated to indicate that ATV offices can accommodate up to 21 employees.
