We Are All Doing Great Work

As a community manager, I give tours to around 65 people or so per month. This gives me the great opportunity to not only give folks an inside look at our physical space and renovation plans, but share with them our mission and values. I inevitably get this question- do we perceive ourselves as competitors of our counterparts in Atlanta such as the amazing folks at ATDC, Hypepotamus, Strongbox West or any of the other coworking spaces in our area? Some are trying to understand the local entrepreneurial ecosystem, others are trying to decipher if there are "turf" rivalries. Regardless, it has a simple answer- while obviously we are in the same space and there is inherently some healthy comparisons- we consider them partners, not competitors. Why? Because we are all working towards the same goals.At Atlanta Tech Village, our overarching goal is not centered on ourselves but on our city and the people who make it up. It is not about us, it is about startups and their successes driving Atlanta into one of the top 5 tech hubs in the nation. Our building was an incredible, generous gift from David Cummings to the startup community. It was intended to help create 10,000 jobs for Atlanta in the next 10 years.It's a big world and we are a big city. The Atlanta Metro area has over 5 million people. We have over 350 members and 120 companies in our space pre-renovation. Construction noise and inconvenience is all around us yet we have a waiting list. The ATDC also has a waiting list. Hypepotamus does an amazing job at creating "Connected Awesomeness". Coworking spaces like Roam are popping up all over the metro area to help entrepreneurs launch businesses. We each serve a different slice of the startup population. Bottom line: Atlanta is growing! This means that what we are all doing is meeting a need. It is a pain killer, not a vitamin.As David Cummings shared, there is no need to have a fear of dominant vendors.  Jeff Hilmire faced naysayers in his new Dragon Army venture, and had to adopt a willingness to be misunderstood. When folks in the Atlanta startup world say (or tweet) things that create division or an us vs them mentality, I wonder if they realize how they are hurting the greater community. The team at Atlanta Tech Village works toward supporting startups at every opportunity. We greatly respect and have enjoyed learning from our counterparts in Atlanta who were here long before us, and welcome opportunities to share what we have learned with others. Our party line both out in the community and behind the scenes is the same: we care about strong networks, inclusivity, and giving back. It always will be. I encourage everyone to remember- we are all doing great work.