Village News

Local Roots- Connecting Local Farmers and Consumers

April 8, 2015

In January of 2015, Local Roots launched an app that successfully connected local farmers and artisans with customers and neighborhoods right here in Atlanta. Local Roots is an inspired team- passionate about healthy eating, sustainable communities, and local farmers. Led by Doug Calahan, they aim to cut out the middle man and provide better access to organic, local food brought right to your door. Farm grown. Delivered home. World, meet Local Roots.

How Millennial is the Village?

March 25, 2015

I had someone come into my office the other day and try to offer their services to the Village. This 40 something individual told me, "the Village needs me because you guys are full of young kids who don't know what they are doing." His intentions were good, but obviously he didn't really understand who we are and was not what we would call a good culture fit. But it did make me wonder, how many other people think of us as a building with only 800+ millennial members?

Hollywood Comes to the Village- Powers

March 10, 2015

To date, more than 700 film and television projects have been shot in Georgia and that number is growing. It is not uncommon to see Hollywood film stars and production teams roaming our city streets, and with renovations complete- Atlanta Tech Village has been fielding more and more location requests. Most are turned down, but sometimes we get one that our members are interested in, is not too disruptive, and just looks like plain old fun.One of these is Powers, an edgy dramatic series that evolved from a 20+ year old MARVEL comic book series. It follows the lives of two homicide detectives, Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim, who are assigned to investigate cases involving people with superhuman abilities, referred to as “Powers.” Set amidst today’s paparazzi culture, Powers asks the questions, what if the world was full of superheroes who aren’t actually heroic at all? What if all that power was just one more excuse for mischief, mayhem, murder, and endorsement deals?

30 Entrepreneur Interviews in 30 Days

March 4, 2015

According to the latest Kauffman Index around 28% of Americans are entrepreneurs. In the Village, entrepreneurs come from a variety of demographics and across all ethnicities, ranging in age from 18 to 62 and while they trend male, we are seeing more and more female Founders. So why do so few take the leap into building their own company?Partnering with Village member Kerry Abner of Intecoo Group, we decided to find out why the entrepreneurs we knew took the plunge. Kerry and I sat down with 30 startup Founders in the Village and asked them- What are some lessons you've learned? What is the best advice you ever received? What would you tell your 20 year old self? Why did you choose a startup? How you define success? It was an incredible experience. All of the tech entrepreneurs we spoke with were positive, resourceful, passionate about their work, and had a willingness to learn from failure and persevere.We can't wait to share some of these interviews with you. Every day, one 15 second snippet of advice and insight from an experienced entrepreneur will be posted. We are calling it #30in30. 30 entrepreneur interviews in 30 days. So go ahead and follow us on Instagram and Twitter because #30in30 starts tomorrow. We hope it will encourage you to start now, and love what you do.

Scaling a SaaS Startup - a Teaching Talk with Kyle Porter

February 25, 2015

Salesloft is prospecting automation software that increases qualified demos and appointments by 300%. They are the simplest way on the internet to build accurate and targeted lists of prospects, and they are the fastest growing B2B startup in Atlanta. Salesloft went from 5 employees to 46 in a little over a year, and these Villagers have quickly positioned themselves as leaders in scaling a SaaS startup.Experiencing growth of over 2000% in 2014, Founder and CEO, Kyle Porter is perfectly positioned to lead us off with our first Teaching Talk of 2015. Spend the next 4 minutes learning what they did right, mistakes to avoid, and the key elements that have helped lead them to success. Want to learn more? Download their e-book and watch their video below!http://youtu.be/-hXXTGkcLSM

Acts of Kindness- Are they random?

February 17, 2015

Did you know that today is National Random Acts of Kindness Day? I know, it seems people celebrate pretty much anything these days, but it made me start thinking. Is it possible to have a community where acts of kindness really aren't random at all? Especially in the highly competitive startup community?I believe the answer is yes, and I can show you the community to prove it. Atlanta Tech Village is bursting with close to 800 kick ass entrepreneurs who are actually nice folks. How did we do it? Showing our Southern roots, the Village operates with the core values of Be Nice. Dream Big. Work Hard, Play Hard. Pay it Forward. I often tell folks it's totally okay if our values are not something you feel you have time for or subscribe to- it just means that we are not the best fit for you. We know that startups are hard. There are really high highs and really low lows. Stress runs rampant, you work long hours, and pay offs can be years down the road. A community of fun, kind, supportive people helps curb the negatives and spurs an environment that is exciting and encourages creativity and innovation.

Village Recognized for Sustainability Efforts

February 12, 2015

Did you know Atlanta is at the forefront of a national effort as one of three municipalities--Seattle and Los Angeles--participating in the Better Buildings Challenge? The BBC is a national energy efficiency leadership initiative and a core element of President Obama's plan to make commercial buildings 20 percent more energy efficient by 2020. The Atlanta BBC is a part of the City’s Power to Change- an effort aimed at making Atlanta more sustainable by improving “green” programs and policies such as water and energy conservation, reducing our solid waste, reducing carbon emissions, and improving the rates of recycling.Atlanta Tech Village is excited to have been identified as an Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge (ABBC) 2014 top performer. “As we enter the fourth year of the Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge, I am proud of the collective contributions that our participants have made to Atlanta’s economy and environmental footprint,” said Mayor Kasim Reed. The Atlanta BBC top performers have surpassed program expectations and continue to do so in a winning fashion. With this continued progress, I have no doubt that Atlanta’s portfolio of buildings will exceed the 2020 goals for both energy and water.”Those recognized represent participants whose remarkable efforts produced the highest levels of energy and water savings in 2014. Three properties in Buckhead were recognized as top energy performers, which included the Atlanta History Center, Atlanta Tech Village, and Two Live Oak.Our 103,000 square foot building has come a long way in the past two years of renovation! We are proud to be recognized for achieving some of the highest levels of energy and water savings. Here's to making the world a better place, one building at a time!

Diet Coke vs. Coke Zero- A Village Debate

January 29, 2015

I get asked a lot about my work here at Atlanta Tech Village. As a Community Manager of a 103,000 square foot building that houses well over 200 tech startups and 750+ people, it is a constantly changing, fast paced, high energy role. Culture truly is king in the startup world and the Village team works hard to curate a community that fits our values (Be Nice. Dream Big. Work Hard, Play Hard. Pay it Forward.) and create an environment that lives up to them. It's not an easy task within the changing landscape of tech startups, but I think we have been able to create something special. The proof is in the amazing companies and people we have within our walls.Some days we are working with the Mayor's office, getting calls from reporters for the latest scoop, hosting investors from Silicon Valley, scheduling pitches, workshops, events, and doing everything we can to curate new resources and support for our growing companies. But in the life of a Community Manager in the startup world, not only do you make potentially life changing introductions, you also have to solve really important problems such as the debate between Diet Coke and Coke Zero.Yes. You read that right. Here is a little peek into the inner politics of Atlanta Tech Village and the world of free sodas. Which, in this world, apparently all things are decidedly not equal. We currently have an ongoing, raging debate of Diet Coke vs Coke Zero in the Village community. Now, I would like the record to show that I actually don't drink soda, thus I do not have a personal preference- as long as the soda is a Coke product (I am from Atlanta, after all).You think I am kidding? Seriously, it's a hot topic. Amidst all the crazy hours and hard work of the entrepreneurs in our building, what fuels them is important. Important enough that just today I have had 9 emails and 3 visits to my office pitching me on which is best. Hey, pitching anything is always good practice, right? Now because our community is awesome, these emails and visits are not complaining- but clever, witty, and persuasive. Some make me laugh out loud, others present strong consumer data to support their position. And yes, bribes are offered. Never accepted, of course...So while we do make connections that could impact startups, we also work through the day to day must haves in startup world. Lately- Diet Coke vs. Coke Zero. Here are my options- Tough love: Just choose one, and tell them it's how it is; Democratic: take a Village poll and majority wins (God help us, if it is 50/50); Wildcard: constantly change it up to mess with their minds. All in good fun of course. (And no, we don't want to have both Coke Zero and Diet Coke).So here is your chance, I am all ears as a good Community Manager should be. Place your vote here.Diet Coke vs. Coke Zero? And know that yes, in the startup world, the details are important.

GreenPrint- Creating Carbon Neutral Gasoline

January 29, 2015

Consumers today expect sustainability and social responsibility. Millions of consumers are willing to pay more for organic products and green cleaning supplies. Blue bins are everywhere and over 89% of us recycle. Yet, given the state of automotive technology, consumers still emit millions of metric tons of CO2 when they drive.So what if you take our culture shift and apply it to gasoline- a natural resource that Americans use more than than anyone in the world. What if in addition to paying that extra $1 for organic milk or grass fed beef, we paid a few cents more per gallon of gas for an eco-friendly gasoline? And what if that full tank could make the planet and your community a better place? That's the idea behind Village startup, GreenPrint. Taking your everyday purchase and turning them into a greener, brighter tomorrow. A place where you can drive clean and breathe easy.

Village Increases to 2.4G of Fiber Cable with Total Server Solutions

January 23, 2015

As one of the top 10 largest entrepreneurial centers in the US, having pretty impressive bandwidth is imperative for Atlanta Tech Village. 103,000 square feet of high density, glass walled space with multiple devices per individual requires a unique solution to provide a fast, reliable, top tier network that our startups need.We are so proud to announce our new partnership with Total Server Solutions that grows our fiber cable to an industrial access bandwidth! In addition to the 1 gig provided by our friends at Birch, Total Server Solutions is now coming on board to provide another gig of fiber cable to our growing community.Ready to geek out? This means the Village has 2.4 gigs of fiber cable run to the building through 3 different ISPs and a customized Meraki wireless system. Entrepreneurs scaling their businesses at the Village don’t have to worry about challenges that come with spotty internet. With two 10Gbps DWDM waves from the TSS metro network feeding the POP and redundant 1Gbps circuits feeding Village routers, our members will experience some of the fastest internet in Atlanta.Gary Simat, CEO at Total Server Solutions shared, “The Village has the mission of helping startups grow. Having gone through the startup process to grow into a solid company ourselves, we share similar goals. We’re thrilled to be able to help entrepreneurs realize their dreams, just as we have here at TSS.”We are pretty thrilled, too.

Village Spotlight- Team Rigor

January 21, 2015

As a community, Atlanta Tech Village is only as great as the sum of our parts. Lucky for us, we have some pretty amazing people within these walls. Our Village Spotlight gives us an opportunity to introduce you to startups in Atlanta who are working on some incredible things, have become an integral part of our community, and demonstrated our values in a tangible way. This time around we have chosen Rigor, voted one of the Top 10 Innovative Technology Companies of 2014 by the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG).Rigor provides next generation web performance monitoring that is simple, powerful and complete. Websites, cloud apps, API's, streaming video- no matter the platform, Rigor helps solve a number of problems in performance and reliability for many enterprise customers. They are good at what they do and their powerful reporting and diagnostic functionalities allow business and technical users to understand exactly how their applications are performing at all times.Rigor was recently voted the #1 best place to work in Atlanta for small employers, and it is easy to see why. They are an incredible team with strong leadership and a great product. Want to hear some big customer names? Home Depot, TOMS, The Weather Channel, Best Buy, MTV- all use Rigor.World, meet Founder and CEO Craig Hyde, and CTO Hubert Liu who are running a small startup that is making big strides in Atlanta, and just happen to be super awesome people.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzKDQoJxIc8&feature=youtu.beWATCH VIDEO HERE.

FitRadio- Change Your Workout Forever

January 15, 2015

With FitRadio, manually putting together upbeat playlists for the gym is now a thing of the past. Created by a group of talented DJs and developers, FitRadio is the only fitness app that provides you with non-stop, high energy music of all genres designed to motivate your workout. Dubbed the "Pandora for gym rats" by Mashable, they have been featured in in SELF Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Forbes, Women's Running, Health, P90x and more.These guys are simply some of the coolest folks in the Village, and we love having them in our community. It's great to have another strong B2C player calling Atlanta home. Check out my interview with them below, and if you haven't downloaded FitRadio yet, you should. Seriously.

Spotlight on Innovation: Atlanta Startup Village #95 Welcomes Four Dynamic Tech Startups