Silicon of the South you say ?

One million, two million, three million, four….. In just five years, forty million more - Sean Carter?

Google, Apple, Microsoft, Mailchimp,??Calendly …

There are more??but these are just one’s where the names have recognizable juice (Fiserv may not score many points with the bouncers or the ladies) that all set up or built shops in Atlanta. Ranked 8th best city for tech talent due to Atlanta tech village, Atlanta Tech Park, and Propel. The city is gaining a growing rep for??tech talent. Before a few years ago it was major Fortune 500 companies like Delta, Chick Fila, Homedepot, and??Coca Cola where all your dreams came true. Now sped up by the pandemic, a nice Wework or “The Gathering Spot “ membership is what you need at the minimum to get by …(tell Ryan I sent you). Maybe it’s the weather ? sports teams???Delta Skyclub Hummus and crudite cups???The Busy Bees chicken plate with the mac and cheese?

Well Dorothy followed the yellow brick road, but me being a capitalist always followed the money. The cost of living in Atlanta turns those barely scratching by realities of a six figure salary and 500 sq ft apartment??in NY or CA into brunch at Four season and a 3000 sq ft home in Brookhaven. A dollar cheaper gas price with an almost 30% cost of living decrease is worth the drive. Who wants a muggy train anyway, and are Californian beaches really??that good? Like seriously, the water is better in Destin. Yes it’s a few hours away but so is the 405 from Inglewood to Glendale.??The 57 colleges in the Atlanta region keep the area young and vibrant to add more flavor .

Not to mention 13 companies hit a Billy in the last decade based in Atlanta. A majority founded or run by minorities which is hard to prove elsewhere. Minority lead Venture Capital Firms sprouting up over the last few years with edifying names like Collab capital , Fearless Fund , Zane Ventures??as well as hallmarks in the industry like Atlanta Tech Village, Silicon Valley Bank (shout out to Jaisa) and fellowship programs run by Hadiyah @Hcubvc??and Fred Groce @blackvc all play a significant role.

To be fair Memphis and Austin, TX??are making head way but we have more schools and better rappers, especially one who is Top 5 Dead or Alive and plays the flute. Even better is the mini race between Atlanta’s own Andre Dickens and Miami mayor Francis Suarez??(who by the way bet big on Crypto, and well…. Atlanta 1 - Miami 0).??It’s good for competition because the cities will use their resources to outdo each other to be the premier southern tech hub which is better for everybody. Not to be bias, but I’m going with a guy name Dre over Francis 10 times out of 9 . I’ll let you be the judge.

Terrence Battle is Venture Capital Investor , Film , TV producer, and studio owner who give his random thoughts in between hot yoga and watching Billions.