At a glitzy event in Midtown in January, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens laid out his vision for Atlanta to become a leading tech ecosystem.
To achieve this, roughly 2,000 tech startups need to launch in Atlanta annually for the city to become one of the top five tech ecosystems in the country, as measured by venture capital funding.
Now, the city has launched a new program aimed at tapping into the talent pool of underrepresented tech students currently studying in Atlanta and nurturing more homegrown startups. The program was born out of a consortium of local universities, also announced in January.
“I think our schools are so much better than any other ecosystem out there. So how do we leverage that talent, encourage them to take risks, let them do that in a safe place, and make sure they don’t have to leave Atlanta if they want to start a business?” Donnie Beamer, senior technical advisor to the mayor;
Through the Technology and Innovation Learning Experience (TILE) program, which began May 13, 13 students representing five startups from Georgia Tech, Georgia State University, Morehouse College and Spelman College are receiving $3,000 scholarships and access to free housing, meals, mentorship and training for their companies. The TILE program will run through Aug. 1.
On Monday, students met with Dickens at City Hall amid the city’s ongoing water crisis.
Ella Lawler, Keylem Collier and Aaron Kelly are three students in the program. Last year, they founded Aayats, an online marketplace that connects musicians with other industry professionals. Lawler attends Georgia Tech, while Collier and Kelly are students at Georgia State University.
“This program provides an incredible opportunity for us as young entrepreneurs to create technology startup companies that will make our mark in the City of Atlanta and provide a lot of tech jobs that will support the Mayor’s goal of becoming a top five tech hub in the United States in the future,” Collier said.
The program will cost about $15,000 per student, Beamer said. Initial funding will come from the city of Georgia and Georgia Tech, but Beamer hopes to raise money from more institutions and expand the number of students in the future.
For Maia Swaby, a Georgia State University senior from Snellville, the TILE program is what’s convincing her to stay in the city after graduation.
“Before this program, I wanted to do my master’s abroad and was desperately looking for a way to get out of Atlanta,” said Swaby, who founded an education technology platform. But now, the program has given her the networking opportunities and resources she can leverage for her business.
“As an Atlanta native, I feel a renewed sense of Atlanta pride. I really feel the culture and the great entrepreneurial spirit that’s here,” she said.
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