ATDC: Where Startups Get Real Contribution to Pipeline

During my last month and a half since I joined Verusen (re-branded from AUTIT), I’ve been impressed by the opportunities afforded by the Atlanta Technology and Development Center (ATDC).

I never worked here, but I had visited ATDC in years past. It seemed like a real button-up, stodgy workplace. I can’t say that it’s completely not that. But what I have been most impressed with is the incredible network and companies who come through the center.

I’ve spent the last several years at Atlanta Tech Village (ATV). I was at ATV weeks after David Cummings bought the building in 2012. It was a place I had always wanted to be a member of before joining SalesWise in 2016. And indeed, it was a fun environment with lots of chances to meet like-minded entrepreneurs and startups. Culturally, it was a great environment. But ATDC taught me what was missing… opportunities to truly connect with big corporations. ATDC has been a fantastic resource for real contribution to pipeline opportunities.

When I say contribution to pipeline, this also depends on what a business is about. Namely, what is the market a business sells to. For Verusen, we are work with large organizations with complex supply chains. With Georgia Tech tied to the hip of ATDC and the vast number of innovation centers for Fortune 500 companies (i.e. AT&T, Delta, The Home Depot, etc.) in proximity, getting introductions to similar corporations is almost an every-week occurrence. This is far and away more than the introductions I had ever gotten at ATV despite being one of the well-funded companies in the building.

With ATDC, there are personnel whose charter is to cultivate relationships with businesses – bring them to the space to discuss innovation and meet resident companies. To date, we have had introductions to Daimler-Chrysler (Mercedes), Honeywell, United States Navy, Bosch Global, Delta, Georgia-Pacific, and many more. It’s surprising. The goal of most introductions (“industry connects”) is fast-tracking to proof of concepts (POC).

There are many factors to consider when selecting a space to work out of including rent cost, the ability to attract talent, and of course, the market a business serves. But for a B2B company, ATDC has been a powerful partner.

Back when I was more of a novice in startups, I would say a “cool environment” was important to me because that’s what startups were supposed to be about, right? Except, in the real-world, startups are businesses. They need to earn a keep to survive and to even have fun. As a more seasoned professional and entrepreneur, paths to revenue and profitability are so much more important to me. Just build a good culture within the company, not as a perk of an office.