The capital city of the Peach State is known for being rich in history. From its reputation as one of the South’s earliest transportation hubs to its pivotal role in the civil rights movement, Atlanta has made its mark on the nation through a range of important developments. Today, history is still in the making as Atlanta mints several new unicorns — private companies valued at over $1 billion — and the city works to become one of the most prominent technology hubs in the United States.
Several aspects make Atlanta a viable scene to grow a tech company. The city offers a climate that’s more competitive, affordable and collaborative than that of other tech hubs like New York City and Silicon Valley. That’s in addition to Atlanta’s diverse pool of talent that spans a wide range of industries, from logistics and software to fintech and cybersecurity. The city also boasts a thriving B2B scene with a number of Fortune 500 companies headquartered here. Funding for venture-backed startups in Atlanta also hit a five-year high last year, which is yet another indicator that this city is primed for continued growth.
Atlanta has been producing unicorn companies in a relatively short period of time. Privacy management company OneTrust achieved unicorn status in July of 2019, and soon after, fintech companies Bakkt and Greenlight Financial Technology followed suit in March and September of 2020, respectively. Now in 2021, that list continues to grow.
To keep track of the latest additions to Atlanta’s unicorn club, Built In created a running list of these tech companies reaching and often surpassing the $1 billion valuation mark.
This article will be updated as more companies reach this milestone.
$1.1B Valuation as of September
The most recent induction into Atlanta’s unicorn club is logistics company Stord. It provides businesses with a cloud supply chain that capitalizes on the speed, flexibility and ease of the cloud. Stord’s product outfits hundreds of B2B and B2C customers with logistics solutions for warehousing, freight and fulfillment all on a single platform. The company reached a $1.1 billion valuation following its Series D round led by Kleiner Perkins in September. Stord is fueling its growth with the addition of a new 386,000-square-foot facility in Atlanta and the recent acquisition of Fulfillment Works. Stord is also currently hiring across a range of departments, including customer success, data science, engineering, finance, freight and sales.
$1.8B Valuation as of August
FullStory provides businesses with a software solution that helps them better their digital experiences across web and mobile channels. Its platform employs behavioral data and machine learning tech to equip enterprise teams with real-time analytics and insights that pinpoint ways to improve a brand’s digital products. Digital experience intelligence (DXI) is a growing industry that aims to help B2C and B2B companies take advantage of new digital opportunities to grow their brand. FullStory secured $103 million in Series D funding led by Permira in August, boasting the company’s valuation to $1.8 billion. The funding round will go toward international expansion and product development.
Surpassed $1B Valuation as of July
Working to use its surveillance tech to do some worldly good, Flock Safety builds cameras for neighborhoods and police departments. Once installed, the devices analyze cars and license plates and can be used to help investigate crimes. It currently has over 1,200 machine learning- and computer vision-powered cameras stationed around the country. Flock Safety raised a $150 million Series D funding round over the summer that was led by big-name investor Andreessen Horowitz. This round caused Flock Safety’s valuation to surpass $1 billion. The capital will enable the company to triple the size of its Atlanta office in the Westside Provisions District. Flock safety is currently hiring and lists dozens of open positions that are remote-friendly or based in Atlanta.
More Than $3B Valuation as of January
Calendly provides users with meeting scheduling software meant to eliminate the need to exchange numerous emails with other participants. Calendly provides solutions for individuals, teams and enterprises that can integrate with the tools they already use. By sharing a link, users can select their available time slots and schedule meetings on their existing cloud-based calendar app. The company’s $350 million funding round came by way of investors OpenView Venture Partners and ICONIQ Capital. The raise sent Calendly’s valuation soaring to more than $3 billion. The company’s plans for the capital include investing in product innovation, as well as providing liquidity for its shareholders and employees.
$1.1B Valuation as of January
Offering an enterprise solution for sales engagement, SalesLoft aims to help companies generate more revenue and deliver better customer experiences. Its platform offers digital solutions for sales cadence and automation, conversation intelligence, deal management as well as analytics and reporting. The company reached unicorn status after a $100 million funding round led by Owl Rock Capital earlier this year. Now with a valuation of $1.1 billion, SalesLoft is continuing to fuel even more growth. At the time of its raise, SalesLoft announced its plans to further invest in product innovation, scale its enterprise business and expand into new vertical markets and geographical locations.
