More tech companies than ever before are turning to the Peach State capital to fuel their next stages of growth. Several large corporations like Delta Air Lines and UPS call Atlanta home, but so do a number of young companies looking to get their start. Atlanta has been climbing the ranks as one of the country’s latest fast-growing tech hubs, and one of the reasons behind that growth is the city’s abundance of local talent.
Atlanta has become a nationwide stand-out due to its ample and diverse tech talent market. Since the city is home to several historically Black colleges and universities like Clark Atlanta University and Spelman College, a number of tech companies have flocked to the area looking to employ local college graduates and build out diverse teams. About 36 percent of the city’s tech workforce is comprised of Black or Hispanic talent, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
That talent also spans a wide range of industries. With huge logistics and fintech presences, Atlanta also offers a competitive business scene and a collaborative startup culture. Companies of all sizes have been enticed by the Atlanta tech scene, each of them interested in getting the most out of this burgeoning metro area.
Here is a running list of tech companies that announced plans to open new office locations or talent hubs in Atlanta in 2021. Read on to learn who’s joining the city’s tech scene in the coming year.
Offering a platform for warehouses, carriers and other members of the logistics industry, Roadsync provides its customers with solutions to automate their financial systems. In September, the company moved its Atlanta-based headquarters to a larger location in Midtown that’s six times larger than its previous office space. Roadsync is planning to grow its 90-person team to up to 150 people by the end of 2021. The new 31,000-square-foot office at 715 Peachtree has a capacity for 200 employees.
Specializing in material handling and logistics, Netherlands-based Vanderlande Industries announced plans to expand its North American headquarters in Marietta. The company has logistics automation systems installed in 600 airports. Vanderlande will move into a newly constructed office building at 3054 Chastain Meadows Parkway Northwest. A timeline for the move was not announced. The company, which currently employs 1,250 people in Georgia, is making 500 new hires to fill the 152,612-square-foot space.
The tech giant announced on February 11 that it’s expanding its East Coast presence. Microsoft plans to build two regional data centers on additional land purchased to compliment the 90 acres it already owns in Grove Park. The company previously stated plans to expand its presence in Atlanta by 2,500 jobs by the end of 2021, a number that it now plans to surpass. Microsoft also plans to dedicate 25 acres of its campus to affordable housing options.
With its online marketplace platform for guest lodging, vacation rentals and more, Airbnb wants to expand economic empowerment opportunities and chose the East Coast in which to do so. The company announced on February 18 plans to open a Technical Hub in Atlanta that’s intended to open sometime this year. Airbnb’s new hub will house product development teams and a range of other departments.
Having already established its Atlanta presence over the past two decades, Google is deepening its roots here. The tech giant announced plans in March to occupy 500,000 square feet of office space spanning 19 stories at 1105 West Peachtree. The move is part of Google’s plans to create 10,000 new jobs in NYC, Chicago, Atlanta and Washington, D.C. by 2025. By the end of 2021, it anticipates adding 1,000 of those positions across these metros. It plans to move into its new Atlanta office in 2022.
The company serves e-commerce merchants with its revenue-based growth platform that features financing and analytics solutions. Wayflyer announced its plans to open a new office by the BeltLine railway on June 21. The company also made plans to grow its Atlanta headcount from seven to 50 in the near future. Its new office location will house customer support, marketing and underwriting talent as well as roles in business development.
Adding to Atlanta’s ample fintech scene, Visa announced this fall plans to expand its footprint in Midtown with a 123,000-square-foot of office space at 1200 Peachtree Street. The financial services company hopes to add 1,000 new roles spanning teams including client services, product management, risk and security and finance. Visa hopes to benefit from local initiatives such as Fintech Atlanta, the Georgia FinTech Academy and Fintech South. Its new office is set to open in 2022.
San Jose-based Cisco is growing its existing Atlanta presence with a new Talent and Collaboration Center in Midtown. Cisco develops enterprise internet solutions for cloud operations, IoT, security and more. The location within the Coda building at 756 W. Peachtree St. will be home to engineering, customer experience and finance teams when it opens in 2022. Cisco announced on October 13 its goal of adding 700 jobs to the city, building upon the 1,000 Atlantans the company currently employs.
Developer of social media management software Hootsuite chose Atlanta to expand its North American presence. Based in Canada, the company announced on November 23 its newest “nest” in the WeWork Coda building in Tech Square. The facility features research labs, office spaces, common areas and more. Hootsuite’s new 2,700 square-foot space will accommodate 60 employees by the end of 2022.
