Atlanta tech had a big week — full of fresh funding rounds, new hires and rapid growth. Plus, 22 local standouts made the coveted Deloitte Technology Fast 500 list. Keep reading to find out more. This is the Built In Atlanta weekly refresh.
Sora Schools got $18M. Touted as an alternative to traditional high school, Sora offers a project-based learning curriculum in which the students choose what they work on throughout the year, the timeline for their projects, and how they are evaluated. The startup will use this fresh funding to expand its curriculum and move into junior high education. [Built In Atlanta]
Atlanta companies among the Deloitte Fast 500. This year, 22 Atlanta-area companies made Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500 list, an annual ranking of the fastest growing companies in the country. Topping the list were local standouts like healthcare startup Accushield, accounting platform LeaseQuery, privacy management software OneTrust, and kid-friendly credit card provider Greenlight Financial Technology. Banyan Software clinched the No. 10 spot, with 18,309 percent growth over the last three years. [Built In Atlanta]
Atlanta Tech Quote of the Week
DefenseStorm raised $5M. DefenseStorm offers cloud-based cybersecurity, compliance and fraud management services to regional and community banks and credit unions. This investment was courtesy of Curql Collective through its Strategic Investment fund, and came just as the startup signed its 100th customer. [BusinessWire]
Acadia sees explosive growth. The digital marketing startup has ballooned to 100 employees and made four acquisitions after existing for just six months — an impressive achievement considering it is completely bootstrapped. To date, Acadia has acquired e-commerce marketing agency Nicely Built, social media consulting firm Imagine Media Consulting, digital marketing services company Techwood Digital and customer analytics startup Lift361. Looking ahead, Acadia says it would like to target growth points for digital marketing, including retail, media and advertising at the point of purchase. [Atlanta Inno]
EspriGas has a new CTO. The tech-driven industrial gas company has brought on Ryan Esparza as its new CTO in an effort to sharpen its focus on customer and supply partner experience. With more than 20 years of experience, Esparza has held leadership positions at Jackson Healthcare, The Weather Company, and several other big names in Atlanta including Cox Enterprises and The Home Depot. He also currently sits on the board of Inspiredu and is a member of the Leadership Atlanta Class of 2022. [BusinessWire]