Atlanta is a rising hub for high tech firms like Apple and Microsoft to search out black expertise

Big tech companies are opening offices in Atlanta, hoping to capitalize on the city’s tech talent, especially black talent.

Silicon Valley-based Apple and Google parent Alphabet, as well as Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft, have all settled in Atlanta in recent years.

Payments giant Visa, headquartered near San Francisco, is opening a new office in Atlanta later this year and its chief diversity officer will be based there, with a focus on building connections with diverse startups and workers.

“We know our customer base includes the Black community at every level, and we’re not shy about having the Black community in our workforce,” Michelle Gethers-Clark, Visa’s diversity chief, told CNBC.

Atlanta-based Georgia Tech produces the most tech graduates each year in the U.S., according to research firm CBRE, which ranked Atlanta as the eighth best city for tech talent sourcing in a 2021 report.

Over the past five years, Atlanta has seen 15% growth in tech jobs, comparable to other notable tech cities — 16% for the San Francisco Bay Area and 10% for Austin, Texas, according to CBRE.

“Atlanta is uniquely poised to rewrite what technology should look like,” said Nakia Melecio, whose startup catalyst iDesignproject is based in the city. “We have such a robust, welcoming ecosystem that ensures that when we bring in black tech talent, they know who the players are, they know what resources are available to them, and we make sure they actually grow be able.”

Greater Atlanta is home to a wide variety of tech incubators, accelerators, and innovation hubs that provide support, mentoring, and networking opportunities for startups, including Atlanta Tech Village, Atlanta Tech Park, and Propel, an HBCU technology center that backed by Apple and Atlanta-based energy company Southern Co.

More than a dozen companies incorporated or headquartered in Atlanta have grown to valuations in excess of $1 billion over the past decade, the threshold for so-called unicorn status.

These include digital asset marketplace Bakkt, which went public in 2021; Small Business Data Provides Kabbage, Acquired by American Express Last Year; and scheduling platform Calendly, which is now valued at more than $3 billion.

Calendly founder Tope Awotona, who is black, said the success of his startup and other proven technologies can thrive in Atlanta.

“We definitely saw a lot more investors coming to Atlanta to find companies,” Awotona told CNBC. “You’ve just seen a lot of activity with startups here in Atlanta.”

“It was really exciting to see that,” he added.

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