Go to any networking event or panel discussion for Atlanta’s startup ecosystem and you’re sure to hear about the local push to make the city a Top 5 Tech Hub in the country.
Now from the sheer number of tech companies, VCs, and startup programs found across the city have grown significantly over the last decade, which shows momentum towards that goal. But as the ecosystem grows, we wanted to ask local startup leaders one simple but important question.
And that question is: “What’s missing?”
That’s it. No long Q&As. No other prompts. We gave that question to accelerator leaders, startup program organizers, and ecosystem builders to answer that question in any way they wanted. Their answers, unedited (and in alphabetical order by last name), are below.
We Asked, They Answered: What’s missing in the Atlanta startup scene?
“Atlanta doesn’t have a talent problem. We have a connectivity problem. The ideas are here. The innovation is here. What’s missing is consistent access to capital, to customers, to opportunity — especially for founders who’ve been historically overlooked. That’s the void we work every day to fill.”
Shalon Brown, Sr. Director of Marketing & Communications, Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs
“Atlanta has the culture, the creators, and the consumer power to be a global startup hub but only if we prioritize building an ecosystem where founders are supported holistically: mind, mission, and money. This city is still missing the true infrastructure to help startups grow beyond the hype. So, you’ll see the hustle, you’ll see the ideas, and you’ll see the chase in what looks trendy or cool for the moment. But we need more institutions and spaces that don’t just offer pop-up programming but will truly help startups build something that lasts and is nurtured beyond the hype.”
“There’s a growing opportunity to strengthen education across Georgia around family office investing — whether in early-stage startups or Main Street buyouts. By expanding access and awareness, particularly beyond the perimeter, we can unlock new pathways for investors eager to put active capital to work in Atlanta and beyond.”
“Atlanta has for a long time missed a collective of collaborative lab spaces that are independent of and additional to academic institutions where early-stage scientific companies, including biopharma, medtech, cleantech, materials innovation, energy, and quantum companies can develop. It has also missed venture capital and venture attention to life sciences companies. We at Portal Innovations are proud to be addressing these two needs, catalyzing the ecosystem and bringing our own experiences in the industries together to forge a new path in partnership to bring Atlanta’s promise to the world and to showcase why Atlanta, Georgia, and the Southeast is a new hotbed for scientific innovation and ready for investment.”
Suna Lumeh, Director of Platform and Ecosystem, South at Portal Innovations
“#1- Matching funds program for a finite amount (or %) of VC dollars raised by a [each] startup—usually this is done at the state level, but somebody’s got to do it.
#2- A quarterly or semi-annual progress report, segmented by industry, that provides visibility for all stakeholders about growth metrics:
– Could be only one metric, or multiple: graduates, job-creation, grants awarded, institutional funds raised, startup progression, noting how many companies have secured a round at each level, etc.
– Not saying it has to be everything, but without a bit more accountability (and metrics), how can the city identify wins–The visibility could offer the chance to collaborate across sectors, identify and come up with solutions to fill gaps, local and national investors to get a snapshot of competitiveness, and also call attention to the loss of talent from specific areas that may be benefitting other parts of the country (due to brain drain migration)”
Shakiri Murrain, Director of Innovation Solutions, Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs
“My answer is global connectivity. We (Atlanta) would do well to initiate a relationship with a sister city and FOCUS on intentionally connecting startups in both countries. Somewhere like Accra, Ghana 
“Atlanta needs more mentorship for pre-seed founders. We certainly have organizations doing good work here (like Atlanta Tech Village, Techstars, ATDC), but I would love to see more one-on-one mentorship between successful local founders and the most promising first-time-founders in town.”
“Swagger. Atlanta, Georgia, and the Southeast are the present and future for startups in the United States. Every trend in startups – ideas, resources, talent, results – increases every day in Atlanta and it’s OK if we act like it.”
“Intentional Collaboration.
It’s time to move past casual support and shift into genuine collaboration within our community to drive real victories. Too often, our approach is one of laissez-faire celebration, we celebrate each other from the sidelines but rarely take collective action on the field. The real power of Atlanta’s startup scene lies in our potential for collective impact. When we approach collaboration, investment, and shared success with intention, we unlock new opportunities for innovation and momentum.”
Do you have some other thoughts on what’s missing in the Atlanta startup scene? Drop us a note, we’d love to hear from you!