La French Tech Atlanta [fr]
On April 21, 2021, the French Tech Atlanta initiative in Georgia, was certified by the French Tech Mission, thereby joining a network of French Tech startup communities located in more than 100 cities in France and the world. This certification, which attests to the dynamism of this tech ecosystem, will serve to accelerate the development and deepening of ties between this region and France.
Introduction
Atlanta’s entrepreneurial ecosystem has grown exponentially in recent years, particularly in the fields of healthcare, fintech, digital security and entertainment, among others. Not only is Atlanta home to multiple companies and the world’s busiest airport, the city offers mutiple advantages to entrepreneurs:
- a unique ecosystem with many incubators, accelerators, mentors and dedicated programs (Advanced Technology Development Center, Atlanta Tech Village, Atlanta Tech Park, Creative Destruction Lab, etc.);
- a growing Venture Capital presence, no longer monopolized by Silicon Valley (Atlanta Ventures, BIP Capital, Moseley Ventures, etc.);
- advantageous purchasing power, in comparision to the East and West Coasts ecosystems;
- a skilled and steady workforce, with an easily accessible pool of new talent (Georgia Tech, Emory University, etc.);
- a important market given that more than 20 Fortune 1000 companies are headquartered in Atlanta. The city is also a transportation and logistics hub for the United States and the world.
The French Tech Atlanta community has been created thanks to the support of the Consulate General of France in Atlanta, which facilitated connections between various stakeholders. In particular, the French-American Chamber of Commerce - Atlanta (Julie Lambotte, Executive Director), the French Foreign Trade Advisors (Sébastien Lafon, CEO of Adapt1st), and the Atlanta Office of Science and Technology (Rami Abi-Akl, Attaché for Science and Technology) were central to uniting a diverse community of entrepreneurs eager for more transatlantic relations.
The French Tech Atlanta community has received the support of some thirty ecosystem stakeholders, including French and American startups in Atlanta, universities, incubators, accelerators, associations, and government institutions such as the City of Atlanta and the French Consulate General.
The French Ministry of the Economy, Finance and the Recovery’s decision to award the "French Tech" label has been received with great enthusiasm, especially since it has been expected since last fall’s French Tech event during France-Atlanta.
French Tech Atlanta is committed to:
- building a Francophile network to help French entrepreneurs set up their start-ups in Atlanta;
- promoting French Tech in the U.S. Southeast, thus enabling it to export to and conquer this market;
- hosting events that bring together scientists, entrepreneurs and experts, in order to reflect on new trends and facilitate the creation of even more links between France and the United States;
- helping French startups recruit scientific talent to maintain their technological competitiveness and find contacts and funding to ensure their financial expansion.
In this way, French Tech Atlanta will create a Francophile network in the heart of Atlanta’s ecosystem to strengthen the startups located in the city, catalyze the creation of new companies, attract tech talent, and develop cooperation channels between the state of Georgia and France as well as other French Tech communities around the globe.
Team Members
- President: Sébastien Lafon, Founder - Adapt1st
- Secretary: Gayle Gorvett, CEO & Managing Partner - GGorvett Consulting LLC
- Community Lead, Digital Expert: Olivier Havette, Founder/CEO - LENET
- Community Lead, Ed Tech: Iwan Streichenberger, Entrepreneur/Tech Investor/President of the French Foreign Trade Advisors, U.S. Southeast Committee
- Community Lead, Retail Tech: Pierre-Marie Rallu, CEO/Founder - 1RetailAI
- Community Lead, Health Tech: Alexis Turjman, CEO - Cognition Medical
- Office Manager : Katherine Lafourcade, Executive Director - FACC-Atlanta
