Georgia
State Resources
Georgia, also known as the Peach State, is home to a thriving technology sector, particularly in life sciences, advanced manufacturing, agribusiness, aerospace and logistics. It is also home to 18 Fortune 500 companies which have their headquarters in Georgia, as well as the world’s busiest airport. The Georgia Department of Economic Development’s (GDEcD) strategic arm is the Georgia Center of Innovation, a provider of a wide range of services and programs to businesses of all types and sizes. Georgia is also home to one of the nation’s top public research university, Georgia Tech, which recently was awarded a $20 million NSF grant to build Nexus, a new supercomputer that will use AI-focused research tools.
The Georgia Venture Capital Fund and Invest Georgia
According to the 2024 Annual Report, “The Invest Georgia Fund (“IG”, “the Fund”) is a fund of funds – a portfolio of funds all of which are based in Georgia and whose investment strategies include a regional focus, specifically Georgia and the Southeast.” One of the funds that is currently making investments in Georgia is Overline, a seed venture capital firms located in Atlanta which makes seed investments ranging from $250,000 to $1.5M. To learn more about other funds that are making equity investments in Georgia, it is recommended that you contact the Executive Director of Invest Georgia.
The Georgia Research Alliance (GRA)
The GRA is a nonprofit organization that works with the university system in Georgia and the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Dedicated to creating spinouts based on research from Georgia universities, it provides both grants and loans to facilitate the spin-out of university technology. “The $50k Phase 1 and $100k Phase 2 grants, awarded to the university, are intended to help researchers reduce market and technical risk as they work towards commercialization of the technology. GRA also offers a Phase 3 loan of up to $250,000 that is made directly to the spinout company once it has launched.”
Georgia Grown
Agriculture in Georgia is a $91.4B industry. Georgia Grown is a division of the Georgia Department of Agriculture and provides many ideas regarding marketing. From a funding perspective the United States Department of Agriculture is a source for many grants and loans in states such as Georgia. Programs of potential interest include the Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (UAIP) grants, Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP), and Value-Added Producer Grants (VAPG).
The Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP)
For companies that are either just beginning to think about engaging in low rate production or experienced firms looking to improve efficiency, the services provided by GaMEP can be beneficial. The Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP) at Georgia Tech has regional managers in ten regions. Three key areas of strength include medical device, automotive, and food and beverage.
