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Georgia Tech to host international conference on Internet of Things and sustainability

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The Georgia Institute of Technology’s Center for the Development and Application of Internet of Things Technologies (CDAIT) will host an international conference on the Internet of Things (IoT) and sustainability July 18, 2019, at the Georgia Tech Research Institute in Atlanta.

Titled “The Internet of Things for Sustainability is Smart Business,” the conference will explore catalysts and use cases to examine some of the key promises and challenges that relate to the application of IoT technologies toward building a sustainable world.  Secondarily, the conference aims to highlight the business opportunities that exist at the intersection of IoT and sustainability.

Continue reading at:  Georgia Tech News Center

Georgia Tech symposium offers vision of Atlanta as global higher education hub

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More than three hundred representatives of non-profits, community organizations, K-12 educators, and university faculty members from around Atlanta and the nation gathered on the Georgia Institute of Technology campus in April for the inaugural Atlanta Global Studies Symposium.

The April 25–27 symposium focused on global education, advanced language learning, international studies, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The symposium and other initiatives of the Atlanta Global Studies Center —a partnership of Georgia Tech and Georgia State University — have helped to highlight the city’s growing role as a global hub for higher education, said President G.P. “Bud” Peterson.

“Our city is building a rich ecosystem and infrastructure of research, development, and education that is bringing the world to the Southeast and Georgia to the world,” Peterson told the symposium.  “Leveraging this richness in partnership with the public and private sector is one of the most exciting prospects of this new center — and this symposium.  It has the potential to connect people to issues that are critically significant to longer-term sustainable development.”

Read more at the: Georgia Tech News Center

SBA and Atlanta MBDA to host 8(a) training event May 13th

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The SBA Georgia District Office and Atlanta MBDA Business and Advanced Manufacturing Centers will be jointly hosting a half-day event related to the SBA’s 8(a) Business Development Program.  The purpose of the event is to foster new 8(a) applicants and to provide instruction to current 8(a) participants on how to maximize the impact of their 8(a) program experience.  The event will also provide training on how 8(a) participants can prepare for transitioning out of the program successfully at the end of their program term.

Topics Include:

  • The Federal Contracting Market and the 8(a) Program
  • 8(a) Program Best Practices
  • 8(a) Program Eligibility and Application Process
  • Effective Marketing to Federal Agencies
  • Capacity Building Tools / Resources for Current 8(a) Participants

There is no fee to attend.  But seats are limited, so registration is required.

Date:  Monday, May 13, 2019

Time:  9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET

Location:  Georgia Tech Research Institute Conference Center, 250 14th Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30318

Register here:  https://www.sba.gov/event/1640787

Chris Downing, vice president and director of Enterprise Innovation Institute, announces retirement

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Chris Downing, VP of EI2

Chris Downing, who has led the Georgia Institute of Technology’s economic development efforts as vice president and director of the Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2), is retiring after 31 years of service.

Downing, who has led EI2 since 2016, leaves behind a decades-long legacy of leadership experience at Georgia Tech in technology-based economic development, university outreach and technical assistance, entrepreneurship and start-up support, and program management.

His retirement is effective June 1, 2019.

“I feel very fortunate for such a diverse and challenging career and to have shared so many good years with the Georgia Tech family, and I am very appreciative of the many faculty, staff, and students who have made my time at Georgia Tech so interesting and inspiring,” Downing said. “Although I am leaving my full-time duties, I look forward to staying connected to Georgia Tech and supporting its mission of progress and service.”

After leaving IBM where he was a mechanical facilities engineer, Downing joined Georgia Tech in 1988 as a senior research engineer with the Georgia Tech Research Institute.

In 1996, he joined EI2 — then called the Economic Development Institute (EDI) — as the Griffin regional office manager and provided industrial extension and economic development services to the south metro Atlanta region.

Two years later, he was named group manager of technology services for the Economic Development Institute, where he was charged with overall management of technology deployment and information technology services to more than 200 EDI staff and associates located both on campus and in 12 regional offices across the state. In addition, this group provided technical research services for EDI clients in industry, business, and community economic development organizations.

In 2005, he was tapped to lead EI2’s Industry Services group, which included several key outreach programs: the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP), the Energy and Environmental Management Center, the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC), the Southeast Trade Adjustment Assistance Center (SETAAC), and the Georgia Tech Regional Office Network.

Downing was named EI2’s associate vice president in 2013 and vice president in 2016.

In that time, he spearheaded the three-fold expansion of the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) and created the Venture Center space that has helped to attract several Fortune 100 corporate innovation centers to Technology Square.

His technology-based economic development efforts helped Georgia Tech and the EI2 win the prestigious “2014 Innovation Award” from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, and the “2014 Outstanding Research Park Award” from the Association of Research Parks.

Most recently, Downing led the feasibility study for the expansion of Georgia Tech’s second research park, Technology Enterprise Park, into a broader life sciences and technology innovation district.

“Chris has been a tireless champion and supporter of our economic development initiatives, working to maintain strong partnerships across the state while creating new collaborations,” said Georgia Tech President G. P. “Bud” Peterson. “We appreciate his leadership role as Georgia Tech partners with the state to strengthen Georgia’s economy.”

Downing is a graduate of the University of Florida, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering.

Georgia Power announces new microgrid project with Georgia Tech

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Georgia Tech President G.P. “Bud” Peterson, left, and Georgia Power Chairman, President and CEO Paul Bowers sign a memorandum of understanding to launch a microgrid to power buildings in Tech Square.

Georgia Power announced on March 6th, in collaboration with Georgia Tech, it will build a new 1.4 MW microgrid in Tech Square at Spring and Fifth streets in Midtown Atlanta. Microgrids are self-contained power systems co-located with the facilities they serve that include generation resources, storage systems, and energy management systems.

The Tech Square Microgrid, which was approved by the Georgia Public Service Commission and will begin operating this fall, will be used to evaluate how a microgrid can effectively integrate into and operate as part of the overall electrical grid. Additionally, it will serve as a living laboratory for Georgia Tech professors and students who will use the asset to gather data on controllers, cybersecurity devices, and energy economics.

“The Tech Square Microgrid project will give us a better understanding of the resiliency, sustainability, and cost of microgrids to help develop emerging energy solutions to better serve our customers now and in the future,” said Paul Bowers, chairman, president, and CEO of Georgia Power. “Working with Georgia Tech gives us an opportunity to drive innovation by collaborating with one of the nation’s leading research institutions while students and faculty get a firsthand learning experience on an operating power system.”

The microgrid will provide Georgia Power with insight into how smart energy management systems, such as the one being installed at the Coda data center that is currently under construction, can interact with the grid to achieve optimal utilization of energy. In addition, it will also provide teaching and learning opportunities for Georgia Tech faculty and students.

“Georgia Tech and Georgia Power have partnered on a number of important initiatives over the years, and we are very excited about our latest collaborative effort, the new microgrid in Tech Square,” said Georgia Tech President G.P. “Bud” Peterson. “In addition to actually delivering power, it will also serve as a ‘research microgrid,’ allowing Georgia Power, Southern Company, Georgia Tech, and other partners to study the microgrid performance and conduct controlled experiments to develop and test new and innovative energy solutions for the future.”

The installation will include fuel cells, battery storage, diesel generators, and a natural gas generator, but it is adaptive to new and additional distributed energy resources. It is designed to also accommodate microturbines, solar panels, and electric vehicle chargers in the future. All components will be placed on a platform and obscured from view with seven-foot-high fencing and gate access along nearby Williams Street.

Source: https://www.news.gatech.edu/2019/03/06/georgia-power-announces-new-microgrid-project-georgia-tech

Current portfolio companies of Georgia Tech’s ATDC raise $114 million in investment capital in 2018

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Startups at the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), the state of Georgia’s technology incubator, raised more than $114.3 million in investment capital in 2018.

While the activity represents a slight decrease from the year-end 2017 figure of $140 million, it reflects the general investment trend nationally for 2018: Even though the deals made were larger, fewer deals were done overall.

When ATDC program graduates’ capital raises for the year are included — $380.8 million — the total amount of money that came to Georgia technology companies with ties to the incubator is $495.1 million.

“Our current portfolio and graduate companies really made a difference in Georgia’s deal flow activity in 2018, because of the roughly 100 deals that were done in the year, 68 of those were ATDC companies,” said Brad Schweizer, ATDC investor relations manager. “That’s nearly 70 percent of all the Georgia deals and it speaks to the quality and caliber of companies that we have in our portfolios.”

In addition to the $114.3 million in capital funding current ATDC portfolio startups received from investors, they garnered an additional $8.4 million in non-dilutive funds from federal grant awards in 2018.

That’s nearly triple the amount received in 2017.

“This is significant because these federal grants and awards are extremely competitive for companies that are still refining and verifying their research and technologies,” said Connie Casteel, ATDC’s program manager for grant awards and funding.

Key to ATDC’s continued success with its portfolios is its Investor Connect program, which curates meaningful interactions between the startups and investors.

That, along with programming that prepares the startups for successfully raising money and make long-term connections with investors, is a critical component of why Investor Connect has been so successful, Schweizer said.

In 2018 the program strategically curated more than 500 connections with introductions to more than 250 different venture capitalists and angel investors.

“Introducing our companies to the investor community and making meaningful connections is our core focus,” Schweizer said. “Through our events and meetings with the venture capitalist firms such as our yearly ATDC Venture Showcases on the East Coast and West Coast and our ATDC Startup Showcase, investors continue to see as a critical and trusted partner for deal flow with high-growth startups for their firms.”

Among those investors is Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based Las Olas Venture Capital. The firm, which has more $30 million in assets under management, was the lead investor in the $4.5 million seed round of DEVCON, an ATDC portfolio company whose proprietary cybersecurity software technology helps media publishers maximize advertising revenue by identifying and eliminating fraudulent ads within their networks.

Las Olas Venture Capital also was the co-lead investor in Cypress.io’s $4 million seed round.

Cypress, another ATDC portfolio company, provides front-end automated software testing for anything that runs in a browser.

“What ATDC does well and what makes it different from other programs is the entrepreneurial fabric that makes up ATDC,” said Esteban Reyes, one of Las Olas Venture Capital’s founding partners. “You have former CEOs and founders in the equation at ATDC, working and engaging with the startups in the program in ways that are useful and practical for those startup founders.”

Las Olas focuses its investments mainly in companies that are business-to-business and creating the next generation of enterprise technologies.

DEVCON, Reyes said, is in a sector with a $40 billion opportunity, while Cypress has a $20 billion opportunity.

The two companies, he said, reflect another strategic difference with ATDC in that the incubator, which is a program of the Georgia Institute of Technology, focuses on leveraging Atlanta’s strengths to build successful technology companies.

“ATDC and Georgia Tech are taking a long-term view with their strategic focus to turn Atlanta into a major tech hub,” Reyes said. “They’re looking at the key levers that Atlanta has to its advantage and pulling those levers.

“There’s a trifecta here of new startup founders, ATDC’s team of experienced entrepreneurs, and Georgia Tech’s technical student talents. ATDC has found the right way to engage those three stakeholders and provide them with a platform so they can be collaborative and productive, which is very unique.”

About ATDC

The Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), a program of the Georgia Institute of Technology, is the state of Georgia’s technology startup incubator. Founded in 1980 by the Georgia General Assembly which funds it each year, ATDC’s mission is to work with entrepreneurs in Georgia to help them learn, launch, scale, and succeed in the creation of viable, disruptive technology companies. Since its founding, ATDC has grown to become one of the longest running and most successful university-affiliated incubators in the United States, with its graduate startup companies raising $3 billion in investment financing and generating more than $12 billion in revenue in the state of Georgia. To learn more, visit atdc.org.

About ATDC Investor Connect

ATDC strategically matches its portfolio companies to capital through curated investor interactions. The investor relations manager is available for consultations to help companies develop a focused funding strategy. In addition, the manager works with the incubator’s coaching staff for funding preparation. The outcome creates exceptionally engineered investor readiness, resulting in high value deal flow for investors. For more information, visit atdc.org/how-we-help/capital.

Source: https://atdc.org/atdc-news/advanced-technology-development-center-current-portfolio-companies-raise-114-million-in-investment-capital-in-2018/

Georgia Tech develops safety app for social workers

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Georgia’s social workers have a new way to stay safe when their jobs take them to dangerous neighborhoods.

The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) designed “panic buttons” that the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) is rolling out among its employees. It works with the Click Safe app, which is used by child-welfare investigators and case managers.

When pressed, the button on a key fob transmits a signal via Bluetooth to an app on the worker’s state-issued cellphone. The phone then silently notifies the agency’s call center, where a trained operator contacts the nearest 911 center with details on the alarm, a description of the employee, the location, and a request to rush law enforcement officers to the scene.

DFCS professionals can’t choose where they go, but the app is “a way to protect them when they’re protecting Georgia’s children,” said Tom Rawlings, the division’s interim director.

“Our child-safety professionals are trained to de-escalate unpleasant situations, but having a panic button gives them assurance that help will be there if their verbal techniques aren’t successful,” Rawlings added.

Development of Click Safe represents cooperation between two state entities. GTRI worked on the project at the request of Gov. Nathan Deal as part of his child-welfare initiatives.

“Georgia Tech is proud to be part of this innovative collaboration between the Georgia Tech Research Institute, the state of Georgia, and the Department of Family and Children Services,” said President G.P. “Bud” Peterson. “We expect the Click Safe emergency-response system to become a powerful tool in helping protect DFCS case managers and child-welfare investigators in sometimes-dangerous situations as they focus on their vital work of ensuring the safety of Georgia’s children.”

The work draws on GTRI’s specialized telecommunications expertise. Scientists adapted off-the-shelf technology to stand up to rigorous field testing to ensure reliable functionality across the state.

The system operates silently and out of sight. That’s to keep from alerting anyone threatening a case worker that law enforcement is on the way and potentially making a tense situation more dangerous in the minutes before officers arrive.

To prevent accidental triggering of the device, the button must be pressed either for five seconds or five times in succession.

Learn more about the device here.

Georgia Tech names new leadership for ATDC

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John Avery is the new director of Georgia Tech’s Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC).

The Georgia Institute of Technology has named John Avery as its next director of the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC).

Avery, a serial entrepreneur who was involved in four startups, assumes his position Nov. 6. Most recently, he was engineering group manager of Panasonic Automotive Systems’ Panasonic Innovation Center at the Georgia Tech campus.

A unit of the Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2), Georgia Tech’s outreach and economic development arm, ATDC works with more than 800 technology startup entrepreneurs each year across Georgia. Founded in 1981, ATDC has become one of the most successful, longest-running, and largest university-based startup incubators in the country.

The announcement follows a comprehensive, four-month national search for a new leader at ATDC following the departure of Jen Bonnett, who left in June 2018 to become the Savannah Economic Development Authority’s vice president of innovation and entrepreneurship.

In taking the permanent appointment, Avery will lead a team of 26 full- and part-time staff and advisors who run ATDC’s various initiatives, including its financial, health, and retail technology verticals, support statewide activities such as the ATDC @ program, and coach technology entrepreneurs in Georgia.

Avery will report to Chris Downing, EI2 vice president and director.

“John is an outstanding leader and successful entrepreneur who understands the startup journey and commercialization process, with vast relationships in the startup and business communities,” Downing said. “We’re pleased to welcome him to EI2and see him bring ATDC, one of the nation’s premiere technology incubators, to even greater success in its mission of helping entrepreneurs build great companies here in Georgia.”

At Panasonic, Avery oversaw the innovation center’s development projects in next-generation automotive systems including, infotainment, bio-sensing, machine vision, deep learning, and heads-up displays.

A tech startup veteran with broad experience in data and wireless voice technologies, Avery was co-founder and chief technology officer of Convergence Corp., a maker of software that connects wireless devices to the Internet. Amazon acquired the company in 1999. Following that acquisition, he joined Amazon as engineering manager.

In 2001, Avery became an early employee of Mobliss, a mobile applications and messaging solutions company in the entertainment space. He later became the company’s chief technology officer. Japan’s Index Corp., a developer of mobile phone content and information and other media services such as video on demand,acquired Mobliss in 2004 for $15 million.

He holds six patents and owns Onboard Now, a developer of software for embedded devices such as smart phones, Web-enabled cameras, and industrial controls.

Avery, who sits on the board of the Midtown Alliance, is a familiar presence at ATDC, having served as a mentor to its startups since July of 2018.

“I am deeply honored to join ATDC and lead this amazing team,” Avery said. “ATDC’s work has resulted in the creation of great, disruptive Georgia companies in health, financial services, hardware, and numerous other sectors. I look forward to continuing ATDC’s momentum of success and legacy of impact.”

He holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Georgia Tech.

About Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2)

Comprised of a dozen programs, including the Advanced Technology Development Center, Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive university-based program of business and industry assistance, technology commercialization, and economic development. Through its philosophy of innovation-led economic development, EI2serves all of Georgia through a variety of services and programs designed to create, accelerate, and growGeorgia’s tech-based economy. For more information, please visit, innovate.gatech.edu.

About the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC)

The Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), a program of Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute, is the state of Georgia’s technology startup incubator. Founded in 1980 by the Georgia General Assembly which funds it each year, ATDC’s mission is to work with entrepreneurs in Georgia to help them learn, launch, scale, and succeed in the creation of viable, disruptive technology companies. Since its founding, ATDC has grown to become one of the longest running and most successful university-affiliated incubators in the United States, with its graduate startup companies raising more than $3 billion in investment financing and generating more than $12 billion in revenue in the state of Georgia. To learn more, visit atdc.org.

Source: https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2018/11/05/georgia-tech-names-new-director-for-advanced.html 

Tech Square to host 2019 Association of University Research Parks international conference

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Georgia Tech’s Technology Square – one of the nation’s premier innovation districts and a leader in research and economic development – will host the Association of University Research Parks (AURP) 2019 International Conference.

AURP’s mission is to foster innovation, commercialization and economic growth through university, industry and government partnerships. Each year, AURP’s international conference attracts a diverse group, including science and research park directors, economic developers, and intellectual property and venture capital firms.

“Georgia Tech is proud to host AURP’s 2019 International Conference,” said Chaouki Abdallah, executive vice president for research. “Tech Square is a testament to what is possible when higher education, government, business and the community work together. As the Southeast’s premier innovation district, Tech Square promotes a community of innovation, education and intelligent exchange.”

In 2014, the group named Tech Square its “Outstanding Research Park Award” winner.

Tech Square opened in 2003 in Midtown Atlanta with the goal of strengthening the connection between the Institute and the business community. Today the area is a thriving innovation ecosystem thanks to a network of students, faculty, researchers, startup entrepreneurs and global corporations.

“Tech Square is a globally recognized destination for innovation,” said AURP President Mason Ailstock. “Through Georgia Tech’s leadership, Tech Square creates intentional collisions between industry partners, entrepreneurs and the university. AURP is thrilled to showcase the breadth and depth of Atlanta and Georgia Tech to the 2019 conference attendees.”

Tech Square is comprised of more than 2 million square feet of office, research, retail, residential and hotel space, including the Technology Square Research Building, the Biltmore, Global Learning Center, the Scheller College of Business and the new Coda building, which will open in 2019.

More than 100 companies, employing 15,000, people are located in the 10-block area of Midtown Atlanta. Nearly 30 major companies run corporate design, innovation, technology development and research centers in or near the area, including Anthem, AT&T, Delta Air Lines, Home Depot, NCR, Southern Company and UCB.

While these corporate operations represent a wide range of industries, they all seek to tap into the area’s culture of collaboration — and its talent pool.

Tech Square is one reason why Atlanta is among the top cities for corporate innovation, said Greg King, associate vice president for economic development at Georgia Tech and an AURP board member.

“With a density that helps to accelerate innovation and development, Tech Square brings together education, research and corporate partnerships,” King said. “Georgia Tech has also fostered an environment where corporate innovators can learn from each other and experienced entrepreneurs mentor younger startups. We’re excited to be able to showcase Tech Square, Georgia Tech and the community of innovation represented here.”

Source: https://www.news.gatech.edu/2018/11/02/tech-square-host-2019-association-university-research-parks-international-conference

Georgia Tech’s Technology Square continues to grow

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The Georgia Institute of Technology has announced preliminary plans for the next phase of Technology Square.

Tech Square Phase III will be located on the northwest corner of West Peachtree and Fifth streets. Initial programming envisions a two-tower complex for the first phase, which will likely contain graduate and executive education for the Ernest Scheller Jr. College of Business, the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, and other programming. The project will likely also include a large plaza with street-level retail and an underground parking deck.

Rendering shows the view from Acuity Brands Plaza in front of the Scheller College of Business, looking west down Fifth Street.

Phase III has an estimated cost of about $200 million and would provide more than 400,000 gross square feet. The earliest the building could open would be 2022.

On Tuesday, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia voted to include $4.3 million for the planning and design of the project in its Fiscal Year 2020 budget recommendation. The recommendation will be considered during the 2019 legislative session. Planning and design funds would allow the Institute to further develop the project plans beginning July 1, 2019.

Georgia Tech’s Technology Square opened in 2003. One of the area’s guiding principles is to foster a better connection between the Institute and the business community. Today the area is a thriving innovation ecosystem thanks to a network of students, faculty, researchers, startup entrepreneurs and global corporations.

Tech Square has garnered national attention and has been hailed as a model. The Association of University Research Parks and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities have honored the area in recent years.

The Phase III project comes as construction continues on the Coda building, a nearly 750,000-square-foot mixed-use project that will create additional opportunities in interdisciplinary research, commercialization and sustainability.

Portman Holdings owns the Coda tower, and John Portman & Associates has designed the facility. Georgia Tech will be the anchor tenant, occupying about half of the 620,000 square feet of office space.

Additional Information About Tech Square

Founded: 2003

Location: 10 blocks on Georgia Tech’s campus in Midtown Atlanta. It is comprised of more than 1.4 million square feet of office, research, retail, residential and hotel space, including the Technology Square Research Building, the Biltmore, Global Learning Center and Scheller College of Business.

Companies: More than 100

Employees: More than 15,000

Corporate Presence: More than 20 major companies with corporate innovation centers including Anthem, AT&T, Delta Air Lines, Home Depot, NCR, Siemens, ThyssenKrupp Elevator and UCB.

Source: https://www.news.gatech.edu/2018/09/11/whats-next-tech-square

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