What Makes Atlanta So Special?
A key pillar of the One Emory strategic plan is creating meaningful connections between the Emory Community and Atlanta as a whole. Leaning into this pillar, The Hatchery launched a new podcast series called Might Could: Stories of Innovation in the ATL, which seeks to explore what makes Atlanta the innovation capital of the South East in conversation with innovation thought leaders and disruptors in non-profits, higher education, and industry who are making Atlanta a city of the future.
The first guest was entrepreneur Geoff Wilson, President and Founder of Three Five Two, an innovation and growth agency focused on helping clients to find, build, and grow what’s next. Located in Atlanta, Tampa, and Gainesville, Florida, they offer an array of services and capabilities in Innovation, Digital Development, and Growth Marketing. Geoff is also the Founder of Sports Card Investor, the go-to source of information and resources for investors in the sports trading card space, and the host of the podcast series of the same name.
Geoff shared out of his deep experience as a multi-time founder and innovation consultant. Some highlight takeaway's focused on innovators testing their ideas quickly rather than focusing on getting the big picture plan just right, Geoff sharing that a common saying at Three Five Two is "innovation is 99% iteration" because the idea you start with is rarely the final product, and that in the end executing an idea is what wins rather than the having of an idea.
Geoff also highlighted some of the features of the innovation ecosystem that makes Atlanta such a special place. For example, there is a huge and diverse network of founders, funders, workspaces, accelerators, and incubators in Atlanta, such that a founder looking to get into nearly any industry could find support. Additionally, business to business-facing entrepreneurs should know that Atlanta has the second-highest number of Fortune 500 corporate headquarters in the United States.
Geoff's ideas and stories were both informative and inspirational! To learn more about Geoff's successes (and failures!) and what he has learned along the way be sure to download the podcast. To keep up to date with all things The Hatchery, subscribe to their newsletter.
To learn more about The Hatchery visit Hatchery.emory.edu or email The Hatchery staff at thehatchery@emory.edu. The Hatchery is a unit of Emory University Academic Innovation.