Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

From Atlanta, GA:

In two follow-up columns recently to this article we posted on August 1, David Cummings, Founder of Atlanta Tech Village and also Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Atlanta Ventures, explains the thinking behind the recently announced plans to open a second Tech Village location in downtown Atlanta. The articles are Column 1 with the headline “Why Downtown for the Next Atlanta Tech Village” and the more recent Column 2 with the headline “From Historic Neighborhood to Start-up District in Downtown Atlanta.”

“On the surface, it seems like downtown Atlanta as a live-work-play region would be a no-brainer infrastructure-wise,” writes in the first column. “There are a large number of subway stations, three interstates that touch it, and miles of dedicated bike lanes. There’s a historic grid laid out in the early 1840s that is walkable, fairly flat, and easy to get around.”

Yet, Cummings notes the challenges that he and his partners are facing.

• The first challenge is that there are very limited residential options.
• The second challenge is that downtown has an overabundance of parking lots and parking decks.
• The third challenge is the doom loop in the emptying out of the office buildings and how that then translates into the local restaurants, dry cleaners, and other service businesses going out of business.
• The fourth challenge, and ultimately the number one challenge, is the centralization of homeless services in the region in downtown.

He cites several “momentum” factors before offering this conclusion: “Atlanta Tech Village is going downtown because it’s the biggest challenge and the biggest opportunity to help entrepreneurs and Atlanta.”

Cummings starts the second column with this statement: “It’s one thing to put a new start-up space in one building, but it’s a whole different challenge to take 56 buildings, 11 parking lots, and turn a neglected historic neighborhood into a thriving start-up district.” He ends it with these words: “Ultimately, the multi-decade goal is a large start-up district that encompasses over 100,000 square feet of creative spaces across many historic buildings, over 1,000 apartment units, dozens of food and beverage options, great shops, and an incredible sense of place where Atlanta was literally founded—and now, a district for founders and start-ups.”

It is truly a bold vision that bears close watching.

From Durham, NC:

The NCAA and name, image and likeness (NIL) start-up Teamworks have launched NCAA NIL Assist, a platform designed to connect student-athletes with potential service providers, facilitate disclosures of NIL activities, and provide insight into evolving trends with the NIL environment. The platform is available here.

The mobile-friendly, web-based platform — available to member schools, student-athletes and their families — includes:

• A voluntary registry where agents and other interested professional service providers can submit information about their offerings and seek potential student-athlete clients.
• A “rate your experience” tool so student-athletes can share reviews of those same service providers, so other student-athletes can feel informed before entering into agreements with them.
• A simple process by which NCAA schools can submit NIL disclosure data.
• Aggregated data with identifying information removed and trends about NIL agreements, including the ability to sort by subdivision, conference, sport and player position.
• Access to educational programming related to NIL, including resources about NCAA rules, tax implications and intellectual property.

From Greenville, SC:

Another from Greenville, SC:

Luxor Scientific, an innovator in clinical diagnostics, has entered into a strategic partnership with Capstone Health Alliance, a prominent regional group purchasing organization (GPO) in the U.S. healthcare industry. This collaboration will grant Capstone’s membership of health systems, independent hospitals, and physician offices across the country access to cutting-edge diagnostic testing and expedited results.

A full-service, privately held medical and research laboratory, Luxor Scientific offers advanced testing solutions that often lead the industry in response to healthcare concerns nationwide. Driven by a team of top scientists and operational leaders, Luxor has developed proprietary technology to increase speed and provide accurate results.

Luxor Scientific was founded with the mission of providing better information faster. As a full-service, privately held, College of American Pathologists-accredited medical and research laboratory, the company offers a robust menu of clinical and anatomical testing services. Today, Luxor Scientific is one of the fastest-growing companies in the southeast, specializing in cutting-edge diagnostic testing solutions in the areas of metabolomics, genomics, toxicology, and histology. Industry-leading turnaround times and state-of-the-art equipment and diagnostic solutions allow Luxor to provide personalized service, accurate testing, and innovative functional reporting.

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