Hey.
Welcome back to ATL Grind.
I’m Andrew (your host) who’ll be showing you the best events, news, jobs, and more in Atlanta’s business world. Let’s get started.
Â
Co-Founder Matching: Find Your Perfect Partner
Tuesday, January 6 at Online, 11:00am EST. Founder Institute live networking event. Learn best practices for co-founder relationships, meet 50+ startup minds from across the country. Join here
Founders Live Atlanta: Pitch Competition & Networking
January 21 at The Gathering Spot ATL, 6:00pm. Six curated founders pitch. Winners get $1M+ in startup savings and exclusive Backstage Intelligence access. Cash bar, passed apps. Register
General Business Networking: Elevating Your Potential
February 18th at Central Atlanta Location, 6:00pm. Multi-vertical mixer. Bankers, engineers, consultants, entrepreneurs, all focused on career acceleration. Bring business cards. Tickets​
Rainforest Hits $57.5M Total Funding After Monster Series B
Atlanta fintech Rainforest just closed a $29 million Series B, spearheaded by repeat backers Matrix Partners and Infinity Ventures, with contributions from Accel and Tech Square Ventures. That's $57.5M total since founder Joshua Silver launched the company in 2022.
Why it matters: Rainforest enables vertical SaaS platforms (think Shopify, Toast) to embed payment processing without regulatory or operational headache. Customers are seeing 50% revenue uplifts from payments alone.
Post-Series A (2024), Rainforest's annual recurring revenue jumped 10x. Silver is expanding into Canada, adding tap-to-phone, alternative payment rails, and fintech orchestration features. Team's at 24+ and hiring hard across engineering, sales, and customer success.
The insight: Embedded payments aren't flashy, but they're the quiet generational shift redefining fintech. Rainforest is positioned to dominate.
Heritage
After five years running Heritage Supper Club as a celebrated pop-up series, chef Demetrius Brown is bringing it home to Atlanta's historic Summerhill at 63 Georgia Avenue, opening spring 2026.
What to expect: A 10-course seasonal tasting menu exploring African diaspora cuisines: Caribbean, West African, Afro-American. The menu honors Brown's Trinidadian roots and great-grandmother's recipes, reimagined through modern and classic technique.
The experience: Guests enter a welcoming lounge with à la carte dining and full bar, then progress through a dimly lit hallway into a striking two-tiered dining room overlooking an open kitchen. Dessert concludes in a separate intimate alcove. Each course pairs with curated music spanning 1960s-present and drinks from Black-owned distilleries and vineyards. Designed by local Atlanta designer Imani James with local artwork throughout.
The credentials: Heritage Supper Club named "Best Food Pop-Up" by Atlanta Magazine. Bread & Butterfly (Brown's Inman Park concept) was named to The New York Times' America's Best Restaurants (2024). Brown is a Food Network "Chopped Next Gen" and "Beat Bobby Flay" winner.
Good to know: The lounge seats 25, dining room seats 40, dessert area seats 8. Pricing will be "accessible and part of the neighborhood" - don't expect walk-ins.
Featured Job: Product Manager, Servicing at Varo Bank ($100K–$160K)
Atlanta-based fintech bank. Lead product strategy for customer servicing platform. 3+ years PM experience in SaaS/fintech. Hybrid. Fast-growing, well-funded. Apply
Account Executive at Upgrade, Inc. Fintech lending. Sell flexible payment solutions to merchants. Base + commission. Atlanta presence. Stock options. Link
Platform Success Manager at Rainforest. Payment infrastructure platform. Support high-touch customers. SaaS background. Atlanta HQ. Apply
Account Manager at Greenlight. Mission-driven fintech (kids' banking). Enterprise sales. Hybrid/remote friendly. Growing team. Link
Sales Development Representative at Greenlight. New business development. Remote-friendly. Fintech sales fundamentals. Apply
Account Executive, Financial Institutions at Greenlight. Sell to banks, credit unions. Relationship-focused selling. Atlanta metro. Link
Want your job posting here? Apply with it here
The Busy Bee Heads Downtown (With a Bar for the First Time)
Atlanta institution The Busy Bee - soul food royalty since 1947- just signed a lease for Centennial Yards at The Mitchell (125 Ted Turner Drive SW). Expected 2026/2027 opening.
The twist: Nearly 3,000 sq ft in a quick-service format, AND a full bar for the first time in the restaurant's 79-year history. Beer, wine, cocktails alongside award-winning fried chicken and slow-cooked sides.
Why it matters: Busy Bee is a James Beard America's Classics Award winner (2022) and MICHELIN Bib Gourmand recipient (2023-2025). Taking that legacy to Downtown signals Centennial Yards' commitment to more than just corporate tenants.
Secret: The second location at Atlantic Station is ramping up; this downtown play is major expansion.
U-Shaped Tuxedo Park Estate Wraps Around Private Courtyard
Hirsh Real Estate is marketing a rare single-story/guest-suite design on just over an acre in Tuxedo Park, the undisputed top-shelf Buckhead micro-market.
Finishes: 6-inch French oak, Bianco Avion marble, Wolf range, polished nickel throughout. Three fireplaces. Taj Mahal quartzite powder room. Elizabeth Ferguson Design interiors.
Target audience: Buyers who've done the 20K-sqft estate and want sophisticated ease. Tuxedo Park's maturity gated compounds, private security, Chastain Park proximity, Buckhead Village dining but without the 16-bathroom sprawl.
5 other headlines to snack on:
Lewis Barbecue debuts on Northeast Trail of BeltLine near Ansley Mall. Pitmaster John Lewis (LA Barbecue, Austin) brings Michelin Bib Gourmand–recognized Texas brisket, 18-hour smoked ribs. Walk-up counter + full dining. Already packed. Link​
Reditus Space (Atlanta) closes $7.1M seed for "microgravity-as-a-service"—reusable reentry vehicles for commercial space research. Backed by leading space investors. Next frontier for Atlanta tech. Link​
Kiksasa launches Georgia Small Business Ecosystem platform January 2026. AI-powered visibility for 12 economic development regions. Founders, rural entrepreneurs, creative spaces—all connected for the first time. Free, public-good model. Link​
RaceTrac acquires Potbelly. Atlanta's stalwart c-store empire moves into fresh sandwiches. 2025's surprise M&A play in QSR. Strategic or desperate? Read more.​
Saffron Darbar opens Sandy Springs January 2026. Family-style North Indian. 40–45 seats. Replaces Be Thai. Opening hours TBD—watch their Instagram for soft launch. Link
Would you raise money for your company this year? |
That’s it.
What’d you think? Reply and share some thoughts.
See you next Tuesday.
Andrew