A strategist’s guide to talent pipelines (from Blandtown)

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 you ready for 2026.

Pitch Practice Buckhead (Jan 2 & Jan 16) | Fridays @ Atlanta Tech Village | More

Sharpen your deck before investors see it. Free, open meetup where entrepreneurs practice 30-second to 5+ minute pitches with Jacey Cadet and the ATV community. A safe space to fail fast and get feedback before you face real capital. 1pm EST.

Atlanta Ventures Office Hours (Jan 8) | Virtual | More

Direct access to the AV team. Seed-stage or navigating your first institutional round? Bring your questions. No pitch decks required, just founders ready to solve real problems.

Founder Institute: Co-Founder Networking (Jan 6) | Virtual | More

Find your perfect co-founder match. FI is curating a room of ambitious builders. If you've been sitting on an idea waiting for the right partner, this is it. 11am EST.

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A former high-level strategist who worked with Maverick City Music, LA Reid, and Lecrae just opened a youth innovation hub in historic Blandtown. And she's not building a nonprofit, but a talent pipeline.

The pivot: Kandis spent years orchestrating million-dollar rollouts for major labels. But after a near-death experience, she realized she was using the most powerful tools in culture - visibility, narrative, momentum- to build artist legacies while Atlanta's youth were invisible to the same machines. Atlanta's economy is soaring ($570B GDP, 16 Fortune 500 HQs), yet only 22% of Black students read on grade level.

The move: Ignite ATL just launched the NextGen Lab at 1401 Ellsworth Industrial in Blandtown, one of Atlanta's earliest Black working-class communities. The building was once Billboard Studios. Now it's a multidisciplinary facility with recording studios, a STEAM lab, AI and coding classes, culinary innovation kitchen, gaming and e-sports training, and the Executive Intern Academy: a program placing students at major labels and Fortune 500 companies.

The validation: Darrell Booker (ex-Microsoft) just came on as Strategic Partner. He's watched Kandis build systems for years. This is infrastructure designed to scale.

Chef Steven Satterfield's wine bar and restaurant (the James Beard-winning mastermind behind Miller Union) has become one of Atlanta's most talked-about spots since opening, and it's where you take the LP after they commit.

The backstory: Satterfield partnered with Miller Union's Neal McCarthy and sommelier Tim Willard of Dive Wine to build something different. Think neighborhood wine bar meets elevated bistro. Exposed brick, a focused wine list that actually makes sense, and seasonally driven food that doesn't need to announce itself. The menu changes subtly but constantly: expect dishes that feel natural, refined, and completely unpretentious.

The tab: Expect $80-120 per person. Not Avize money, but worth every dollar.

Reserve here.

Featured Job: Account Executive, Financial Institutions at Greenlight

Leading family fintech with 6M+ users. Sell B2B partnerships to banks and credit unions, scaling Greenlight's partnership-driven customer acquisition and revenue channel. Partners include JP Morgan Chase and Morgan Stanley. 3+ years quota-carrying experience required (startup experience and community bank/credit union relationships preferred).

Apply here

Operations Manager, Ground Operations at Veho ($80K - $95K + equity). Lead warehouse facility operations, coach teams to hit KPIs, and manage P&L. Apply on LinkedIn

Manager, Account Development at Samsara ($149K - $171K). IoT platform for connected operations. Build and lead account development teams in Atlanta. Apply on LinkedIn

Customer Success Executive at Hippocratic AI. AI healthcare startup. Based in Atlanta. Build and scale customer success from the ground up. Apply on LinkedIn

Atlanta District Sales Manager at Toast ($181K - $290K). Restaurant tech platform. Hire and manage quota-achieving sales team. Apply on LinkedIn

While consumer startups chase hype, Midtown-based Florence Healthcare just hit a massive milestone: connecting over 65,000 clinical research sites and 600+ sponsors worldwide.

The scale: Florence has quietly built the digital infrastructure for the global clinical trial industry. What started as software to replace paper binders has evolved into the industry standard network. Their platform now powers 1 in 3 study sites globally, slashing study startup timelines by 40%.

The impact: By automating document workflows and connecting disparate stakeholders, they're removing the biggest bottleneck in drug development: administrative friction. They recently hosted their global summit, Research Revolution 2025, cementing Atlanta's status as a hub for healthtech innovation.

The lesson: Build boring infrastructure that solves expensive problems. Florence Healthcare dedicated themselves to being indispensable. And it worked.

A brand new 10,000 sq ft estate at 41 Blackland Road just hit the market in Tuxedo Park, one of Buckhead's most prestigious neighborhoods. Built in 2025 by Cole Construction, designed by William T. Baker, with interiors by SOURCE.

The details: 7 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms, sitting on 1.53 acres. A fieldstone façade with hand-carved limestone accents and cedar shake roof. Inside you'll find 12-foot ceilings, Venetian plaster walls, custom wood paneling, and a chef's kitchen with Kingdom cabinetry. Primary suite on main with dual closets and a spa-like barrel arch bath.

The flex: Heated saltwater pool, wine cellar, wet bar, sauna, and a separate guest cottage. This is where you close the Series B and celebrate properly.

Why it matters: New construction luxury in Tuxedo Park doesn't come to market often. If you're a founder who just raised and wants to make a statement without the multi-year build timeline, this is it.

Check it out here.

Rivian breaks ground in Newton County. $2B investment. 7,500 jobs by 2030. Manufacturing facility targeting 2028 vehicle production. This is Georgia saying "we're all-in on EV." Expect supply chain opportunities and real estate plays.

Sunday raises $21M for U.S. expansion. The European fintech (started in Atlanta) just secured capital to scale restaurant payment tech globally. They've already eliminated the awkward credit card shuffle. Next: international domination.

Home Depot scores $7M Cobb tax break. The Development Authority approved $140M in bonds to fund a major expansion across Cobb campuses. Translation: Atlanta's retail tech ecosystem is heating up.

Lewis Barbecue opens at Ansley Mall. Serious BBQ now steps off the BeltLine into Midtown retail. Perfect for client dinners without the trek.

Alma Cocina closing Buckhead location Dec 20. Downtown location stays open. Real estate shuffle in the works - watch for announcements about who takes that space.

That’s it.

What’d you think? Reply and share some thoughts.

See you next Tuesday.

Andrew