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.
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
That’s it.
What’d you think? Reply and share some thoughts.
See you next Tuesday.
Andrew