🔵 New Michelin star Japanese chef in buckhead

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.

Founders & Investors Pitch Night Atlanta | Wed, Jan 28 | 7pm @ Bakaris Pizza & Kava Lounge | read more here

Startup Valley curates this one. Five-minute pitches. Direct investor feedback. No BS. Serious founders, serious capital. The crowd that actually deploys.

Atlanta EVO VC & Startups Social | Thurs, Jan 29 | 6:30pm @ Rowdy Tiger Midtown | read more here

High-signal room. Founders, angels, VCs, quantum tech builders. Free with RSVP. Drinks on you; connections on them.

Atlanta Ventures Office Hours | Feb 12 | 12pm | read more here

Direct access to the AV team. Seed-stage founders: vet your idea, nail your first 10 customers, map your raise. 30 minutes. No pitch deck required.​

Portal Innovations just announced 32 biotech, medtech, digital health, and cleantech companies now operating at Science Square: 15 months after launch.

The January wave alone: 7 new members. That includes Magnadyne Solutions, Reformis Surgical, 5M BioMed, WellFed (Healthvice Inc), InfraredRx, Georgia Cleantech Innovation Hub, and the Digital Health Institute for Transformation.

Why this matters: Duracell and GeoVax joined as corporate innovation partners. Shriners Children's anchors clinical expertise on-site. Georgia Tech, Emory, and Atlanta's HBCUs feed research talent.

Ashley Cornelison, Portal's Executive Director: "Reaching 30+ members in just over a year reflects the quality of founders in Atlanta and the collaborative environment at Science Square."

Translation: Atlanta is becoming the Southeast's serious life sciences play.

read more here

Opening late February 2026 at the Twelve Midtown hotel (361 17th St. NW), Ikara redefines what Indian dining can be.

The Chef: Yugal Sharma, formerly assistant chef at Afghan, TC Grandat, and Bukhara in New Delhi. He's building a menu around regional Indian cuisine: Bihar, Kashmir, Goa, Rajasthan, Kerala, Himachal.

The Space: Three distinct sections. Casual bar (20 seats). Fine dining. 30-seat chef's tasting room with a nine-course progressive menu paired with Indian-style cocktails and wine.

What to Expect: Saffron, roasted cumin, rose water, cardamom, tamarind, kokum. Brass, glass, stone, warm woods.

The Economics: This is elevated Indian dining in a 215-seat operation. Partner Pooja Aggarwal runs restaurants in India and California's Bay Area.

Expected Tab: $75–$150+ depending on what you order.

read more here​

Featured Role: Account Executive, Commercial @ Samsara | Atlanta, GA (Remote) | $106K–$151K + equity

IoT platform for connected operations. Sell to small-to-mid SMBs ($5K–$20K deals). Proof of concepts, multi-stakeholder negotiations. You're building their future. High-volume prospecting energy. apply here

Senior Sales Account Executive – MarTech @ Intuit Mailchimp | Atlanta, GA | $112K–$151K

Mid-market new business. Omnichannel marketing platform. Email, SMS, transactional. Consultative selling. You own the full cycle. Proven quota track record required. apply here

Manager, Account Development @ Samsara | Atlanta, GA | Build and lead your team. apply here

Senior Account Executive, New Business @ Intuit Mailchimp | Atlanta, GA | $112K–$151K + uncapped commission apply here

Enterprise Account Executive @ Lumafield | East Coast Base | Mid-market industrial imaging. apply here

Account Executive – Mid Market (EST/CST) @ Samsara | Remote | $194K–$278K. apply here

Want to promote your job to our 1,000+ readers? Hit reply.

From the Michelin-starred team behind Mujō (West Midtown), Koshu Club launches in early 2026 at 99 West Paces, directly across from the St. Regis in Buckhead.

The Chef: J. Trent Harris (Mujō) + chef de cuisine Keith Miller. Not omakase. Think slow-grilled binchōtan charcoal cooking: seafood, premium meats, vegetables.

The Vibe: Japanese mid-century aesthetic. Sake-focused bar program. High-energy supper club energy.

Opening: Early 2026. Mark your calendar.

read more here

$9.25M | 7bd / 9ba / 10,000 sqft | Cole Construction + Ansley Real Estate

New construction in the heart of Atlanta's most exclusive zip code.

see the details here

Data center boom will fuel 2026 Atlanta real estate. Commercial real estate experts say AI infrastructure demand is driving technologically-integrated warehousing expansion, new office adaptive reuse, and multifamily concessions to compete. The South Side + BeltLine are hot zones. read more here

Portal Atlanta ecosystem grows to 32 in 15 months. Duracell and GeoVax joining as corporate innovation anchors. Medtech founders with engineering backgrounds building next-gen medical devices at Science Square. read more here

Atlanta's 2026 outlook: cautious optimism. Federal Reserve data shows modest growth, flattening home prices in luxury segments, increased AI adoption to manage headcount, and tariff pressures expected through H1. Retailers anticipate flat growth. read more here

INDUS Acquires 1.9M SF in Atlanta & Phoenix. Industrial REIT doubled its portfolio size since going private in 2023. Demand for logistics and data center-adjacent real estate remains resilient. read more here

Kiksasa launches Georgia Ecosystem Mesh. Startup Atlanta-backed resource discovery platform now live statewide. AI identified 1,200+ new small business support orgs in North Georgia alone. Transparency moving fast. read more here

“When I first opened Attio, I instantly got the feeling this was the next generation of CRM.”
— Margaret Shen, Head of GTM at Modal

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See you next Tuesday.

Andrew