Georgia’s Technology Industry: AI, Fintech, Cybersecurity and Innovation | #hacking | #cybersecurity | #infosec | #comptia | #pentest | #ransomware

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic,” science fiction writer and inventor Arthur C. Clarke once wrote. He’s not wrong.

For many people who don’t work in technology fields, new innovations feel like wizardry—creating solutions to problems that the general population hasn’t even conceived of yet. Machine learning engineers building algorithms to train artificial intelligence, visionaries creating life-saving medical devices, software developers dreaming up new efficiencies, and blockchain engineers keeping financial transactions secure are part of the innovation ecosystem that has put Georgia on the map.

But no matter how magical these advances may seem, there’s human motivation and ingenuity behind all aspects, which means there’s also a pipeline and support system for developing that talent. The state’s top universities, technology incubators, job creation programs, and public-private partnerships focused on giving innovators the resources they need all make growth possible. The numbers tell the story. According to the Georgia Department of Economic Development, more than 14,300 technology companies and 165,000 employees call the state home, a testament to the culture of innovation. Here, we explore six tech-forward industries shaping Georgia.

Artificial Intelligence

New Frontier

AI is here, there, and everywhere in Georgia business

By Tony Rehagen

Artificial intelligence, or AI, has always felt like the distant future. But while consumers have wavered between wariness and eagerness for the faraway day when machines do our thinking, the AI revolution has been quietly happening all around us.

In fact, few technologies are as pervasive as machine learning, which impacts every Georgia industry from fintech to health tech and software development. Entire cybersecurity startups, like Atlanta’s Ironscales, are built on generative AI apps to prevent phishing and financial fraud, while much of the state’s recent data center boom (including Amazon’s announcement of an $11 billion investment in Georgia to expand infrastructure and support AI) is driven by corporations’ AI integration.

GREGORY MILLER

Obviously, the growing presence of all these other digital industries has made Georgia fertile ground for firms and startups focused on AI. In March, crypto and AI data center company Core Scientific announced that it was expanding its footprint in Dalton. Athens-based Vertice AI recently launched its AI-powered Vertice Aquire solution to help credit unions increase membership. Meanwhile, in Atlanta, enterprise AI agent company Sema4.ai followed up on a $30.5 million venture-capital backing with the release of its full-stack workflow platform to help businesses run and operate AI agents at scale. In the consultancy realm, Atlanta-based sustainable-design consulting firm Cove recently started Cove Architecture, a full-service, AI-powered architecture practice.

AI is even making inroads into the realm of manufacturing. In 2023, Kubota Manufacturing broke ground on a $190 million expansion in Gainesville to produce frontend loaders for tractors without a single human welder. Even 40-year-old JE Dunn Construction has brought on a Spot Agile Mobile Robot, nicknamed Astro, to monitor sites and capture data through the company’s info-tech offshoot, Aptitude.

However, Aaron Stebner, codirector of Georgia Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing and a professor of mechanical engineering and materials science in engineering at Georgia Tech, says that the futuristic visions of completely autonomous factories dotting Georgia’s industrial parks are still well in the future.

“Most of what I’m seeing is open, broad adoption of AI assistance for things like writing, image creation, marketing, accounting, and matching job descriptions in the hiring process,” says Stebner. “Getting to the lights-out factory that self-optimizes is still decades away.”

Even so, Stebner says that the more forward-thinking firms who are breaking ground on new facilities are doing so with a mind to that automated future when no lights and no humans are needed in factories.

“At the research level, we’re right at the tipping point of component AI (a machine with a couple of sensors) growing into AI for an entire factory of machines making things,” he says. “We still don’t have that single app that spans a system scale. That’s the frontier.”

AI Oversight

Georgia lawmakers didn’t pass any of the bills introduced this session to address AI ethics and crime, but they could resurface when the Legislature reconvenes next year.

AI bills to watch:

• House Bill 147: Sponsored by Representative Brad Thomas (R-Holly Springs), the bill calls for the Georgia Technology Authority to keep an inventory of how AI is being used by every state governmental organization. The inventory, which would be published on a public website, is intended to increase transparency of the rapidly evolving technology and help prevent potential abuses.
• Senate Bill 37: Sponsored by Senator John Albers (R-Roswell), the bill also proposes creating an AI inventory of state and local government uses with the goal of giving Georgia a foothold in developing AI in businesses as well as government.

Study committees poised to launch in the coming months:

• The Senate Study Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Digital Currency: Also sponsored by Albers, the committee will be tasked with crafting new rules and regulations on AI development, with a focus on how the technology could strengthen cryptocurrency security.
• The Senate Impact of Social Media and Artificial Intelligence on Children and Platform Privacy Protection Study Committee: Created in a resolution sponsored by Senator Sally Harrell (D-Atlanta), this committee seeks to craft rules for how social media platforms can engage with children through AI-powered marketing tools.

Work Smarter

AI is redefining business with new applications almost daily, and now we can add staffing to the list.

PromptOwl, the world’s first AI staffing agency, partners with businesses to design, build, and deploy custom AI “digital workers” trained for specific business roles. These agents operate within PromptOwl’s AI Workplace platform, handling complex data analysis 24/7, managing customer service inquiries with perfect recall, or optimizing intricate operational workflows.

“The real power is maximizing human potential,” says PromptOwl Chief Growth Officer Stacey Schneider. “AI agents manage the grunt work so people can focus on strategy, creativity, and delivering real impact—often at lower cost.”

The results are compelling: According to Schneider, clients can realize nearly $4 in value for every dollar invested in AI agents within the first year.

“Implementing these agents is like finally turning the lights on after drifting in the dark ages,” she says.

— Jen R. Coltrin

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Health Tech

Clean Bill of Health

Georgia’s health tech sector thrives

By Heidi Fedak

When Arun Rai recently visited his doctor at Emory Healthcare, the head of the Georgia State University (GSU) Center for Digital Innovation saw firsthand the advances emerging from the health tech sector.

“One of my doctors uses ambient listening,” Rai says. “When you go in and talk to them, it encodes the whole conversation in an AI format, putting it into different categories. It’s changing not just the patient-physician relationship but the quality of the interaction, as well.”

And that, Rai says, is what the state’s thriving health technology sector is all about: creating innovations that enhance the patient experience, increase accessibility, drive efficiency, and improve the quality of care.

PHONES: ISTOCKPHOTO.COM; APP: COURTESY SHARECARE

Maria Thacker Goethe, president and CEO of Georgia Life Sciences, agrees.

“Whether it’s expanding telemedicine, streamlining data for better decision-making, or developing new medical devices, the focus remains on ensuring that all Georgians—regardless of location or socioeconomic status—have access to high-quality healthcare.”

There are plenty of opportunities to make that happen, thanks to a “robust and growing” healthcare technology industry, says Robin Hackney, chair of the Technical Association of Georgia Digital Health Society Board. The state has more than 250 companies in its digital healthcare ecosystem (including large, established companies like NextGen Healthcare, Sharecare, Greenway Health, and Ciox Health) and a vibrant startup community (with Loyal, Rialtic, and MedTransGo).

“Beyond that, Georgia offers a powerful mix of academic institutions, top-tier tech talent, and a business-friendly climate that continues to attract and grow companies across the health tech spectrum. This mix creates a healthy pipeline of ideas, talent, and investment, positioning Georgia as a national leader in health IT,” Hackney says.

It also creates opportunities for collaboration. And that, both Hackney and Rai say, is what sets Georgia apart in the industry. As the head of GSU’s Center for Digital Innovation, Rai and his team have worked with hospitals, companies, the government, and other organizations to transform patient care, improve clinical processes, and design predictive analytics.

“We’ve looked at streamlining workflows and coordination,” Rai says. “We’ve used data analytics and artificial intelligence to better understand and anticipate managing challenging patient conditions. We’ve looked at how new digital tools can be integrated into very different settings. And we’ve looked at health literacy in underserved populations around the world.”

Not coincidentally, those are some of the top priorities of health tech around the state as well as the nation: the expansion of telehealth and remote patient monitoring, artificial intelligence, healthcare payments, and consumer-facing digital health tools, Hackney says.

“Together, these trends show how Georgia’s healthcare tech ecosystem is not just keeping up with national movements—but actively shaping how innovation is applied across diverse settings and populations.”

“We truly believe we are on the cusp of something truly transformative,” Rai says. “And I think Georgia is right at the heart of this.”

Connecting the Dots

• No one likes to get a shot, but they are a necessary part of some medical treatments. Atlanta-based Micron Biomedical is on a mission to make that a thing of the past. Thanks to its innovative microneedle patches, even needle-phobic patients can receive necessary interventions without a painful stick. CEO Steven P. Damon tells us more.
• Micron’s dissolvable microneedle patches have been seen as a game-changer. What needs are you solving with this technology? The short answer is access. The “button” allows for pain-free administration [by yourself or a caregiver], eliminating or greatly reducing the cold chain and sharps waste. All of the above advantages over needles/injections allow for greater, broader, and more convenient access to important and sometimes lifesaving vaccines. Imagine receiving vaccines in the mail or picking them up at the pharmacy. In the case of pandemics and epidemics, imagine being able to get vaccines delivered into remote villages in Africa where they don’t have access to doctors or refrigeration for shipping. [We have improved] access for everyone globally.
• How does it compare to traditional injection methods in terms of efficacy, cost, and accessibility? Clinical trials, published in The Lancet, have shown our efficacy as better than or equal to intramuscular (seasonal flu) and subcutaneous (measles and rubella) injections. Our estimated cost at scale is expected to be similar to injections. We are currently scaling up our commercial manufacturing capabilities.
• Are there any new partnerships, clinical trials, or global initiatives in the pipeline? We have planned another Phase 2 study for measles and rubella this year, funded by the Gates Foundation. We planned a Phase 1 rotavirus trial this year, funded by the CDC. We are working on pandemic flu, Covid, monkeypox, and other undisclosed diseases. Other later-stage pharma trials are planned for the year.
• Are there any new applications for your microneedle platform beyond vaccines that we should be watching? Half of our pipeline is dedicated to therapeutics. Since they are partnered with pharma and undisclosed, we don’t get to discuss them, but the technology works as well for therapeutics as it does for vaccines. Imagine receiving a weight loss or diabetes drug in the mail and self-administering with our little button instead of a needle.
• Why is Georgia the right place for Micron’s headquarters? We spun out of Georgia Tech. But the reasons we are still here are many, including the great universities and related talent. The Micron team is the reason we are having success with our technology. They are passionate about our mission for a positive Georgia, national, and global health impact.

— Jennifer Bradley Franklin

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Data Centers

Data Driven

Georgia sees a two-fold increase in data center development

By Heidi Fedak

The third time’s the charm for data-development company QTS. With two established data centers spanning a combined 150 acres in Atlanta and Suwanee, the Kansas-based business has again set its sights on Georgia, constructing a third facility on some 600 acres in Fayetteville.

QTS is not alone. Earlier this year, Amazon Web Services announced plans to invest around $11 billion to expand its cloud-computing infrastructure in Georgia, and DataBank is building its fifth and sixth data processing and storage facilities just outside of Atlanta in Lithia Springs.

The investments in the state are not surprising. A January report from land resource company LandGate shows that data center development in Georgia has doubled since 2020, and metro Atlanta is a major hot spot.

“Georgia has firmly positioned itself as a dynamic leader in the data center industry, with infrastructure and sustainability initiatives that not only attract investment but ensure long-term growth,” says LandGate CEO Yoann Hispa.

That growth, which started in the early 2010s and exploded post-pandemic, has reached a tipping point. In late 2024, real estate services firm CBRE said that Atlanta had become the country’s top market for data center leasing activity, edging out perennial leader Northern Virginia.

What sets Georgia apart? Plenty, says Larry Williams, president and CEO of the Technical Association of Georgia (TAG). The state provides what data development companies need to succeed: a favorable business environment, a high-quality talent pipeline, a robust and evolving infrastructure, and an easily accessible location.

QTS: COURTESY QTS

Today, more than 85 data centers, employing some 23,000 people, call Georgia home. And that creates tremendous positive economic impact for the state. The QTS Fayetteville campus alone is projected to create between 800 and 1,000 permanent jobs and contribute more than $1 billion in state and local taxes over the next 15 years.

As the market evolves, so, too, will the approach, Williams says. Data centers in the state could soon be reaching for the clouds, both figuratively and literally. With limited land supply and growing digital demand, these earthbound data clouds will have to stretch vertically to continue growing in urban areas.

“Given the limited availability of large land parcels in Atlanta, we’re anticipating a strategic shift toward vertical development—maximizing capacity with smaller physical footprints,” Williams says.

Growth will extend beyond Atlanta, too, with development in Augusta, Macon, and Savannah, “where connectivity, land availability, and affordable operational costs make expansion feasible,” a TAG Infrastructure Society white paper states.

Sustainability will be key to this business boom. Data centers consume considerable resources, including power and water. To ensure success, companies are turning to alternative energy sources and working to increase their efficiency. QTS, for example, is committed to sourcing carbon-free energy, signing long-term contracts for solar- and wind-generated energy in Georgia and beyond.

“In general, and especially in Georgia, data centers are becoming more and more efficient,” Williams says. “The amount of computing power is rising, and the amount of energy consumption or demand to do that is lowering.”

Bank on It

• The data center boom has officially hit Georgia, and DataBank is at the forefront, with six centers in Atlanta. The company recently won the prestigious Golden Globee Award for its Universal Data Hall Design, a modular architecture capable of supporting a range of workloads from traditional enterprise to next-gen AI. Here, DataBank COO Joe Minarik shares how the company is committed to building smarter, not just bigger.
• What is the significance of Georgia in your national data center strategy?Georgia, particularly metro Atlanta, is a rapidly emerging data center hub and plays a critical role in our national footprint. It’s a strategic market that has seen explosive demand in recent years due to favorable policies and infrastructure, and it offers us the opportunity to address demand in a high-growth region that’s still underserved in terms of hyperscale and edge-ready facilities.
• What innovations are driving your growth? Edge computing has evolved from a niche concept into a real, deployable need as latency-sensitive applications continue to grow. At the same time, the push on technology across the board is creating continual demand because nearly everything consumers and businesses interact with today runs through data centers. From the apps on your phone and appliances in your home to streaming platforms, banking systems, insurance workflows, and even home mortgages, there’s a technology layer behind it all, and that layer lives in data centers. AI, especially, is putting entirely new pressures on data center design, especially around power and cooling, and creating new infrastructure needs. Underlying it all is the imperative to build sustainably.
• How do you balance high-performance infrastructure with sustainability, especially with growing scrutiny on data center energy use? There’s a lot of noise out there about data centers’ energy usage. Power is an infrastructure issue. Data centers power everything. Yes, we consume power, but it’s because we’re supporting the digital life everyone depends on: streaming, working, learning, and building more AI models. The difference is, we’ve spent decades learning how to use that power more efficiently, and as an industry, we’re actually helping drive energy prices down. Utilities rely on sustained, predictable loads to operate efficiently and cost-effectively, and data centers provide that stability, helping reduce volatility in the grid and allowing energy providers to run their systems more smoothly. That, in turn, benefits consumers whose usage is often more unpredictable and cyclical. We’ve been early and active investors in clean energy, and the data center industry as a whole has long been among the first to drive real investment into clean energy because, frankly, we had to, and in many cases, we have paved the way for other industries to follow.

— Jennifer Bradley Franklin

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Cybersecurity

Digital Defense

Georgia is one of the nation’s elite cybersecurity hubs

By Tony Rehagen

By its very nature, cybersecurity is a secretive sector of business. With bad actors, both here and abroad, constantly searching for vulnerabilities in systems and networks, it’s more than understandable that companies aren’t eager to broadcast how they’re safeguarding data and information.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY JAMIE CULLEN

Even so, it’s been hard to hide the exponential growth of Georgia’s cybersecurity industry in recent years. In fact, with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting a projected 33 percent growth in information security analyst jobs between 2023 and 2033, you might say the state is cybersecurity’s worst-kept secret.

One reason for Georgia’s cyber success? A concentration of tech companies, especially those that deal in fintech. According to the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Atlanta has experienced a 15 percent growth in tech jobs over the past five years.

“Cybersecurity is wrapped up in the field of digital technologies,” says Greg King, associate vice president for economic development at Georgia Tech, who sets up partnerships between academia, industry, and Atlanta’s startup community.

“There are a lot of digital tech companies here, and anytime you have robust digital activity, there’s a demand to keep that information secure.”

As a result, the state is home to more than 75 cybersecurity firms that generate an estimated $2.6 billion annually. One of those, SecureWorks, was acquired by global systems security giant Sophos in February 2025 for $859 million.

In addition, King points out, many of the big corporations, tech-related or otherwise, that headquarter or base major operations in Georgia have built out their own systems security departments. For instance, Nike opened a new Technology Center in 2023 in Atlanta’s West Midtown area to not only house its supply chain and logistics operations but also serve as its new East Coast cybersecurity center for the entire company. Last year, Fortune 500 company NCR (formerly National Cash Register) split off NCR Voyix, also based in Midtown, in part to handle its fraud and identity prevention operations.

But two hours east in Augusta is the nexus of Georgia’s cybersecurity advantage—where the Georgia Cyber Innovation & Training Center is taking the unprecedented step of a public-private partnership to help small businesses bolster their systems.

“Most larger companies have the resources to hire people and providers to do the work that needs to be done, though that still doesn’t make them bulletproof,” says Eric Toler, the Center’s executive director. “But for small businesses, local governments, and school districts, it’s not a fair fight to go up against the criminal proxies of nations like Iran, Russia, and China.”

The Center is partnering with Georgia Tech on a pilot program that provides assistance visits to smaller companies, where college students can perform a questionnaire assessment and provide no- and low-cost recommendations to make them more efficient and secure.

“We think we can work with other universities to expand this model across the entire state,” says Toler. “It’s an affordable way to protect all of Georgia and give these students unmatched experience.”

“There are a lot of digital tech companies here, and anytime you have robust digital activity, there’s a demand to keep that information secure.” — Greg King

Next Gen

• Georgia leads the nation in the development of cyber talent and research; 10 colleges and universities have earned designations as a National Center of Academic Excellence (CAE) in either Cyber Defense (CD) or Research. Here, Tammy O’Brien, dean of the Augusta Tech School of Business, Cyber, and Design, talks about nurturing the next generation of tech talent.
• Cybersecurity is increasingly important in today’s digital world. What sets the Augusta Tech Cyber Institute program apart? Our curriculum is designed to provide hands-on intensive training that prepares students for the workforce. By engaging in practical, real-world projects, students learn vital skills in creating, defending, and repairing technology. This approach ensures that they are not just learning theory but also applying their knowledge in practical ways.
• What are some of the degrees students can earn? Augusta Tech offers associate degrees in cybersecurity, networking specialist, cloud computing and solutions, computer programming, and computer support. Within these degrees are many technical certificates of credit that can assist with strengthening specific skills or prep them to take certain industry certifications. We’ve also added an Academic Network Security Operations Center (SOC) to our training, which provides a scaled, enterprise network environment to gain cyber skills in preparation for a quick and ever-changing industry.Students are finding employment with organizations such as Fort Eisenhower, Unisys, ADP, the Savannah River Site, Plant Vogtle, TaxSlayer, Microsoft, Southern Nuclear, the public-school systems, and Piedmont Augusta Hospital, to name just a few.
• What are some of the biggest challenges facing the cybersecurity industry? Finding and keeping employees who are knowledgeable enough to hit the ground running and who can actively learn to keep up with the constant changes and threats in IT. If you think about the technology that was used just a few years ago and compare it to the changes we have seen since, it is astonishing. The introduction of AI has also exposed areas of vulnerability and unknowns in IT, and businesses are having to learn to work with the new knowledge.

— Jen R. Coltrin

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Software Development

Solutions by Design

Software development puts Georgia on the tech-dev map

By Heidi Fedak

Ask the director of Georgia State University’s Center for Digital Innovation to describe the state’s role in the world of software development, and his answer is simple: “You know Silicon Valley, right? Well, Georgia’s the Silicon Peach,” says Arun Rai, the Howard S. Starks Distinguished Chair in GSU’s J. Mack Robinson College of Business and Regents’ Professor of Computer Information Systems. “And it’s rapidly growing.”

According to the Georgia Chamber Foundation’s Future of Workforce Report (Q4 2024), software developers already comprise 6.5 percent of the state’s professional, scientific, and technical service industry. That number is expected to rise by 37 percent, making software development one of the state’s top-growing professions by 2032.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY JAMIE CULLEN

It’s also an extremely powerful one. More than just a segment of the tech industry, software development is key to understanding the state’s technology landscape because it both undergirds and intersects the other tech categories across the state, Rai says. It drives advances in everything from cybersecurity to operations technology.

“You can think about software development as building the roads, sort of like the foundational core that makes computers work. And then on top of that, you have more sophisticated or different types of functionality,” he says.

Atlanta, where the development scene first took root, is home to a robust digital ecosystem, including tech titans like NCR, Honeywell, Microsoft, Google, and Cisco; midsized development companies like Soltech and HatchWorks AI; and entrepreneurs like those emerging from Atlanta Tech Village.

It branches out from there. Software-development efforts have spread throughout the state, driving innovations in logistics (Savannah), healthcare (Alpharetta and Augusta), and cybersecurity (Augusta and Columbus). Across the state, developers are transforming how business gets done around the world, creating electronic health records, designing programs to optimize operations, and changing how bills are paid and payments processed (digital wallets).

The trends they’re driving include the rise of AI-powered assistance (including AI agents and copilots), building in the cloud so companies have flexibility when it comes to computer power and storage, introducing microservices that break down complex processes into more manageable ones, providing low-code and no-code solutions, and strengthening cybersecurity.

This ongoing evolution helps companies and organizations drive economic viability and growth.

Take family-owned retailer Bealls Inc., for example. Faced with disconnected, inefficient systems that were affecting the bottom line, the company turned to Atlanta-based Manhattan Associates to unify and streamline its processes. Manhattan used its proprietary microservices-based architecture to integrate Bealls’s order management, loyalty program, and fulfillment processes into one centralized system, simplifying store fulfillment, enhancing guest services, and reducing operational costs across 650 stores in 22 states. The endeavor reduced the retailer’s split shipments by 17 percent, cut fulfillment costs, and improved first-fill rates by 90 percent.

“Software development undergirds and intersects the other tech categories across the state.”

“Within months, we’ve completely upgraded our systems, empowering the business and laying the foundation for further growth,” says Karen Beebe, Bealls’s chief technology officer.

Building Tomorrow

Georgia-based development companies—and their leaders—have their eye on the future. Here are three to watch.

• Phone It In: Atlanta-based SaaS (software as a service) startup Callbird aims to close the gap between a company’s sales team and an interested potential customer. Instead of a would-be client needing to fill out a “learn more” form, this enterprise allows them to click a button and immediately chat—via face-to-face video—with a salesperson. No more waiting to hear back or potentially losing a sale.
• For the Assist: Who couldn’t use a little help getting things done? Georgia-founded Belay is an AI-empowered team that can help with virtual assistant duties, accounting, and marketing tasks. Clients work with real humans—from CFOs to administrative assistants—with streamlined efficiency thanks to the company’s proprietary AI platform.
• Digital Watchdog: Every parent wants to keep their kids safe, but the digital world adds an extra level of unpredictability—and danger. Enter Bark Technologies. The company offers a parental control app to guard online privacy and limit harm, plus a customizable kids’ phone with built-in text and social media monitoring. In 2024 alone, the company analyzed nearly 8 billion messages across apps, social media platforms, email, text messages, and more.

— Jennifer Bradley Franklin

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Fintech

Banking on Innovation

Georgia pushes the limits of fintech, from payments to cybersecurity to AI

By Michael Jacobs

Georgia is counting on innovation, education, and expertise to maintain its place among the world leaders in financial technology.

The state has earned the nickname “Transaction Alley” because Global Payments and other companies operating in Georgia process roughly 70 percent of all payments in the U.S. Georgia has more than 260 fintech companies that employ 42,500 workers.

COURTESY GREENLIGHT

“We know this industry inside and out, and that is going to give us a competitive advantage to stay in front,” says Larry Williams, CEO and president of the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG), an Atlanta-based nonprofit that drives innovation among Georgia’s technology community.

Williams sees big opportunities in digitizing business-to-business transactions, most of which still use checks and manual processes. Meanwhile, the quest for ever-faster payments creates a need for better cybersecurity.

“As the good guys get faster, the bad guys are going to continue to get fast too,” Williams says.

The onset of truly instant payments brings the risk of instant theft and fraud, says Glen Sarvady, managing principal for 154 Advisors and lead author of the TAG Fintech Society’s 2024 ecosystem report.

He and Robert Daniel, the fintech catalyst at Georgia Tech’s Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), agree that the increasing speed creates a need for agentic artificial intelligence in such areas as customer support, fraud prevention, and account approval.

“That’s where a lot of people are pushing their innovation buttons right now,” Daniel says.

Sarvady is interested in the use of stablecoins, a fixed-value cryptocurrency, to solve the problem of slow, expensive international payments. He notes that TTV Capital, an Atlanta fintech venture capital firm since 2000, has invested in Higlobe, an out-of-state company in that field.

Atlanta-based Greenlight, one of TTV Capital’s eight unicorns (startups valued at more than $1 billion), has gained recent attention by partnering with U.S. Bank and smaller institutions after it attracted more than 6 million customers. The “debit card for kids” has been lauded for teaching money management and the power of saving to minors.

ATDC and Atlanta Tech Village are nurturing more of those startups.

“I see lots and lots of that energy,” Sarvady says. “I see lots of ideas coming to market.”

The Georgia Fintech Academy works with industry partners to develop programming and curriculum mixing fundamentals and experiential learning at 26 University System of Georgia institutions. The academy also has a two-year associate’s degree program, and Kennesaw State University offers a master’s.

Founded in 2019, the academy achieved its mandate to fill 5,000 early-career positions by 2025.

“Our students are being challenged to think about things in innovative ways,” says Laura Gibson-Lamothe, the academy’s executive director. It also is working on continuing education for industry veterans.

Sarvady says Georgia faces challenges from Ohio and Utah. Ohio is aggressively recruiting companies at industry conferences. Utah’s strong fintech ecosystem added the University of Utah’s Stena Center for Financial Technology in 2023, its answer to the Georgia Fintech Academy.

Ultimately, success could be the downfall for fintech in Georgia and elsewhere, Sarvady says.

“At some point in the future, the whole notion of fintech could just go away because it’s going to be everywhere, ingrained into every experience that you have.”

Follow the Money

According to Dr. Nick Suppiah, fintech program director at Kennesaw State University (KSU), the region’s fintech companies process more than $2 trillion annually.

KSU offers the only master’s in fintech degree in the state and the only one in the country that focuses on digital payments. More than 90 students are currently enrolled, and 26 graduated in May.

“The payments industry will continue to evolve rapidly, and KSU’s program is designed to keep graduates at the forefront,” Suppiah says.

Why is Georgia such a key player in fintech?

Atlanta is home to more than 260 fintech companies, including industry giants like Global Payments, Elavon, Fiserv, and NCR Atleos. More than 70 percent of U.S. payment card transactions are processed by companies with a major presence in Georgia. Additionally, the state benefits from a strong talent pipeline, supported by leading universities and industry-focused programs, and a collaborative ecosystem that brings together businesses, academia, and state initiatives.

Why create the MS-Fintech program?

The turning point was when our industry partners highlighted how a majority of those who worked in the field did not have any formal training in fintech, let alone payments. This gave us an opportunity to be a part of not just helping shape the future of digital payments but also providing a unique career pathway to our students.

What is next in the world of fintech?

Key trends shaping the future of fintech digital payments include:

• Real-time payments: Instant payment systems are becoming the norm, driven by consumer demand for speed and convenience.
• AI and machine learning: These technologies are revolutionizing fraud detection, personalized financial services, and operational efficiency.
• Open banking and digital wallets: Apple has opened up its NFC technology, allowing developers to offer in-app NFC transactions independent of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet and intensifying competition.
• Virtual cards and behavioral biometrics: Virtual cards are transforming B2B payments, and advanced biometrics are improving security and user experience.
• Sustainable and ethical finance: There is growing emphasis on responsible innovation, with fintech aligning more closely with consumer values around sustainability and ethical investing.
• Expansion of alternative payment methods: Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) and pay-by-bank solutions are gaining traction, especially among younger consumers and in new industry sectors.

— Jen R. Coltrin

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See this entire feature in GaBiz Summer 2025 here.