"It’s incredibly impressive what these students have been able to accomplish. This is a field that’s brand-new. No one is coming into this with prior VTOL experience. The fact that they were able to learn so quickly, dive deep into this and think about a lot of issues that even we weren’t considering is awesome. We learned a lot from them, from this work."
Adam Warmoth, Vehicle systems analyst, Uber Elevate on SCADPro
Historically Innovative.
From the invention of the cotton gin on nearby Mulberry Plantation, which led to the Savannah Cotton Exchange’s reputation for being the "Wall Street of the South," to the first steam ship to cross the Atlantic Ocean — the Savannah — in 1819, the City of Savannah has long been recognized as a location for business.
In fact, today, Savannah is located in the No. 1 state for doing business according to Site Selection magazine and Area Development magazine. And Southern Business & Development magazine called Savannah a “Top Ten Southern Market for Fostering Technology.”
Curious and Inventive Spirit
Savannah exhibits a diverse industry mix with five traditional pillars of economic growth which include manufacturing, port logistics, healthcare, academic/military/government and tourism. The Port of Savannah is a significant economic driver, as the 3rd busiest and fastest growing container port in the United States. Advanced manufacturing is critical to the Savannah economy, home to headquarters for Gulfstream Aerospace, JCB North America and manufacturing for Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems and International Paper. Tourism is a leading industry, attracting more than 14.1 million visitors annually.
Savannah, in recent years, has made a concerted effort to attract film projects and actively grow and pursue emerging creative technology companies, to capitalize on the resource of Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), Georgia Southern University and Savannah State University. These efforts are starting to come into fruition.
Companies doing cool stuff in Savannah:
- Gulfstream Aerospace is developing future AI Applications
- DIRTT’s ICEreality puts VR to use for interior, office design
- Smart Trailer Technology at Great Dane
Startups making an impact:
Innovation Centers
Savannah is home to several innovation centers including Gulfstream Aerospace, Great Dane Innovation Campus and the Centers of Innovation Logistics housed at Georgia Tech’s Savannah Campus.
Strong R&D Activity
The Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) supports the state's tech industry through research funding. Founded in 1990, the GRA has generated more than $4 billion in public and private investment and helped launch more than 150 companies statewide.
9.4M SF
Georgia's Total Academic Research Space
National Science Foundation, 2019
#5
Total Academic Research Space Nationwide
National Science Foundation, 2019
Savannah’s total R&D expenditures is $17.491 million.
Georgia Southern University is a Carnegie Doctoral High Research Activity Institution (R2), with three campuses in the Savannah region. In 2019, 117 research projects were awarded for a total of $12.9 million in funded research activity. Project areas include renewable energy and high performance computing systems.
The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) offers corporations access to research and solutions developed by their students and faculty via the SCADPro Program.
Accelerators & Incubators
There is a vibrant ecosystem to support the creative technology businesses that includes The Creative Coast, the Georgia Center of Innovation for Logistics, the Technology Association of Georgia, SCORE, SBDC and other organizations.
Most notably is the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) Savannah, the regional extension of ATDC, the state of Georgia’s technology incubator.
In May 2018, Savannah was named the Logistics Technology Corridor by the State of Georgia. Plans are in progress to develop funds and a 25,000 square innovation space which will house an incubator/accelerator focused on logistics innovation.
Venture Capital Activity
While there is limited venture capital in Savannah, we have strong ties to the Atlanta Venture Community, Ariel Southeast Angel Partners, an active local angel group, and several very active angel investors. Ariel Southeast Angel Partners has invested in more than 33 companies in the last 10 years.
Understanding our need for a stronger capital community for our entrepreneurs, the Savannah Economic Development Authority and The Creative Coast applied was awarded an EDA Regional Innovation Strategies Grant to launch a local seed fund - The Bridge Fund. The Bridge Fund will start its capital raise in the Fall 2020 with the goal to raise a $10 million fund to invest in seed stage startups in the region.
