2023 Call for Nominations 20UNDER21

Opposite page, Assistant City Manager Brandon Branham is on stage speaking during a panel discussion at the EcoMotion conference in Israel.

Middle above, left to right: Georgia Commissioner of Economic Development Pat Wilson, Curiosity Lab Executive Director Brandon Branham, Governor Brian Kemp.

Above right, Curiosity Lab team members receive a tour of CityZone. Similar to Curiosity Lab in Peachtree Corners, this serves as Tel Aviv’s laboratory for startups and corporate companies to test, design and study new smart city technologies.

Southwest Gwinnett magazine begins the call for nominations to feature in our 2023 Twenty Under 21 cover story which celebrates the outstanding accomplishments of twenty individuals who are aged 21 and under. These young people have demonstrated outstanding achievements in community service, entrepreneurialism, leadership, academics, the arts and/or STEM activities. Nominations open July 12th and close September 15th. Those chosen will be featured in our November/ December issue.

Scan the QR code to submit the nomination of the young person we should consider.

Or visit southwestgwinnettmagazine. com/19under19nominations2023/ to expand into North America,” said Dr. Amiram Applebaum, chairman of the Israel Innovation Authority and chief innovation scientist at the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology in a written statement. “We are proud of Israel’s leadership in smart city and IoT innovation, and it only made sense to partner with a city that’s now globally recognized for its unique environment and global firsts.”

Brought in by the Lab

Curiosity Lab has made no secret of its ultimate mission. It was created to be a magnet to get companies to come into Peachtree Corners, even if just once.

“Our hope is maybe we identify an opportunity for a company that Curiosity Lab attracted here to like the area so much they decide to have a presence here permanently — the essence of economic development,” said Johnson.

“Curiosity Lab continues to do that, and it has gotten the attention of a number of Israeli governmental agencies or publicly funded agencies like the Israel Innovation Authority. Their job is to help foster an incubator environment for companies that are in the early stage of scaling up a product,” he added.

For those reasons Israel’s interest in metro Atlanta is pretty obvious. This area has almost as many people as the entire nation of Israel. In addition, Israeli startups are innovative, hungry, aggressive and ready to hit the ground running. That’s the type of energy that is like rocket fuel to any type of incubator.

“Being in that area of the world, …surrounded by a lot of countries that are not particularly happy that they’re there, requires Israelis to be very innovative just to survive. So, there is a mindset that they have that you oftentimes don’t see elsewhere in the world,” said Johnson.

“Also, if they have a good product, they’ve got to go somewhere else in the world because there just is not enough customer base in Israel. Whereas, if you’re an American startup, …unless you get really, really big, you can just be perfectly happy only selling your product in the American market. It’s big enough that you don’t need to go elsewhere,” he explained.

If they stay in Israel, the companies have to get their product into Asia or Europe or North America for them to gain enough of a customer base.

PTC and Curiosity Lab offer what they need

“When you combine that mindset with the need to expand overseas, we happen to be a location that is overseas and has an environment that’s very enticing, unique and helpful for companies that need to test or demonstrate in very unique environments — meaning environments that require a lot of supporting infrastructure for it to work,” said Johnson. “Our streets have that extra layer of innovation and support infrastructure to do it. So, these companies realize what a great opportunity we are.”

Perhaps the cherry on top is that it is all free.

“We’re not going to charge to use our facilities, to show customers the product or to improve the product. So, it becomes a more cost-effective location for them to come over here, even if temporarily,” said Johnson.

Some of the benefits for Peachtree Corners and metro Atlanta are that the company staff stays in local hotels and eat in local restaurants.

“Our goal, in a perfect world, would be that we get a company that has got a product from Israel. They want to scale in the US. They use Curiosity Lab as a soft-landing pad and an opportunity to showcase their product or to perfect their product. And when that happens, their temporary presence here translates into a permanent one because they like it so much,” said Johnson.

“[We hope] they end up expanding or relocating, as the case may be, renting or buying property here, hiring people here to start scaling their product,” he added. “And if that perfect scenario happens, Curiosity Lab has done its job of being a magnet.” ## n Saturday: SEPT. 23 Festival Concert n Saturday: SEPT. 30 Festival Parade n Opening Ceremony with Grand Marshal and dignitaries n Sunday: OCT. 1 Donut Dash 5K Race n Over 180 Arts & Craft Vendors n Over 25–30 Delicious Food Booths n FREE Shuttle Buses