3 Advantages for Georgia-based Clean Logistics Startups
Strategic alignment with these differentiators can help your clean logistics startup go farther, faster in Georgia
Hey there,
Georgia has a distinctive ecosystem for clean logistics startups that is grounded in its world-class infrastructure, supporting resources, and ability to develop new talent & intellectual property.
Like in real estate, success in logistics is highly dependent on finding locations with the right combination of assets and access. McKinsey & Company in its recent piece, Decarbonizing Logistics: Charting the Path Ahead, disaggregates the logistics emissions sources and puts into context the impact of each source. In doing this, it becomes clear that there is no silver bullet solution to curbing emissions in logistics, and perhaps more importantly, that there is interdependence amongst the solutions to decarbonization. This leads to a conclusion that innovators looking to decarbonize logistics are best placed in locations where all of the components of a logistics network (ports — air, sea, inland; multimode transport, warehousing) exist at scale; and for this, Georgia is prime real-estate.
In this newsletter, we break down three strategic advantages that make Georgia the ideal launchpad for a clean logistics innovation:
Infrastructure
Innovation Assets
Intangible
But before we do that, here are a handful of websites and resources that can help an innovator that may be new to Georgia, or logistics, get a head start in learning about the resources and opportunities within the state.
Fresh Links, Tools, and Resources:
Georgia is long on logistics resources, but you are short on time. Here are a few resources that can get you up to speed quickly and keep you ahead of the trends.
Weekly Resource List:
Georgia Center of Innovation for Logistics (5 min read) - Strategic guidance on navigating Georgia's logistics ecosystem with step-by-step partnership development.
Georgia Logistics Market Snapshot (10 min exploration) - Monthly e-mail newsletter that is a one-stop shop for info on trends affecting supply chains and logistics in Georgia; consolidating more than 50 different indicators on the global logistics and covering every major logistics segment.
Georgia Tech Supply Chain & Logistics Institute (12 min review) - Systematic approach to research collaboration and technology development for logistics startups.
Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) - Georgia’s startup incubator with programming in Atlanta and nearly a dozen other locations. Alex Rhodeen (Supply Chain) and Jennifer Singh (Sustainability) manage curated content for innovators in these fields.
Competitive Advantages to Launching a Clean Logistics Startup in Georgia
Launching a clean logistics startup demands a strategic approach to location, resource acquisition, and talent/IP development. Georgia offers three distinct sets of capabilities that create an ideal ecosystem clean logistics innovation.
Infrastructure Advantages
Startups need to develop a pathway to scale that includes deploying their technology at increasing levels of size and complexity. Georgia's logistics infrastructure helps create over $80B of economic value for the state and employs over 250,000 people. That infrastructure, which is built upon 4 pillars, create a highly-integrated testing and deployment environment for clean logistics solutions:
Tight Multi-Modal Integration: Georgia offers seamless connections between ports, rail, air, and highways, creating ideal testing environments for end-to-end logistics solutions. The difference is density, while California and Texas also have well-developed logistics, Georgia’s diverse resources are located in close proximity (<300 mi radius) allowing for startups to access all modes and players without leaving the state.
Strategic Location: Positioned as a gateway to both national and international markets (especially from Europe), Georgia provides differentiated access to the U.S. population for domestic companies and importers, as well as export-focused US-based manufacturers. The difference is that the operators in Georgia’s logistics market must innovate solutions that economically meet the demands of both the North American and European markets.
Leading and Growing Ports: Georgia’s sea, air and inland ports are not only some of the busiest and most efficient ports in the United States, they are also some of the fastest growing in the country. The growth element is important because it is easier to make the business case for innovation to expand operations than simply make them more resource efficient. Furthermore, long-term population and manufacturing growth trends in the Southeast make Georgia’s ports even more critical targets for innovation.
A Last-Mile Laboratory: Georgia's diverse geography—from urban Atlanta to rural agricultural areas—creates a comprehensive testing ground for last-mile delivery innovations, allowing startups to refine solutions across multiple environments. Georgia’s port, rail, freeway infrastructure also makes it one of the most attractive places to site a distribution center. In fact, Georgia is the only state with multiple cities (Atlanta and Savannah) ranked in top 10 for distribution center siting.
Innovation Asset Advantages
Georgia's talent, research and entrepreneur support organization (ESOs) ecosystem are the engine that transform ideas into products and young companies into high-growth startups.
Degree and Certificate Programs: Significant coordination between the state university, economic development and labor departments has created a broad range of degree and certificate programs focused on the supply chain and logistics workforce best summarized in a recent report by the Georgia Department of Economic Development and Metro Atlanta Chamber.
Corporate Innovation Centers: Approximately 70% of Georgia’s 37 Fortune 1000 companies and all of its multinational manufactures rely on Georgia’s strength in logistics for a competitive advantage. Companies like Georgia Pacific, Delta, Home Depot, Novelis, and Boeing also have established innovation centers to advance materials, manufacturing, and software solutions that decrease the carbon intensity of moving goods. These centers make it easier for startups to engage for development and testing.
Applied University Research: In addition to applied research on supply chain and logistics networks, Georgia universities have built nationally ranked programs in fuels and energy, materials, AI/ML, and industrial and systems engineering that create either the IP that can be spun out into new companies, like AtherAxon, a wireless localization technology for logistics asset tracking, or the technical and business leaders of companies like Slip Robotics and Stord.
Sector-focused ESOs: ATDC’s aforementioned Logistics and Sustainability programs, along with Curiosity Labs (IOT / Last-mile focus), the Savannah Logistics Innovation Center, and support system connecting entrepreneurs with coaches, mentors, investors, and customers through tailored programming and events.
Intangible Advantages
Not all competitive advantages allow for direct quantification of the benefits, however, there are several advantages that exist or are emerging in Georgia that provide startups in clean logistics a leg up on their competition.
Georgia Center for Innovation (COI) – Logistics: In ecosystems it is hard to quantify the benefits of being no more than two conversations away from the person/information/conversation that you need to move your business forward, but that is exactly what the Georgia COI does. Whether it be having real-time pricing information or connections to technical experts, the COI is critical resource for the entire logistics industry in Georgia.
Trailblazing Startup Companies: Los Angeles has been known for aerospace innovation for decades, but was not the hotbed that it is today before SpaceX began its ascension. Innovation ecosystems require successful startups to seed them with startup-experienced workers, outside market recognition, and investor interest. Stord, Slip Robotics, and Saltbox among others are out front in establishing Georgia as a place to watch for innovation in logistics and by proxy, clean logistics.
The Georgia Logistics Summit (GLS): Created in 2009 to bring together all aspects of the logistics industry GLS has grown to become a fixture in the Southeast’s logistics and supply chain industry event calendar. Industry, infrastructure and economic development leaders gather annually to discuss trends, innovation, and the state of the industry. These events lower the barrier for startups to engage established industry players in informal settings.
There is plenty more to unpack on clean logistics, which we will likely do in future newsletters, however, the point that we are trying to make here is that there is a rich, and somewhat untapped, set of differentiated resources for Georgia startups that can be a competitive advantage.
Upcoming Events and Opportunities
Conference season is kicking up and so are event, mark you calendars and engage in weeks ahead.
Cleantech Hustle Hour — Mar 18 — Start-up only monthly meetup to build camaraderie amongst those who know what the cleantech hustle is all about.
Cleantech Hustle Hour @ Super South — Apr 16 — The same start-up only monthly meetup, but on a bigger stage at Super South.
The Battery Show: South — April 16 - 17 — The two-day educational event brings together battery and H/EV manufacturers, energy storage professionals, industry experts, thought leaders, and academics to discuss and help solve your manufacturing, supply chain and production challenges
Super South — Apr 15 - 17 — The South does not yet have a nationally recognized climate week. However, SuperSouth aims to change that over the coming years. Engage your peers and experts from around the country at the inaugural event this spring.
Georgia Tech Energy Day — Apr 23 — Hosted by the Strategic Energy Institute, the Institute for Matter and Systems, and the Advanced Battery Center, an opportunity to interact with Georgia Tech researchers who are pioneering work at the edge in Energy Storage, Solar Energy Conversion, and E-Fuels and Chemicals.
Georgia Logistics Summit — Apr 23 — GLS brings together speakers from prominent shippers in the industry, leaders in the state’s infrastructure and economic development community, as well as keynote speakers from some of the world’s most prominent supply chain-focused companies
ATL Cleantech Connect — Apr 30 — A quarterly social to engage members of the Greater Atlanta cleantech community, focusing on topics with strong local and national impact.
Did we miss an event? Do you have an upcoming event that you want included? Please let us know!
Super South: An Opportunity for BCFG Readers
Every movement has its moments, and Super South is one of those movements for Climate Innovation and Impact in the South.
The Georgia Cleantech Innovation Hub is co-sponsoring Super South | Summit for Climate Innovation and Impact scheduled for April 15, 16 and 17 at CNN Omni Hotel at Centennial Park. With 12+ keynotes, 40+ breakout sessions, an innovation expo, capstone project exhibition and documentary films, Super South will explore six program themes—Clean Energy, Smart Communities, The Land, H2O, Industry & Infrastructure, and Smart Lifestyle—in our path to a circular future.
We'd love to have you join us in the Innovation Expo. As a reader of GACIH’s Build Cleantech Faster In Georgia Newsletter, you would receive a 10% discount on the display costs. If you have an interest, please reach out to Dorothy Vollmer (dorothy@supersouth.org) at Super South to learn more and plan your presence. You can also receive a 20% off registration by using the "SS_Greenhouse" code prior to March 20th, just go to Purchase Tickets
Wrap up
That's it.
Here's what you learned today:
Few places in the country have the density of logistics infrastructure that is also growing rapidly to meet local/national/international demand that can be a testbed for innovative solutions… Georgia is one
Georgia already has differentiated innovation asset that are ready to activate against the challenges of decarbonizing logistics
The value of every advantage cannot be quantified, and Georgia has several intangible assets that can be force multipliers to its other advantages.
If you are interested in discussing and debating the topics in this newsletter, please engage us in the comments, on social, or contact us directly. The conversation is what the ecosystem needs to progress.
And as always...If you enjoyed Build Cleantech Faster in Georgia, please consider subscribing or referring this edition to a friend or colleague.