While enrolled at Spelman College, Naomi Wagner was seeking opportunities to bring together her interests in civic engagement, environmental justice, sustainability, and education. When she learned about the SDG Futures Fellowship, Wagner couldn’t wait to apply. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are at the core of the SDG Futures Fellowship. “We take a global to local impact approach,” said Anna Tinoco-Santiago, co-lead of the SDG Futures Fellowship Program.

Innovation often occurs at the boundaries where disciplines meet. Given this, how can practitioners from different disciplines best collaborate to share ideas, ask new questions, and explore new solutions? From the Institute for People and Technology (IPaT) Craft Lab to the SimTigrate Design Center in the Technology Square Research Building (TSRB) and beyond, Tech Square has a variety of organizations that are innovating at and between the boundaries of science, art, and technology.

The work happens more than 200 miles from Tech Square, but its roots run straight through Atlanta. Along coastal Georgia's marshes and waterfronts, Georgia Tech researchers are helping communities read the water, plan for it and push back against it. They call the effort the Coastal Equity and Resilience Hub, or CEAR Hub.

For faith-based organizations, technology succeeds when it deepens connection rather than replacing it. Jamshed Patel makes the case for building capacity around the communities these tools are meant to serve.

Tech Square had the pleasure of closing out Atlanta Tech Week this year with Midtown Day. All of 5th Street and Tech Square became a buzzing hive of people from all over the Atlanta ecosystem joining in discussions, idea exchanges, panels, and more. Our team captured some of that action.

For years, Katie Begando bought the same running shoes without trying them on. But during her half marathon training, a redesigned model left her frustrated. After reading blogs and trying multiple pairs, she realized she just wanted to talk to someone like herself, who shares her needs and preferences. That frustration led to the creation of Bluubird.

While Esco Eats built its reputation on a single dessert, their World Famous Apple Cobbler PIE, the company’s CEO and co-founder, Anita Lamb, sees the pie as a means rather than an end. “It’s an experience and a tool to engage people and build community. The pie is a vehicle.”

Tech Square is full of people you'd want to know and mostly haven't met yet. Maestro is a new ecosystem connection platform built to help you find and reach the right people across the community, whether that's a co-founder, a collaborator, or just the person who runs your trail every morning.

Summer interns from across Tech Square came together last week at The Clubhouse for a luncheon designed to help them connect, unwind, and learn more about the work happening across the district.

A Turkish electric shuttle technology has made its U.S. debut on the Atlanta Beltline with the launch of a pilot project linking the transformative trail project and MARTA’s established rail network. 

When Sam Bracken boarded a plane in Las Vegas to attend Georgia Tech on a full-ride football scholarship, he could fit everything he owned in a single orange duffel bag. Inspired by the support that he received at Georgia Tech from Coach Bill Curry, in 2011, Bracken co-founded Orange Duffel Bag Initiative (ODBI) to support students in need. On Saturday, July 11, 2026, overlooking the very stadium where Bracken and Curry faced life's challenges together, 150 ODBI program graduates, coaches, and community members celebrated 15 years of community impact.

As we approach the halfway mark of 2026, let's look back at everything that happened last year in Tech Square. The latest edition of the TSQ ATL annual review, The Book, is out now, capturing the innovation, breakthroughs, and momentum that defined Technology Square in 2025.

After a whirlwind 72 hours of ideating, testing, and building, over 300 students gathered in the Biltmore Innovation Center for the Play with Purpose Sustainability Hackathon showcase. Teams arrived ready to pitch their solutions to real-world sustainability challenges. And the stakes of the friendly competition? Four FIFA World Cup match tickets and a guaranteed interview for the Cox Cleantech Residency.

“I didn’t start Unicoils to build 'just another hair brand.” I started it because women with textured hair—especially students like me—were doing everything right and still not seeing growth,” said Dajheonna Perry, Founder of Unicoils. Dajheonna is a Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business MBA alum, CREATE-X founder, and licensed cosmetologist growing Unicoils, a natural hair care brand focused on retention and scalp health.

After leading Georgia Tech through one of the most successful periods in its history, President Ángel Cabrera has been selected to serve as the next president and CEO of the Aspen Institute.