After a year of searching for the perfect home in Atlanta, Airbnb is officially putting down roots on the Westside.
The tech giant announced it will move its Tech Hub into Encore, a Georgia Tech-affiliated office inside the live-work-play space The Interlock. It will initially take up 5,000 of the 50,000 square foot space, with plans to expand in the future.
Nia Brown, Airbnb’s Southeast Public Policy Manager, told Hypepotamus that the “biggest gift of the space is its proximity to GA Tech, its students, and talent pool.”
With 20 Atlanta-based employees already in place, Airbnb has not wasted time getting situated in the city. Recruitment for additional tech talent will focus on building partnerships with the Russell Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (RCIE), NAACP, Tech Bridge, and others already embedded in the Atlanta community.
The new Hub will host both technical and non-technical roles.
“As part of our recruitment and hiring efforts, we are constantly innovating and creating new programs to provide local candidates of all backgrounds and levels of experience the opportunity to join the company. With the opening of the Atlanta Tech Hub, we will continue our work developing community partnerships in the city to expand entrepreneurship opportunities and create pathways for Atlanta residents to pursue careers in technology,” said Brown.
The Interlock has also attracted homegrown tech talent. Late last year security startup Pindrop announced it would move from Midtown to West Midtown, as The Interlock offered amenities for employees and clients alike.
The move is no doubt a big win for Georiga Tech. And it also means Airbnb will be firmly cemented in a growing startup hub developing on the Westside of town.
It will be interesting to track what new innovation it sparks within the surrounding tech community. An entire ecosystem of startups spun up as the home-sharing market grew over the last ten years. Several of those companies, like Rented, are based in Atlanta. And a new crop of startups — including Techstars Atlanta’s recent graduates Nectar, Washbnb, and ReRent — are working to streamline the rental process moving forward.
