The U.S. Chamber of Commerce rated Atlanta as the 5th best city to start a business, according to its FreeEnterprise website.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce reported Atlanta’s favorable regulations are a key factor in its rising entrepreneurial economy.
CNN Money also rated Atlanta the sixth best city to launch a start-up andForbes ranked the city the third best city for entrepreneurs.
“The well-educated population makes it stand out for entrepreneurial activity: Over 47 [percent] of residents 25 years and older hold a bachelor’s degree or higher,” CNN Money states.
Robert Yancy, chairman of the Atlanta Chapter of SCORE, a nonprofit partner of the Small Business Administration, said Georgia State and Georgia Tech are schools with strong programs on CNN Money.
“Georgia State University has a very strong entrepreneurship program, and Georgia Tech has one of the most well-known tech incubators in the state,” Yancy said to CNN Money.
Jake Schmutzler, Georgia State student who co-founded the event production company Creations of Bliss, said the city’s unique resources are great for business.
“Atlanta is an amazing place due to the diversity, energy, and opportunity that characterizes the city,” he said.
Schmutzler also said the school’s location has the advantage of allowing students to build a network in a big city before graduating.
“The cost of living in Georgia is significantly cheaper than other regions of the country, which has enabled us to grow our business while living on the Georgia State University campus or within the downtown Atlanta area,” said Schmutzler.
Sushil Nifadkar, assistant professor of international business at Georgia State, said all of the construction in Atlanta is a good sign for entrepreneurs .
“I see opportunities to provide IT and communication support, civil and electrical work, education, ethnic restaurants, entertainment and so on in the new areas,” he said.
Nifadkar also said Georgia State should provide courses devoting a full semester to developing ideas and implementing them.
“Given that jobs in existing companies are increasingly sparse, it will do well for the University to focus on sparking and supporting entrepreneurship among students, so our students become employment-generators rather than employees,” he said.
