The City of Dunwoody’s Economic Development Department is working to build a thriving environment for entrepreneurship and innovation in Dunwoody.

Partnership with Access Georgia Foundation 

The City of Dunwoody is partnering with the Access Georgia Foundation to increase support and provide resources for small businesses and entrepreneurs. The move is an important part of the City’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Strategy, which was developed to adapt to changes in the workforce and office market coming out of COVID.

Access Georgia Foundation is a nonprofit organization headquartered in Dunwoody that provides education, mentoring, and capital for unserved and underserved entrepreneurs. The Foundation’s long-running Founders Cohort program welcomes early-stage entrepreneurs across Georgia seeking angel investments to grow their ventures.  

Since its start in 2020, the program has invested $2 million in 14 companies and provided more than 1,200 hours of mentoring. With Dunwoody as a partner, the Foundation will expand its offerings to support small businesses, growth-stage businesses, and solo entrepreneurs with resources such as business workshops, mentoring, and networking opportunities to help them grow. Access also plans to support individuals exploring entrepreneurship and considering starting a business.

Dunwoody Economic Development Director Michael Starling is pictured here second from left. From left to right, he's joined by Access Georgia Foundation executive committee members Eric Ensor, Devika Rao, Paul Lopez, and Amyn Sadruddin.

Learn more: https://accessgaf.org/

Entrepreneurship/Innovation Strategy

The City of Dunwoody engaged Boyette Strategic Advisors to develop a three-year entrepreneurship/innovation strategy for the city. The process included gathering input from the core team through a Discovery Session. The process also included a review of other similar or aspirational cities that had developed a successful entrepreneurship/innovation ecosystem.

READ: Dunwoody Sandy Springs Joint Entrepreneurship Innovation Strategy

Partnership with TiE Atlanta

Dunwoody-based TiE Atlanta is a top-five chapter of TiE Global, an international organization that fosters entrepreneurship through mentoring, networking, and funding. The Atlanta chapter provides mentoring, networking, and capital to emerging and established entrepreneurs in any stage, in any industry.

The expanded partnership includes these initiatives:

• Monthly meetings: TiE Atlanta Monthly Meetings bring together entrepreneurs, investors, business leaders, corporate partners, sponsors and Atlanta’s entrepreneurial community to meet, network, and learn from each other on topics that are important to entrepreneurs, founders, and small business leaders. Topics include raising capital, scaling and building the right team, mergers and acquisitions, investing, and more. The meetings are held once a month with a headliner and panel format followed by networking.

• TiE Connect Who’s Who in ATL’s Entrepreneur Ecosystem Event - Dunwoody has partnered with TiE Atlanta to host the annual conference for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs, is the signature event that brings together the city’s most active, charged-up, and innovation ready organizations that turn today’s entrepreneurs into tomorrow’s disruptors. With over 200 attendees and 20 organizations represented. The 2025 TiE Connect Who’s Who in ATL’s Entrepreneur Ecosystem Event was held on May 28, 2025, at 3 Ravinia. 

Additional Partners

Georgia Department of Economic Development: https://georgia.org/small-business
Georgia Power: https://growgeorgia.com/
Greater Perimeter Chamber: https://greaterperimeterchamber.com/
Decide DeKalb: https://www.decidedekalb.com/start-a-business/