Startup Innovator At Helm Of Atlanta’s First WeWork Labs

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Joey Womack is fast-becoming an influential mover and shaker in Atlanta’s bustling tech startup ecosystem.

Last year his social impact accelerator Goodie Nation was a recipient of the Tech Done Right Challenge grant contest. Now he is embarking on an ambitious new leadership position. In a major win for the Florida A&M University grad, Womack has just been named manager of Atlanta’s first-ever WeWork Labs.

“As a founder and entrepreneur myself, I am thrilled to join the WeWork Labs team as the Atlanta Labs Manager,” said Womack, who will continue working on his other social enterprise ventures. “The number one request from startups is to be in a community of like-minded founders on a consistent basis and I’m excited to create a home for startups and alumni from accelerators of all stages, entrepreneur support organizations, global founders, and more.”

In his new role, Womack will build out a custom curriculum for startups on the program. This includes one-to-one learning and group workshops with local mentors and key players to understand challenges and goals.

The team will be working out of WeWork’s downtown space, the largest location in the city. Labs will house up to 40 startups across 79 desks with skyline views of Downtown Atlanta. The custom-designed spot will facilitate community, where startups can collaborate and grow their ideas by way of the physical space, community, programming, and connections they need to succeed.

Founding members for the Labs initiative in Atlanta include Aquagenuity, RideShare Association of America, Physician360, Countalytics, LNVGbook, Edifius, Meet Jimmy, and Music Tech Works.

Launched in early 2018, WeWork Labs is WeWork’s equity-free global innovation initiative for early-stage startups and forward-thinking enterprise companies. This is the third Labs location in the Southeast following Durham and Miami.

It’s the only program to work with entrepreneurs through their entire journey building a startup, from ideation to pre-accelerator to post-accelerator. It is a for-pay program that partners with startups for as long as they need it. WeWork Labs does not take equity in member companies, and pricing is dependent on country, city, and location.

“The number one request from startups is to be in a community of like-minded founders on a consistent basis and I’m excited to create a home for startups and alumni from accelerators of all stages, entrepreneur support organizations, global founders, and more."

“With more than 60 incubators, co-working facilities, and corporate innovation centers, Atlanta has become a go-to location for innovation where creators and startups collaborate with leading companies and universities to build, test and scale big, bold ideas,” said Dr. Eloisa Klementich, President and CEO of Invest Atlanta. “The addition of WeWork Labs in Downtown Atlanta makes our innovation ecosystem more competitive, bringing additional entrepreneurial connectivity to this area of the city. We are excited to see the company continue to grow its Atlanta presence.”

Among many accolades in tech, Atlanta has been named the country’s fourth fastest-growing market for tech jobs (CRBE), the “Number One City of Startups That is Not New York or San Francisco” (FitSmallBusiness.com, 2018) and one of the “Top Rising Cities for Startups” (Forbes, 2018).

Main Image and Video: Joey Womack, WeWork Labs Manager and Founder and CEO of Goodie Nation

Kunbi Tinuoye

Kunbi Tinuoye is the founder and CEO of UrbanGeekz. Previously, she worked as a News Correspondent for NBC’s theGrio. Prior, she was a senior broadcast journalist for the BBC in London. Tinuoye currently sits on the SXSW Pitch Advisory Board and CES Conference Advisory Board. She is a key player in the Atlanta tech startup ecosystem and serves as a mentor for Comcast NBCUniversal’s The Farm Accelerator. Tinuoye has received several awards and accolades, including being honored with a Resolution from the Georgia Legislative.