Reasons for Building a Tech Community Center

One common question people ask me about the Atlanta Tech Village is why I’m doing it. Is it to make money? Invest in startups? Give back? The answer, put simply, is that I had to do it. The idea was in my mind for a few years but I wasn’t ever at a good point to execute on it — it was an itch that I had to scratch.

After visiting several coworking spaces and tech community centers over the past few months, I realized that the reason for being varies widely and is an important question.

Here are a few reasons for building a tech community center:

• Community — the desire to provide a place for entrepreneurs to start and grow a business so as to create more jobs and wealth for the area
• Real Estate — to increase the value of the property as well as the rental rates
• Startup Density — to bring like-minded people together to change the world

There’s no right or wrong reason for building a tech community center but it’s important to understand the backstory.

What else? What are some other reasons for building a tech community center?