Business on WACN 21 News

Cosm Atlanta opens at Centennial Yards, bringing 'Shared Reality' to downtown ahead of World Cup

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 16:03:00 -0400

Downtown Atlanta’s massive $5 billion Centennial Yards redevelopment reached its most visible milestone to date with the grand opening of Cosm Atlanta, a 70,000-square-foot immersive “Shared Reality” entertainment venue that promises to redefine how sports fans experience live broadcasts.

The venue, located adjacent to State Farm Arena and Mercedes-Benz Stadium, opened its doors to the public on June 10, 2026. The launch comes at a critical juncture for the city, positioning the brand-new entertainment district to capture thousands of international visitors arriving for the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches starting this month.

Atlanta tech startup raises $80M Series B, plans West Coast expansion

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 04:00:00 -0400

A 4-year-old Atlanta fintech startup raised an $80 million Series B on Wednesday, one of the largest funding rounds by an Atlanta-based tech company this year.

The round was led by Sequoia Capital with participation from existing investors Founders Fund, Atlanta Ventures fund, and several strategic angels. The company is now valued at roughly $420 million post-money, according to a source familiar with the round.

The startup, which builds API infrastructure for small-business banking, has 95 employees today — most of them in Atlanta. The new funding will be used to open offices in San Francisco and Seattle, double the Atlanta engineering team to about 200, and accelerate product investment in AI-powered features.

Georgia's film industry rebounds, but Atlanta's grip is slipping

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 13:00:00 -0400

Georgia’s film and TV production industry is in the middle of a strong rebound — but the growth is happening outside Atlanta for the first time in a generation.

The state booked $4.4 billion in film production spending in the first half of 2026, up 22 percent from the same period last year, according to numbers released by the Georgia Department of Economic Development on Tuesday. The full-year 2026 number is on track to exceed the all-time high set in 2022.

How one Decatur family cut their grocery bill by 41% — and ate better

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 09:30:00 -0400

When Marisol and Trey Ackerman sat down in January to look at their 2025 credit-card statements, the number that jumped out wasn’t their mortgage payment or their car insurance. It was food.

The Ackermans — Marisol (a pediatric nurse), Trey (a software engineer), and their two kids, ages 6 and 9 — spent $1,142 a month on groceries in 2025. They live in a comfortable Decatur bungalow and shop mostly at the DeKalb International Farmers Market and the local Publix.

Georgia Power asks regulators for 12% rate hike. Here's what's actually in the filing.

Tue, 23 Jun 2026 16:00:00 -0400

Georgia Power filed a 178-page rate case with the Georgia Public Service Commission on Monday asking for a roughly 12 percent average increase in residential base rates, effective January 1, 2027.

If approved in full, the increase would push the typical residential bill — already among the highest in the Southeast — by about $18 per month for a household using 1,000 kWh.

But the more revealing thing about the filing isn’t the headline number. It’s the breakdown of what’s actually driving it.

What Atlanta's economy actually looks like in 2026

Tue, 23 Jun 2026 07:00:00 -0400

By the numbers, metro Atlanta’s economy is in the best shape it’s been in 20 years.

Real GDP is up 3.4 percent year-over-year, the strongest growth of any major US metro
Unemployment is 3.1 percent, the lowest since 2000
Job growth has run positive for 41 straight months
Median household income is up 5.2 percent year-over-year to $78,400
Population growth is the highest of any US metro, with the metro adding roughly 70,000 new residents per year

These are the kind of numbers that economists describe as “the strongest economy of our lifetimes” — and they’re real.