Justin E. Samuels was inspired to create a tech conference in Atlanta after witnessing low diversity at other major tech events. Samuels and his team has since led the charge in turning RenderATL into Atlanta’s premiere tech conference.
He shares thoughts on the growth and success.
Let’s go back a few years. You mentioned that a tech conference you attended helped spark the idea for RenderATL. Can you share that story?
I was going to a tech conference, and I looked around and realized something was missing—real representation. I thought to myself, “If Atlanta is this cultural melting pot filled with so much opportunity, why aren’t we hosting our own technology conference?” We’ve got the world’s busiest airport, we’re at the intersection of so many cultures—why not build something here that brings together tech and culture in a big way? That’s where the idea for RenderATL started.
RenderATL has grown significantly. What has that growth felt like for you, and how were you able to scale where others struggled?
Honestly, scaling is hard for any conference, but we had a unique window. COVID really shifted the entire event landscape. Big players were forced to pause or pull back, but that created an opening for smaller, more agile brands like RenderATL. We didn’t have to rely on big capital or loans—we bootstrapped it, and it worked. We were able to quickly capture market share because we were positioned to move when others couldn’t.
Beyond the numbers, what does success look like for you in terms of inspiration and visibility?
That’s the most important part. It’s one thing to bring companies here, but it’s another to inspire people—especially folks who didn’t think there was a place for them in tech. You used to have to go to Silicon Valley to connect with these companies. Now, they’re coming to Atlanta. ATL Tech Week has grown because of that visibility. We used to sponsor a lot of events ourselves just to make it happen, but this year, outside capital poured in. Companies have seen the value and want to be part of what we’re building. That’s real impact.
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