From Amsterdam to Atlanta: How ATL Became the Center of my Innovation Journey | by Snezana Zivcevska-Stalpers | Nov, 2025

When I boarded my flight from Amsterdam to Atlanta two and a half years ago, I thought I was simply relocating across the Atlantic and beginning a new chapter of my life. Instead, I stepped into one of the most energized and quietly transformative tech and innovation ecosystems in the United States. What I discovered in Atlanta wasn’t just an opportunity. It was community. And it was a momentum. Atlanta has a culture of collaboration unlike anything I had experienced in my 23 years leading technology and innovation across Europe. This is the story of how Atlanta became the center of my professional journey, shaping my work with startups and innovators from both the U.S. and Europe.

A Transatlantic Journey Rooted in Technology and Purpose

Before Atlanta, I had my corporate career in tech across the Netherlands and Europe, focusing on cloud, data, AI, and digital transformation. I held leadership roles at global organizations such as IBM, NTT Data, and the EU Agency for Innovation, and was honored with several recognitions, including: IBM CEO Award Benelux for Delivery of Excellence, Deloitte BOLD Leader Award 2020, Inspiring Fifty Netherlands 2019 for women in tech leadership. Those years shaped me into a strategist, a builder, an advisor, and someone who believes deeply in the power of technology to create meaningful impact. But new beginnings often arrive unexpectedly, and for me, they came in the form of a relocation. What I did not anticipate was how profoundly Atlanta would expand the scope of my work and my vision.

Becoming Member of the Atlanta Stratup Ecosystem

Atlanta is a city where opportunities materialize when you show up with purpose. The moment I began engaging with the ATL tech and business ecosystem by attending events, showing up at meetups, and connecting with companies, new doors opened almost effortlessly. Atlanta welcomes people who contribute, who share, and who want to be part of something bigger than themselves. That spirit is what makes this ciry so vibrant and accessible. Over the past two years, I became deeply embedded in Atlanta’s innovation landscape through: Georgia Institute of Technology, GaTech’s Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), Technology Association of Georgia (TAG), Atlanta Tech Village, Women in Aviation International (WAI) — Atlanta Chapter, and other innovation hubs, labs, and co-creation spaces that give Atlanta its unmistakable pulse. What makes Atlanta unique is that these organizations don’t operate in silos but they form an interconnected network where corporates, startups, universities, and community builders collaborate more naturally than in nearly any other tech city I’ve experienced.

The Unexpected Spark: An MBA Project That Opened New Doors

My Atlanta journey began not in a boardroom, but in a classroom. While completing my MBA in Global Management (GPA 4.0, summa cum laude), I developed a full business plan for my aviation-tech startup, AeroNova Technologies, an idea rooted in my passion for aviation, sustainability, and digital transformation. The concept focused on ESG-driven digital solutions that could help the aviation industry modernize, operate more efficiently, and meet the rising expectations around environmental responsibility. My professor, Dr. Tasha Davis, saw potential of this solution before I fully realized it myself. She challenged me to pitch the idea “Shark Tank–style” and confidently ask for $1M in funding, not as a hypothetical assignment, but as if real investors were sitting across the table. That experience became a defining moment in my journey. It forced me to think, speak, and build like a founder rather than a strategist. More importantly, it pushed me far outside my comfort zone and straight into Atlanta’s startup world in a very real and immediate way. Shortly after, I attended the Avant South conference, which instantly expanded my horizons. The sessions sparked ideas I hadn’t considered. The founders I met were bold, open, and generous with their energy. The conversations stretched long after the panels ended. Something clicked: Atlanta was not just a fast-growing tech hub, it was a community built on momentum, collaboration, and shared ambition.

Bridging Two Innovation Worlds: Europe → USA

What began as a few casual conversations quickly evolved into a steady flow of Dutch and European startups reaching out for support in understanding the U.S. market. Many of them had strong products, brilliant engineering teams, and the ambition to scale internationally, but they lacked clarity on how to enter the U.S. market. That’s where my advisory work began. I started helping founders navigate the realities of U.S. expansion: the expectations of American investors, the cultural nuances in pitching and negotiating, the complexity of customer development, and the regulatory frameworks that shape industries from Aviation to AI. Over time, I realized that I had a very unique position. I had strong understanding of the structured, engineering-driven mindset of European founders, and I had immersed myself deeply in the fast-moving, opportunity-oriented culture of Atlanta’s tech ecosystem. So I became almost naturally, a bridge between two innovation worlds. Today, my work spans both continents. I help European founders conduct thorough U.S. Market Readiness Assessments, understand their competitive position in the American landscape, and evaluate whether Atlanta or another region is the ideal entry point. I build fully customized and never one-size-fits-all go-to-market strategies tailored to the Southeast’s strengths, customer expectations, and industry dynamics. And I work with founders to design scalable product strategies that resonate with U.S. buyers.

What’s Next

My work continues to evolve as Atlanta’s innovation landscape expands and as more European founders look towards the United States as their next frontier. Today, my journey spans several interconnected roles. I mentor across Atlanta’s leading innovation programs, supporting hackathons, early-stage founders, and emerging leaders who are shaping the city’s next generation of startups. I advise companies on AI, data strategy, and product development, helping them build solutions that are not only technologically sound but also commercially viable and ethically responsible. At the same time, I remain closely connected to the Dutch and European ecosystems, supporting founders and collaborating with innovation organizations across the EU. These programs allow me to guide startups through their first steps toward international expansion, ensuring they understand the realities of entering the U.S. market and helping them build strong foundations for growth.

Looking ahead, I am developing new initiatives designed to strengthen the bridge between the U.S. Southeast and Europe’s leading tech hubs. This includes building founder pathways, partnership opportunities, and cross-border knowledge exchanges that make it easier for European innovators to land in Atlanta, and for Atlanta-based startups to explore opportunities abroad. My goal is to create a more seamless, collaborative pipeline where talent, technology, and opportunity flow freely in both directions. But no matter how my work expands, I always return to the same: Atlanta is the city where experience, purpose, and community finally aligned for me. It is where I found a place to contribute and to build something meaningful.