We had the good fortune of connecting with Brandon Branham and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brandon, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Starting in 2017, the City of Peachtree Corners was looking to create additional economic development opportunities for the city. One of our council members was specifically interested in autonomous vehicle technology, and we started evaluating space in the city where this could be a possibility. After much discussion, we identified the city’s historic 500-acre Technology Park as a potential location for a technology program. This technology park, known now as Tech Park, was the first technology park established in the state of Georgia and was created in the 1960s by Georgia Tech graduate Paul Duke in effort to keep Georgia Tech graduates in-state after graduation. At the time, Georgia was experiencing a ‘brain drain’ because there were not enough tech jobs to keep talent in state.

Our team began researching autonomous vehicles, how this technology is developed and tested and more, and stumbled upon the idea of a smart city. What we found was there were multiple places around the world where researchers were creating and testing technology in a closed, controlled environment, but there was no middle ground for testing technology in the real world before committing to full-scale deployment. This inevitably led to the creation of the city’s smart city ecosystem called Curiosity Lab.

Our Curiosity Lab smart city ecosystem is located inside Tech Park and includes a 3-mile loop, called our ‘city street of the future’. Here, we have multiple smart city cameras, sensors and more deployed alongside an autonomous vehicle test lane. Along this corridor runs T-Mobile’s 5G and Wi-Fi. The 25,000-square-foot innovation center is also located in this loop and is where local, national and international companies and startups are housed. Companies and startups of all sizes and locations are welcome to test their various smart city technologies along our corridor. This could be anything from a drone to a new sensor to an autonomous vehicle. Our overall goal is to test and deploy technologies that will make our residents’ daily lives easier and safer.

Originally created as an economic development project to generate activity for the city, this initiative has since transformed Peachtree Corners into a premier innovation hub of the Southeast United States – benefitting its city, its citizens, the Metro Atlanta region and the world.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Our Curiosity Lab smart city ecosystem is unlike any other place in the world. We have successfully created a real-world environment where companies and startups from around the globe come to develop and test their technologies. Each day, these technologies interact with real drivers, pedestrians, the elements and more. This helps technology developers ensure their technology will be ready for full scale deployment.

Creating this environment was no simple task. Our city leadership worked together to find a unique solution to the problems of technology development that had not yet been solved on a global level and required in-depth research, planning and approvals.

While creating and running Curiosity Lab, as a city we have learned more than we could have expected. Specifically, this project highlighted how important it is to have a low level of bureaucracy for developing projects such as this smart city ecosystem. With the goal to act at the same pace as startups, our city’s quick turnaround time in planning and executing the Curiosity Lab vision in just 8 months proves how fruitful a project can be with a quick-moving and supportive governmental body.

Once the project was finished being built, we began to secure partners and work with companies from across the globe to deploy their technologies. As a city, along the way we learned the importance of introducing new technologies to residents, ensuring their full understanding of the technology before it is deployed. As a city, we are constantly developing new ways to educate the public on some of the most groundbreaking technologies in the world, while also ensuring the public sees the benefits of the technology in how it will improve their everyday lives and their safety.

The hard work and research to create and establish Curiosity Lab was well worth the time and effort. Today, our city has received recognition from global smart city analyst firm IDC and international recognition by IEEE for setting the blueprint for smart cities in the United States. Peachtree Corners was also recognized as one of the Smart50 smart cities across the country and recently was recognized by Fortune Magazine as the 19th best place to live for families in the country.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love living in Peachtree Corners. Our location is great because we can easily get to multiple areas of greater Atlanta, but also within Peachtree Corners we have so many indoor and outdoor activities and of course amazing restaurants.

Some of my favorite activities to do with my family include kayaking on Chattahoochee out of Jones Bridge Park, enjoying the trail through Simpsonwood Park and enjoying the outdoor live concerts in Peachtree Corners’ Town Center. If you have kids, the batting cages at D-Bat are also a fun family activity!

I would definitely call myself a foodie, and I am always looking for new restaurants to try. After a long day in the sun, some of my top spots to have a drink include Anderby Brewing, KettleRock Brewing and J. Alexanders for a good cocktail. Some of my favorite spots for a bite to eat in Peachtree Corners to are Mojitos, Peche, Stage, Fire and Stone, Choong Man Chicken, Tacos at Taqueria Del Mar and Cue BBQ.

As Peachtree Corners continues to grow, I’m excited to see what new restaurants come to our city!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to recognize Peachtree Corners residents and Curiosity Lab partners and startups who have supported our mission from the beginning. Thank you for your ongoing support!

Website: https://www.curiositylabptc.com/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/curiositylab_ptc/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/curiosity-lab-at-peachtree-corners

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CuriosityLabPTC

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CuriosityLabPTC/

Image Credits
City of Peachtree Corners

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