David Cummings, credited with establishing Atlanta's tech startup prominence, texted his business partner Jon Birdsong on New Year's Day proposing a public tour and lunch in South Downtown. What started as an expectation of attracting ten people drew over 100 attendees who explored the eight-block historic district between Underground Atlanta, the State Capitol, and Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Cummings, a Tallahassee native who earned approximately $95 million from selling his marketing automation company Pardot, and Birdsong, originally from Brookhaven, form an unlikely pair of real estate developers. They met in 2009 when Birdsong emailed Cummings seeking startup advice. Both had observed Germany-based Newport RE's struggles with South Downtown redevelopment after spending over $150 million assembling properties in 2017. Newport abandoned the project in 2023 due to pandemic delays and rising interest rates.
Through their company Atlanta Ventures, Cummings and Birdsong acquired Newport's holdings in less than two months across seven separate deals with lenders. Their new entity, SoDo Atlanta, now controls nearly all former Newport properties — an eight-block stretch anchored by Hotel Row, which houses Thai restaurant Tyde Tate Kitchen, at 235 Mitchell Street SW. Cummings declined to reveal the purchase price but noted, "it feels good right now."
Robyn Jackson, a South Downtown resident since 2000 and neighborhood association president, initially questioned the acquisition. After reflection, he recognized their potential: "We were all like, what? And then all of a sudden, the lightbulb started going off — that's exactly who can come in and do this." Jackson recalled the area's troubled past when dozens of drug dealers populated Broad Street, making the prospect of revitalization deeply personal.
The partnership has a track record in urban development. In 2012, Cummings transformed a standard office building on Piedmont Road into Atlanta Tech Village, now the nation's fourth-largest incubator, housing over 300 startups with 1,200 participants that have generated more than $3 billion in capital. Cummings summed up the community enthusiasm: "It's amazing how much passion there is for South Downtown."
Source: South Downtown ATL