Israeli Tech in Georgia: 30 Years, $5.4B Cumulative Exports

AT A GLANCE

$5.4B — Cumulative Georgia exports to Israel since 1996 (Georgia Department of Economic Development)

50+ — Israeli-affiliated companies operating in Georgia

$374M — Georgia exports to Israel in 2024 (manufacturing goods)

10th — Georgia's rank among U.S. states in exports to Israel

$615M+ — U.S. Foreign Military Financing to Georgia firms for IDF contracts since 1996

33 years — Conexx operating history (1992–2025)

$1B+ — Completed transactions Conexx was involved in over its lifetime

2025 — Year the Georgia Israel Business Alliance (GIBA) launched, incubated by the Zalik Foundation

OVERVIEW

Most state–Israel economic stories begin in the last five years. The Georgia–Israel story begins in 1992. The Georgia Department of Economic Development opened its formal Israel office in 1994. The Conexx business alliance ran for 33 years. Atlanta has been a top-five U.S. center for Israeli company activity for nearly two decades. And in 2025, Atlanta's Zalik Foundation incubated the Georgia Israel Business Alliance to carry that work into the next generation.

Three layers define the Georgia–Israel economic relationship: a defense and intelligence corridor anchored by Robins Air Force Base and a generation of Atlanta-based contractors; a corporate gateway built around Coca-Cola, Southern Company, and Delta; and an institutional infrastructure that compounded across 30 years of trade missions, MoUs, and consulate-led economic activity.

THE ANCHOR COMPANIES

Georgia's Israeli economic story rests on three categories of anchor: defense contractors, established corporate operations, and the institutional bridge between the two economies.

Defense and Intelligence Cluster — Atlanta + Warner Robins
GE Intelligence Platforms in Atlanta, Northrop Grumman Support Services in Warner Robins, and HP's Atlanta operations form the core of Georgia's defense and intelligence relationship with Israel. Georgia firms have received nearly $615 million in U.S. Foreign Military Financing since 1996 for contracts supplying the Israeli Defense Forces.

Itamar Medical — Healthtech / Atlanta
Israeli medical device company that relocated its U.S. headquarters from Boston to Atlanta in 2016 — a notable choice given Boston's dominance in life sciences. The FDA-approved sleep apnea device became a flagship Israeli medtech with U.S. operations centered in Atlanta.

Southern Company R&D Partnership — Energy / Atlanta
In 2018, Southern Company signed an MoU with the Israel Innovation Authority establishing a joint R&D funding program. Sectors covered: vehicle automation, advanced materials, sustainable energy, public safety, smart homes, and distributed energy. Year 1 contribution was $1M, matched by the IIA.

Coca-Cola's Bridge Program — CPG / Atlanta + Tel Aviv
Atlanta-headquartered Coca-Cola operated The Bridge startup accelerator from Tel Aviv, with a sister BridgeCommunity program in Atlanta. One of the most consistent corporate gateways for Israeli technology into the Atlanta enterprise ecosystem.

THE INSTITUTIONAL BACKBONE

Georgia–Israel is one of the most institutionally developed state–Israel relationships in America. The infrastructure has compounded across more than 30 years.

Georgia Department of Economic Development — Israel Office (1994)
One of the longest-running U.S. state economic-development offices in Israel, predating most peer states by a decade or more. Currently led by Sima Amir.

Consulate General of Israel to the Southeast (Atlanta)
Israel's primary government-to-government channel for the southeastern United States.

Conexx (1992–2025)
Originally the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce Southeast Division. Operated for 33 years. Involved in $1 billion-plus of completed transactions. Worked with 140+ Israeli companies. Led Israeli trade missions for three decades. Conexx voted to wind down in late 2024.

Georgia Israel Business Alliance (2025)
Institutional successor to Conexx. Incubated by Atlanta's Zalik Foundation. Better-resourced and more strategically focused than its predecessor. Program calendar includes trade missions, networking events, and sector-specific partnerships across defense, energy, cyber, and innovation.

Southern Company–Israel Innovation Authority MoU (2018)
Active joint R&D framework with matching government-industry funding. Continues to support collaborative projects in energy and advanced technology.

WHY GEORGIA, WHY NOW

Five structural factors are driving the renewal of Israeli economic activity in Georgia.

01 — Three decades of institutional infrastructure.
Georgia is one of only a handful of U.S. states with formal continuous economic representation in Israel since the early 1990s. The compounding effect of 30 years of trade missions, consulate-level relationships, and policy continuity is a moat newer entrants cannot match.

02 — Atlanta as the Southeast gateway.
Hartsfield-Jackson is consistently the busiest passenger airport in the world. Atlanta is the de facto capital of the U.S. Southeast for finance, media, logistics, and Fortune 500 corporate presence. Delta's ATL–TLV route, when operating, is the only nonstop connection between the Southeast and Israel.

03 — A pro-Israel state government.
Governor Kemp has been a consistent public advocate for Georgia–Israel ties. Predecessors Barnes, Perdue, and Deal all led economic missions to Israel. Georgia–Israel is bipartisan and durable across administrations.

04 — Dense corporate gateways for Israeli innovation.
Coca-Cola's Bridge program. Southern Company's Israel Innovation Authority partnership. Truist, Aflac, Equifax, Home Depot, UPS — each is a natural enterprise customer for Israeli innovation in cybersecurity, fintech, logistics, and AI.

05 — The new GIBA + Zalik Foundation backing.
The Georgia Israel Business Alliance, launched in 2025 with Zalik Foundation backing, represents a significant institutional upgrade. David Zalik, who also chairs the Georgia Solidarity Network, was the driving force behind Delta's restoration of the ATL–TLV route.

HOW GEORGIA COMPARES

USIBA has commissioned independent economic-impact reports for Florida, New York, and Virginia. No comparable comprehensive economic-impact study for Georgia has been published yet. The table below summarizes available state-level data.

New York — 57,000 direct jobs / $19.5B total output (USIBA, 2024)
Florida — 8,190 direct jobs / $7.3B total output (USIBA, 2024)
Texas — 4,200+ jobs (FDI only) / $3.2B capital (Texas Gov., 2025)
Virginia — 2,400+ jobs / $2.3B total output (USIBA, 2024)
Georgia — Data pending USIBA study / $5.4B cumulative exports since 1996 (GDEcD)

Georgia figures reflect cumulative export data since 1996. A USIBA-style economic-impact study for Georgia has not yet been published. Triangulation against Florida's data suggests Georgia is in the same tier.

WHERE GEORGIA–ISRAEL BUILDS

Defense, intelligence, and aerospace — Robins Air Force Base, GE Intelligence Platforms, Northrop Grumman Support Services, $615M+ in Foreign Military Financing since 1996.

Cybersecurity — Israeli cyber companies serving Atlanta's enterprise customer base: Truist, Aflac, Equifax, Coca-Cola, and the dense fintech and payments cluster.

Healthtech and life sciences — Itamar Medical's 2016 Boston-to-Atlanta relocation; Emory Healthcare, the CDC, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, and Georgia Tech bioengineering as institutional anchors.

Energy and utilities — Southern Company's 2018 Israel Innovation Authority partnership covering vehicle automation, advanced materials, sustainable energy, and distributed energy.

AI and enterprise software — Concentrated around Atlanta's enterprise corporate density. Israel ranks first globally on the Anthropic AI Usage Index at 4.9x the global baseline, per the 5W and Louder study "Claude in Israel" (April 2026).

THE OUTLOOK FOR 2026

Three signals confirm the trajectory is accelerating.

Delta is committed to restoring nonstop ATL–TLV service. Delta announced in October 2025 that it would resume three-times-weekly nonstop Atlanta–Tel Aviv flights starting April 15, 2026, on the Airbus A350-900. Following the Israel-Iran conflict, Delta paused the route along with JFK–TLV through September 5, 2026, to monitor regional safety conditions. The route is expected to return as conditions permit. Governor Kemp publicly thanked Delta for the restoration: "This flight is important to so many in our state, further strengthening the cultural and economic ties between Georgia and Israel."

GIBA is operational. The Georgia Israel Business Alliance, launched in 2025 with Zalik Foundation backing, is the institutional successor to Conexx — better-resourced and more strategically focused. Its program calendar includes trade missions, networking events, and sector-specific partnerships across defense, energy, cyber, and innovation.

Institutional continuity is intact. The Georgia Department of Economic Development's Israel office, operating since 1994, continues to support Georgia exports and Israeli inbound investment. The Atlanta consulate remains the U.S. government channel for the Southeast. The 2018 Southern Company–Israel Innovation Authority R&D framework remains active.

As Ronn Torossian, Founder and Chairman of 5W, writes: "Georgia has been doing this work longer than almost any other state. Thirty years of formal economic representation in Israel. Atlanta as a top-five U.S. center for Israeli company activity. A new Georgia Israel Business Alliance with serious Atlanta philanthropic backing. A Governor who calls Israel one of America's strongest allies. Delta restoring direct flights. The pieces are all in place. From where I sit in Israel, Israeli founders increasingly recognize Atlanta as the welcoming, well-built U.S. base it has been for three decades."

FAQ

The Georgia–Israel Corridor, in Plain English

How much have Israeli companies invested in Georgia?

Georgia has exported a cumulative $5.4 billion to Israel since 1996, per the Georgia Department of Economic Development. In 2024, Georgia exported nearly $374 million in manufacturing goods to Israel. Georgia ranks 10th among U.S. states in exports to Israel. Atlanta is one of the top five U.S. centers for Israeli company activity.

How many Israeli companies are in Georgia?

Reporting from Hypepotamus and Conexx identifies more than 50 Israeli-affiliated companies operating in Georgia. Anchors include Itamar Medical (U.S. HQ in Atlanta since 2016), Cyber 2.0, and Coca-Cola's Bridge program partnerships. Conexx worked with more than 140 Israeli companies across the broader Southeast over its 33-year history.

What is the Georgia Israel Business Alliance?

The Georgia Israel Business Alliance (GIBA) is a non-profit organization launched in 2025, incubated through Atlanta's Zalik Foundation. GIBA's mission is to increase economic development and foster technological partnerships between Georgia and Israel. It is the institutional successor to Conexx, which operated from 1992 to 2025.

What was Conexx?

Conexx (originally the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce Southeast Division) operated from 1992 to 2025 as the primary business organization connecting Israel with Georgia and the broader Southeast. Over its lifetime, Conexx was involved in completed transactions valued at more than $1 billion, worked with 140+ Israeli companies, and led trade missions for three decades. It voted to wind down in late 2024.

When did Georgia open an economic office in Israel?

The Georgia Department of Economic Development opened its formal Israel office in 1994 — one of the longest-running U.S. state economic-development presences in Israel, predating most peer states by a decade or more. The office is currently led by Sima Amir.

Are there direct flights between Atlanta and Tel Aviv?

Delta Air Lines announced in October 2025 that it would restore three-times-weekly nonstop Atlanta–Tel Aviv service starting April 15, 2026, on the Airbus A350-900. Following the Israel-Iran conflict, Delta paused the route through September 5, 2026, to monitor regional safety conditions. The route is expected to return as conditions permit.

What sectors define the Georgia-Israel economic relationship?

Defense and intelligence (Robins Air Force Base, GE Intelligence Platforms, $615M+ in FMF since 1996); cybersecurity (Israeli cyber companies serving Atlanta's enterprise base); healthtech and life sciences (Itamar Medical's 2016 relocation, Emory, the CDC); energy and utilities (Southern Company's 2018 Israel Innovation Authority MoU); AI and enterprise software.

What major Atlanta companies work with Israeli innovation?

Coca-Cola operated The Bridge startup accelerator from Tel Aviv, with a sister BridgeCommunity program in Atlanta. Southern Company signed a 2018 MoU with the Israel Innovation Authority for joint R&D. Delta Air Lines is restoring nonstop ATL-TLV service. Truist, Aflac, Equifax, Home Depot, and UPS form a deep enterprise customer base for Israeli innovation.

What is the Zalik Foundation's role in Georgia-Israel?

The Zalik Foundation is an Atlanta-based Jewish philanthropy whose mission includes ensuring a sovereign and thriving Israel. The Foundation incubated and resourced the launch of the Georgia Israel Business Alliance (GIBA) in 2025. David Zalik also chairs the Georgia Solidarity Network, which led the grassroots campaign that resulted in Delta restoring Atlanta-Tel Aviv service.

Who authored this report?

This report was published by 5W, one of the largest independent public relations and digital marketing firms in the United States. Lead author is Ronn Torossian, Founder and Chairman of 5W. 5W has also published the Israeli Tech in Florida Report (April 2026), the Israeli Tech in Texas Report (April 2026), and Claude in Israel: A Study on the Startup Nation (April 2026, in partnership with Louder).

METHODOLOGY AND SOURCES

This report draws on verified third-party data registries. Where comprehensive economic-impact modeling has not yet been published for Georgia, this report relies on government, consulate, and institutional data. No modeled total economic output figure for Georgia is presented.

Sources: Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), Israel office and trade data. Jewish Virtual Library, "State-to-State Cooperation: Georgia and Israel." Conexx (America-Israel Commercial Alliance), 1992–2025 operating history. Georgia Israel Business Alliance (GIBA) and the Zalik Foundation. Consulate General of Israel to the Southeast (Atlanta). USIBA state economic impact reports for Florida, New York, Virginia (2024). Anthropic Economic Index, via 5W-Louder study "Claude in Israel" (April 2026). Atlanta Jewish Times, Hypepotamus, Global Atlanta — local reporting. Delta Air Lines route announcements (October 2025; March 2026 pause). Southern Company–Israel Innovation Authority MoU (2018).

RELATED 5W RESEARCH

This report is part of 5W's Israeli Tech State Report Series. Related reports: Israeli Tech in Texas — $3.2 billion in capital, 4,200+ jobs, $4 billion in 2024 trade. Israeli Tech in Florida — 429 Israeli-founded companies, 26,510 jobs supported, $7.3 billion in economic output. Claude in Israel: A Study on the Startup Nation — Israel ranks #1 globally on the Anthropic AI Usage Index at 4.9x the global baseline.

ABOUT 5W

5W Public Relations is the premier AI communications firm in the United States. A full-service public relations and digital marketing agency known for cutting-edge programs that engage businesses, issues, and ideas. Founded more than 20 years ago by Ronn Torossian. Led by CEO Matt Caiola. With approximately 275 professionals serving more than 250 clients across consumer, corporate, crisis, healthcare, technology, and public affairs. Recognized by O'Dwyer's, the American Business Awards, and Ragan as a top U.S. PR agency and a Top Place to Work in Communications in 2026.