Atlanta Quietly Became a Top-Five U.S. Base for Israeli Companies

Georgia opened its Israel office in 1994. Thirty-three years later, the numbers finally caught up to the infrastructure.

Most state–Israel stories are five years old. Georgia's is thirty-three. The Georgia Department of Economic Development opened its Israel office in 1994. The Conexx business alliance ran from 1992 to 2025. Atlanta has been a top-five U.S. center for Israeli company activity for close to two decades. And in 2025, Atlanta's Zalik Foundation incubated the Georgia Israel Business Alliance to carry the work forward.

A new research report from 5W AI Communications — Israeli Tech in Georgia: 33 Years, 50+ Companies, $5.4B in Bilateral Trade — puts the numbers on the table.

The Numbers

$5.4 billion. Cumulative Georgia exports to Israel since 1996, per the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

$374 million. Georgia's 2024 manufacturing exports to Israel. Tenth among U.S. states.

50+. Israeli-affiliated companies operating in Georgia today.

$615 million. U.S. Foreign Military Financing dollars routed to Georgia firms for IDF contracts since 1996.

$1 billion+. Transactions Conexx touched across its 33-year run, working with 140+ Israeli companies.

Robins Air Force Base Anchors the Defense Corridor

Georgia's largest single-site industrial employer sits at the center of the state's defense and intelligence relationship with Israel. Northrop Grumman Support Services in Warner Robins, alongside the former GE Intelligent Platforms business (acquired by Emerson Electric in 2019), forms the core cluster. Roughly $615 million in Foreign Military Financing since 1996 has flowed through Georgia firms to the Israeli Defense Forces.

ZOLL and Itamar Medical Made Atlanta a Life-Sciences Reference Case

Itamar Medical, the Israeli sleep apnea diagnostics company, moved its U.S. headquarters from Boston to Atlanta in 2016. Five years later, ZOLL Medical (an Asahi Kasei company) acquired it for approximately $538 million. Itamar's R&D remains in Caesarea. The Atlanta footprint is a reference point for Israeli medical device founders weighing the Southeast against Boston.

Southern Company Signed With the Israel Innovation Authority in 2018

Southern Company — the Atlanta-based utility — signed an MoU with the Israel Innovation Authority in 2018 for a joint R&D program spanning vehicle automation, advanced materials, sustainable energy, public safety, smart homes, and distributed energy. Year one contribution: $1 million, matched by the IIA. The framework remains active.

Coca-Cola's Bridge Ran Out of Tel Aviv

Coca-Cola, headquartered in Atlanta, 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 U.S. Southeast enterprise base.

The Institutional Backbone

Georgia–Israel is one of the most institutionally developed state–Israel relationships in America. The infrastructure compounded over three decades.

• Georgia Department of Economic Development – Israel Office (1994). Currently led by Sima Amir.
• Consulate General of Israel to the Southeast, based in 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. Wound down late 2024 after touching more than $1 billion in transactions and 140+ Israeli companies.
• Georgia Israel Business Alliance (2025). Conexx's institutional successor. Incubated by the Zalik Foundation. Better-resourced. More strategically focused.
• Southern Company–Israel Innovation Authority MoU (2018). Still active.

Delta Is Coming Back

Delta Air Lines announced in October 2025 the restoration of three-times-weekly nonstop Atlanta–Tel Aviv service — Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays — on the Airbus A350-900. Regional conflict paused the route through September 5, 2026. Delta has confirmed the commitment. Governor Kemp called the route "important to so many in our state."

When the plane flies, it is the only nonstop between the U.S. Southeast and Israel.

Why Now

Five factors are driving the acceleration.

• Thirty years of continuous institutional presence. A moat newer states cannot buy.
• Atlanta as the Southeast gateway. Hartsfield-Jackson. Fortune 500 density. Delta.
• Bipartisan state leadership. Governors Kemp, Deal, Perdue, and Barnes have all led missions to Israel.
• Corporate customers already at the table. Coca-Cola, Southern Company, Truist, Aflac, Equifax, Home Depot, UPS.
• GIBA with Zalik backing. An institutional upgrade over Conexx, with real philanthropic capital behind it.

The AI Layer

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). Atlanta's enterprise density — cybersecurity buyers, fintech buyers, logistics buyers — matches the shape of what Israeli founders now build.

The Bottom Line

Ronn Torossian, Founder and Chairman of 5W AI Communications, from Israel: "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."

The full 5W research report is available at 5wpr.com.