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As Atlanta gears up for the Cricket Celebration Bowl and anticipates a surge in tourism revenue, state lawmakers are beginning to question whether Georgia is doing enough to promote its tourism sector. With an annual budget of approximately $11 million allocated to tourism marketing, some lawmakers and industry experts believe this amount may not be sufficient to capitalize on the state’s potential. The Cricket Celebration Bowl, an event that draws attention from across the country, has underscored the opportunity to attract even more visitors to Georgia, but some believe the state is missing out on a significant marketing opportunity.
A National Stage: The Cricket Celebration Bowl
The Cricket Celebration Bowl is one of the most anticipated events of the year, bringing together top teams from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). This year, the game will take place on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, and it will be broadcasted nationally, offering a prime opportunity to showcase Georgia to a wider audience.
However, as the game approaches, John Grant, the executive director of the Celebration Bowl, has pointed out a missed opportunity for Georgia’s tourism marketing. Despite being an event that draws national attention, the state is not using this platform to promote itself. Grant noted that while other states are taking advantage of the national broadcast to advertise their own tourist destinations, Georgia is not doing the same. He emphasized that this could be an invaluable moment to attract visitors and increase tourism dollars to the state.
Tourism Marketing: Is Georgia Doing Enough?
As it stands, Georgia allocates $11 million annually for tourism marketing, a figure that has drawn criticism from lawmakers and tourism professionals alike. Rep. Matt Gambill, a Cartersville Republican, expressed concern that this amount is insufficient, especially considering the state’s size and its potential as a tourist destination. Gambill pointed out that in comparison, many local construction projects, such as a new fire station or public safety center, could easily cost $11 million or more.
The state’s current level of investment in tourism marketing has been called into question, particularly in light of Georgia’s strong tourist destinations, its annual events, and the millions of people who visit the state for major attractions like Atlanta’s cultural landmarks, its vibrant food scene, and its proximity to the mountains and beaches. According to industry professionals, more money could be channeled into marketing these assets, helping to elevate the state’s profile on the national and international stage.
Missed Opportunities: Competing with Other States
Grant emphasized that other cities and states are making a concerted effort to market their tourism products during high-profile events, such as the Cricket Celebration Bowl. He cited the example of Mississippi, which ran multiple ads during last year’s bowl game, promoting its attractions. This, he pointed out, is a missed opportunity for Georgia.
Despite hosting nationally broadcast events like the Celebration Bowl, Super Bowl, and countless other major sports and cultural events, Georgia has not fully leveraged these platforms to promote itself as a tourist destination. Grant stated that these events are recurring, and they offer significant exposure, but the state’s marketing efforts do not align with the opportunities presented. Instead, he believes Georgia should use such events to showcase its unique culture, historical sites, and natural beauty, potentially attracting more visitors who are interested in exploring the state beyond its well-known attractions.
Preparing for a Future with More Tourism Dollars
As the Celebration Bowl and other high-profile events bring more people to Atlanta and Georgia, local leaders are discussing ways to increase the state’s tourism marketing budget. The idea is that by allocating more resources to marketing, the state can better capitalize on the attention brought by major events and, in turn, increase the economic benefits of tourism.
The Georgia General Assembly is set to receive recommendations on how to improve the state’s approach to tourism marketing by next month. It is likely that the committee, which includes key figures in the tourism and hospitality industries, will recommend increasing funding to better compete with other states and capitalize on the growing interest in Georgia’s attractions. With events like the Cricket Celebration Bowl showcasing the state to a national audience, the time may be right for Georgia to reevaluate its approach and invest more in promoting itself as a top travel destination.
A Positive Economic Impact for Georgia
While the discussions surrounding tourism marketing funding continue, many local businesses and tourism professionals remain optimistic about the economic potential that these events bring. Tyler Keifer, a resident of Warrensburg, highlighted the economic boom that events like the Celebration Bowl can create for Atlanta and the surrounding areas. Despite the challenges of planning for the influx of travelers, Keifer sees the World Cup and other large-scale events as a significant opportunity for the city to grow its economy and expand its tourism industry.
Tourism is not just about attracting visitors for major events. It’s also about creating long-term relationships with those who come for the first time and ensuring they return. By investing in tourism marketing, Georgia can begin to more effectively promote the state’s wide array of experiences, from beaches to mountain retreats, art festivals, and cultural events. The idea is to encourage more visitors to come, stay, and experience all that Georgia has to offer.
The Future of Georgia’s Tourism Industry
The upcoming Celebration Bowl is just one example of how major events can draw attention to Georgia. However, without a robust and strategic tourism marketing campaign, the state risks missing out on the long-term economic benefits of increased tourism. By increasing its marketing budget, Georgia can more effectively leverage national broadcasts, international visitors, and local events to highlight its rich history, diverse culture, and thriving tourism sector.
As Georgia continues to discuss the future of its tourism marketing efforts, it is clear that there is room for growth. The recommendations from the tourism committee will likely play a crucial role in shaping the future of the state’s tourism strategy, and with more investment in this area, Georgia could position itself as a leading destination for travelers both in the U.S. and around the world.
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COGNNA, the Saudi-based pioneer in AI-led Security Operations, announced at Black Hat MEA 2025 the successful closing of its Series A funding round, raising $9.2 million. The round was led by Impact46, co-led by BNVT Capital, and joined by Vision Ventures and tali ventures. This achievement marks a defining milestone in COGNNA’s mission to safeguard organizations against cyber threats through agentic AI, positioning the company as one of the fastest-growing and most influential cybersecurity startups in the region.
The new investment will accelerate COGNNA’s global expansion across product development, sales, and operations. With demand for intelligent and scalable cybersecurity solutions rising, the company plans to enhance its AI capabilities, broaden its reach across MENA and international markets, and strengthen its engineering and SOC operations teams. CEO Ibrahim AlShamrani emphasized that the funding represents more than financial backing, describing it as validation of COGNNA’s vision to protect the digital future of humanity. He highlighted the company’s ambition to build a global force in cybersecurity where AI and human expertise converge to empower organizations to operate securely, innovate boldly, and scale fearlessly.
CTO Ziyad AlSheri reinforced this vision, noting that COGNNA’s mission has always been to transform cybersecurity from reactive defense into intelligent prevention. He explained that the company’s AI-led platform is designed to anticipate threats rather than simply respond to them, creating an Agentic SOC that adapts and protects in real time. The funding will accelerate research and development in AI and automation, enabling COGNNA to scale globally while continuing to deliver proactive and predictive security solutions.
At the heart of its offering is the “Nexus” platform, which delivers measurable impact for organizations by enabling faster threat detection and resolution, reducing operational costs, and integrating seamlessly within minutes. Backed by a leadership team with experience from Fortune 500 companies and global technology leaders, COGNNA is positioning itself as a key player in the $500 billion cybersecurity market projected for 2030. Investors share this confidence, with Impact46 praising the company’s technical depth and agentic AI capabilities, and Vision Ventures highlighting its ability to address real operational gaps in the region. Together, these endorsements underscore COGNNA’s potential to evolve from a regional innovator into a global cybersecurity leader.
Black Forest Labs has announced the closing of its $300 million Series B funding round, valuing the company at $3.25 billion post-money. Founded just last year, the Freiburg and San Francisco–based startup has quickly emerged as a leader in frontier models for pixels, building systems that go beyond traditional image generation. Its mission is to create what cameras cannot capture—tools that understand intent rather than simply executing prompts, enabling imagination to become reality for enterprises and independent creators alike.
Millions of users are already engaging with Black Forest Labs’ FLUX models, which have become the most popular open-source image models on Hugging Face. On the enterprise side, adoption is strong across platforms such as Fal.ai, Replicate, and TogetherAI, while industry giants including Adobe, Canva, Meta, and Microsoft are integrating the models to power new creative experiences. These achievements underscore the company’s rapid ascent in the generative AI ecosystem.
The Series B round was co-led by Salesforce Ventures and Anjney Midha (AMP), with participation from Temasek, Bain Capital Ventures, Air Street Capital, Visionaries Club, Canva, and Figma Ventures. Existing partners—including a16z, NVIDIA, Northzone, Creandum, Earlybird VC, BroadLight Capital, and General Catalyst—also deepened their commitments. This substantial investment will accelerate research and development, enabling Black Forest Labs to advance toward models that unify perception, generation, memory, and reasoning, laying the foundation for true visual intelligence.
The company’s compact but highly skilled team includes pioneers behind latent diffusion, Stable Diffusion, and FLUX, giving it a unique edge in pushing the boundaries of generative AI. With headquarters in Freiburg and San Francisco, Black Forest Labs is expanding its workforce to support global ambitions. The funding will be directed toward scaling product innovation, strengthening enterprise adoption, and building infrastructure capable of supporting the next generation of AI-driven creativity.
Looking ahead, Black Forest Labs aims to transform how humans interact with pixels by creating systems that anticipate intent and deliver imagination at scale. With strong investor backing and a growing ecosystem of partners, the company is positioning itself as a global leader in visual intelligence, driving the future of creativity from concept to reality.
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