{"683191":{"#nid":"683191","#data":{"type":"news","title":" From Isekai to IT: How an Esports Startup Builds the Workforce","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMore than 1,000 cosplayers, gamers, and nerds took over Macon, Georgia\u2019s, annual Cherry Blossom Festival in late March. They were there for the fourth year of the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sonesports.net\/\u0022\u003ECBF Isekai\u003C\/a\u003E convention, which celebrates all things anime, cosplay, and esports, but Isekai offers more than a weekend of fun. Participants could enter gaming competitions that might help them land a future cybersecurity or IT job.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECBF Isekai is sponsored by\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sonesports.net\/son-technologies\u0022\u003ESON Technologies\u003C\/a\u003E \u2014 short for Swagged Out Nerds \u2014 a Macon esports company focused on workforce development. SON believes the best gamers can also become promising IT professionals.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA startup founded by two Air Force veterans, SON is already making a name for itself in the esports world and has support from Georgia Tech. It is one of the Accelerate companies in the startup portfolio of Tech\u2019s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/atdc.org\/\u0022\u003EAdvanced Technology Development Center\u003C\/a\u003E (ATDC), one of the oldest and most successful university-affiliated incubators in the United States.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESwagged Out Start\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESON founders Jason Clarke and John Robinson first met when they both worked in cybersecurity in the Air Force. As they transitioned to civilian IT careers, they realized a perhaps unlikely source sparked their IT expertise \u2014 video games. In 2019, the two partnered to create an esports competition team for veterans, but they knew the company\u2019s mission could be bigger.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhen people think of gamers, you think of a 40-year-old person in their mom\u2019s basement,\u201d Clarke said. \u201cBut we wanted to change the perception. Gamers have employable skills that can be used for substantial IT work.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor example, when a person plays a multiplayer game like Fortnite, they can assume a leadership role, delivering directives to their teams. What may look like mere play actually entails planning, organizing, and executing. Even a simple task like troubleshooting a household wi-fi network is a skill that can be expanded on with the right training.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFrom Player to Professional\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESON wants both kid and adult gamers to know they have options. They regularly host gaming tournaments and conventions to find people who would be right for their programs and cultivate community. Through a partnership with digital education company\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/aperionglobalinstitute.com\/\u0022\u003EAperion Global Institute\u003C\/a\u003E and cybersecurity certification organization\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.eccouncil.org\/\u0022\u003EEC-Council,\u003C\/a\u003E Clarke and Robinson administer a high school-level curriculum highlighting the synergies between IT and gaming.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAdults also have opportunities. Past SON tournament competitors can take an eight-week program, Sticks to Clicks, to turn their gaming skills into IT proficiency. These initiatives come at a crucial time: Between now and 2030, according to\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.onetonline.org\/link\/summary\/15-1212.00\u0022\u003EO*NET OnLine\u003C\/a\u003E, 51,000 cybersecurity jobs in the state of Georgia are expected to be vacant.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGame-Changing Career Paths\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe programs\u2019 benefits are already tangible. One adult participant in Sticks to Clicks had an annual income of less than $10,000 before joining the program. In the first seven weeks, he earned a certification in CompTIA Security+. In the eighth and final week, he interviewed with some of SON\u2019s workforce partners. He was ultimately hired to install network infrastructure for $46,000 a year.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHigh school students have had similar success. In the 2025-26 school year alone, 150 students went through the SON program and received stackable credentials that can prepare them for IT careers even if they don\u2019t go to college.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAll of this momentum got ATDC\u2019s attention, and SON Tech was accepted as a portfolio company in Fall 2024. Both Georgia AIM and the Air Force went to Macon for the 2025 Isekai convention and met potential employees firsthand. They saw that SON was just getting started.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe ATDC Connection\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESON joined ATDC in 2024 under the AI and Manufacturing vertical sponsored by\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/georgiaaim.org\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia AIM\u003C\/a\u003E, a statewide coalition to advance manufacturing using AI. SON is one of ATDC\u2019s first middle Georgia companies, but the entire state will experience benefits. Through ATDC, SON can use Georgia Tech resources, meet experts in grant applications and corporate networking, and plug into the startup ecosystem in Atlanta. The three-to-five-year program helps startups scale up.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe truth is when you\u2019re starting a company, the first few years are the worst of your life,\u201d said\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/georgiaaim.org\/staff\/nwanyinma-nnodum-dike\/\u0022\u003ENwanyinma Dike\u003C\/a\u003E, who serves as the Georgia AIM and ATDC liaison. In this role, she advises SON. \u201cConnecting into a community of folks rooting for you, listening to you, helping you breathe through whatever challenges occur is one of the most valuable resources ATDC has to offer.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe size of the March Isekai event was only possible thanks to ATDC\u2019s support. They helped SON fundraise by finding the right sponsors.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe went from starting this convention in a pizza shop to now packing an entire plaza downtown,\u201d Clarke said. \u201cTo see the growth is amazing. We\u0027ve received a lot of industry backing because of the creative ways we\u0027re helping workforce development.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDike wants to ensure the event wasn\u2019t a one-off and that SON can keep up the momentum. SON is already planning an even bigger 2026 Isekai convention, with exciting new partners in the pipeline who want to share in the energy of this creative workforce development solution and movement.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESON also announced a partnership with gaming company Blaze Fire Games and the Houston County School District. The school district can access Blaze Fire Games\u2019 Recruit, Reclaim, and Retain career pathway program, which is designed to help close the technology industry\u2019s vast talent gap.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe partnership is exciting because it represents more than creating and launching an esports club,\u201d said Isiah Reese, CEO and co-founder of Blaze Fire Games. \u201cThis agreement allows our company to continue creating opportunities and develop relevant, sustainable career-readiness skills required to compete in today\u2019s environment.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESherri Johnson, the CEO and principal of Houston County College and Career Academy, agrees.\u0026nbsp;\u0022The partnership is a real game-changer for our students. These unique, forward-thinking, 21st-century digital economy workforce educational courses will empower our instructors to reimagine and enhance classroom learning within our cybersecurity and gaming career pathway programs.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESON is ready to rise to whatever industry or challenge needs their model next. What they have been able to do for the IT and cybersecurity fields could eventually be applied to the Federal Aviation Administration or even healthcare technician jobs. There\u2019s an entirely new way to develop the tech world field, and it may not start in a classroom but with a controller.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA startup founded by two Air Force veterans, SON is already making a name for itself in the esports world and has support from Georgia Tech. It is one of the Accelerate companies in the startup portfolio of Tech\u2019s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/atdc.org\/\u0022\u003EAdvanced Technology Development Center\u003C\/a\u003E (ATDC), one of the oldest and most successful university-affiliated incubators in the United States.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"SON Technologies is part of Georgia Tech\u2019s startup incubator, ATDC. "}],"uid":"34541","created_gmt":"2025-07-21 16:27:35","changed_gmt":"2025-07-30 12:51:40","author":"Tess Malone","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-07-21T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-07-21T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"677458":{"id":"677458","type":"image","title":"Isekai-team.JPEG","body":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Isekai team at the March 2025 competition.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1753115641","gmt_created":"2025-07-21 16:34:01","changed":"1753115641","gmt_changed":"2025-07-21 16:34:01","alt":"Group of people posing at competition.","file":{"fid":"261357","name":"Isekai-team.JPEG","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/07\/21\/Isekai-team.JPEG","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/07\/21\/Isekai-team.JPEG","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2495708,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/07\/21\/Isekai-team.JPEG?itok=2yVcX2J9"}}},"media_ids":["677458"],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"153","name":"Computer Science\/Information Technology and Security"},{"id":"143","name":"Digital Media and Entertainment"},{"id":"42911","name":"Education"},{"id":"194609","name":"Industry"}],"keywords":[{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"193654","name":"Enterprise Innovation Institute"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"106361","name":"Business and Economic Development"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ETess Malone, Senior Research Writer\/Editor\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003Etess.malone@gatech.edu\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}