Since Dell’s founding in the mid 1980s, Austin has been a growing hub for tech companies, startups and entrepreneurs looking to make their mark. The area soon became known as “Silicon Hills,” a nod to California's Silicon Valley, and the rolling hills of west Texas.
Following Dell’s example, some of the biggest names in tech laid down roots in Silicon Hills. Leaders like Hewlett Packard, Intel, Cisco, IBM, Apple, eBay, Oracle and Facebook all established headquarters or offices in the area.
Top Tech Companies in Austin
- LogicMonitor
- BigCommerce
- Expedia Group
- Condé Nast
- Blackbaud
- BazaarVoice
- Chive Media Group
- ThousandEyes
- Enverus
With the University of Texas residing in the heart of Austin and innovation events like South by Southwest (SXSW) setting up shop downtown each year, the city is a hub of innovation and activity. To help you navigate the area and its tech scene, we've put together a rundown of Silicon Hills: which companies call the area home, which startups are hiring and how to keep up with the latest news and events.
Silicon Hills is the tech epicenter of Texas with 5,500 startups and tech companies calling the greater Austin area home. Being extremely business friendly and one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S., Silicon Hills is becoming a competing force with Silicon Valley.
Industry: Fintech
What they do: Invoice Home offers an online platform for creating invoices. It provides users with a library of more than 100 templates they can work from and helps them set up links for online payments through PayPal and Stripe or add language to request payment in cash. The web-based platform also lets businesses tailor their invoices to be sent via mail or email.
Industry: Marketing Tech
What they do: Sumo is all about helping companies grow their site performance. Compatible with multiple platforms like Wordpress and BigCommerce as well as email services like MailChimp and HubSpot, Sumo’s tools increase site shares, traffic and track success.
Industry: Agency
What they do: Rocksauce is a mobile studio creating stunning designs for better user experiences. Working with all kinds of brands, Rocksauce creates aesthetics and apps for iPhone, iPad and Android.
Industry: Digital Media
What they do: Condé Nast is a leading global media company engaging over 120 million people across digital, video and print. With offices all over the United States, the home of The New Yorker recently opened a location right here in Silicon Hills.
Industry: Software
What they do: Blackbaud makes tools and software solutions for non-profit organizations. With a comprehensive suite, Blackbaud covers everything from financial and customer relations to onboarding and donor management solutions.
Industry: E-commerce
What they do: Bazaarvoice is a SaaS platform that leverages social media into a marketing tool for global brands. Retailers and brands like Macy’s, Pepsi and Austin-based YETI all use Bazaarvoice to connect with potential customers.
Industry: Sports, Media
What they do: FloSports is a subscription-based sports media and events company. Starting out with just a few sports and events, Flo now covers everything from basketball and football to racing and grappling.
Industry: Professional Services
What they do: Adia connects employers with temporary staff for retail, marketing, customer service and hospitality work. Through the platform, employers can plan shifts, communicate with staff, approve time sheets and more.
Industry: Food, News + Entertainment
What they do: Tastemade is a content platform and global community for travelers and food lovers. Founded in 2012, Tastemade has audiences in more than 200 countries and some two billion monthly views.
Industry: Agency
What they do: Handsome is a design agency for web and mobile apps, providing user experience, visuals and product strategy to companies of all sizes.
Industry: Software
What they do: Worksmith provides a platform for businesses to connect with local service providers. Founded in 2015, the service works with restaurants, healthcare, office spaces, retailers and salons. Worksmith’s impressive list of clients includes Coach, J.Crew, Bonobos and Tory Burch.
Industry: Internet of Things, Software
What they do: CCC Information Systems expedites the claims management process for insurance carriers, auto manufacturers, repair shops and part suppliers. CCC gets drivers back on the road faster and more cost effectively after accidents.
Industry: Mobile Software
What they do: Specializing in instant voice communication, Zello develops push-to-talk technology. Its solutions are designed to help mobile workers meet real-world challenges in a timely manner. Its cloud-based app lets devices function like a walkie-talkie and targets frontline workers who doen’t have consistent access to cellular service in the field.
Industry: Green Tech, Retail
What they do: TreeHouse is a home improvement retailer providing materials to promote sustainability in the home. Keeping design and function in mind, TreeHouse ensures clean looks that increase efficiency around the house.
Industry: E-commerce, Transportation
What they do: UShip is a transportation marketplace for freight, vehicle shipping and household products. The service cuts costs on shipping big items by connecting customers to providers with extra truck space.
Industry: Software
What they do: ThousandEyes provides network intelligence technology to companies like Comcast, Lyft, Slack, Digital Ocean and GitHub. Its solutions monitor internal and external network performance to ensure visibility from end-to-end.
Industry: Sports
What they do: Scorability makes software to solve challenges in recruiting collegiate athletes. By using a central platform and algorithmic matching, it helps coaches identify student athletes who might be a good fit for their program. Designed for various levels and sports, the Austin-based company seeks to increase transparency for prospective college athletes and to streamline the recruiting process.
Industry: Big Data, Software
What they do: Trendkite is a public relations analytics platform for brands and agencies. Used by leaders like Google and Nike, their solutions provide accurate tracking and insights into the impact of public relations efforts.
Industry: Travel, E-commerce
What they do: Homeaway is the leading vacation rental marketplace for those just wanting to get away. Through HomeAway, travelers browse destinations and rental owners manage their listings and bookings.
Industry: Adtech
What they do: Q1Media uses location-based device targeting to provide companies with ad and media campaign data. Its technology utilizes GPS to locate ads and gain valuable consumer insights.
Industry: Software
What they do: Social Solutions lives up to its name, providing software solutions for social service organizations. Its platforms are used by organizations and nonprofits working in services for children, victims and the homeless, among others.
Industry: Fintech, Software, Travel Tech
What they do: Navan is a travel and expense management company that equips organizations with real-time data to reduce spend, drive productivity and keep traveling employees safe. Its mobile app allows employees to track bookings and purchases in one place and change or cancel trips as needed. The company has offices in both Austin and Dallas.
Industry: Retail, Mobile
What they do: Shelfbucks is an in-store digital platform for merchandising optimization. Shelfbucks also provides retailers with additional marketing opportunities, encouraging shoppers to engage with merchandise.
Industry: Software
What they do: Procore Technologies is a cloud-based construction management tool. Used around the world, Procore’s solutions help construction companies build safely and efficiently.
Industry: Software, HR tech
What they do: Udemy runs an online marketplace offering educational content that covers a diverse range of subject areas, including web development, public speaking, digital marketing, stress management, photography, ballet and yoga. More than 15,000 businesses worldwide trust Udemy to provide their employees with access to courses that support their professional and personal development.
Industry: Software, Big Data
What they do: DrillingInfo provides a SaaS platform to monitor price movements, manage risk, understand market trends and identify underperforming assets in the oil and gas industries.
Industry: E-commerce, Software
What they do: BigCommerce provides a SaaS platform by which merchants can build and manage their online stores. Not just for small businesses, BigCommerce is utilized by leading brands like Camelbak, Toyota, Martha Stewart and Gibson.
Industry: Big Data, Software
What they do: Vyopta provides companies with a system to monitor and support their collaboration networks. Its solutions supply insights to enterprises, enabling them to improve user experience and optimize collaboration.
Industry: Digital Media
What they do: Chive Media Group is home to multiple media brands, a non-profit, a streaming channel, an in-house production company and millions of views. Known widely for theCHIVE App, the content machine produces daily humorous articles and photos for more than 30 million users.
Industry: SaaS, Cloud, Software, IT
What they do: LogicMonitor is a cloud-based infrastructure monitoring and observability platform for enterprise companies. Their downtown Austin office is the company’s largest U.S. Center of Energy.
Industry: Gaming
What they do: SciPlay entertains millions of players across multiple global markets, developing and publishing free social games for mobile and web platforms. Its core portfolio of popular titles includes Jackpot Party Casino Slots, Gold Fish Slots, Quick Hit Slots, Bingo Showdown and MONOPOLY Slots.
Industry: Adtech, Mobile
What they do: Adaction Interactive is a mobile app company that works with app developers, publishers and brands to increase engagement, sales and downloads. Just a few of the brands working with Adaction include eHarmony, Yelp, Poshmark and Tinder.
Industry: E-commerce
What they do: RetailMeNot is an online destination by which consumers can find savings and connect with brands, retailers and restaurants. RetailMeNot has more than 28 million unique mobile visitors and facilitated $4.8 billion in worldwide sales in 2017.
