A few weeks back, we recognized Austin tech’s largest tech companies in terms of employee size — a whopping 100 of them, to be exact. It’s been an exciting year of funding, hiring and office expanding for companies of all stripes. Here’s a look at the companies that made the largest leaps between 2016 and 2017 on our reports. Between these 10 alone, they collectively increased in headcount by nearly 2,000 employees locally.
Number of Austin employees: 650
Positions climbed: 8
Net employee increase: 236
Year in review: Netspend, one of Austin’s leading fintech companies, made headlines earlier this year after its president, Chuck Harris, announced he would step down at the end of 2017 to head up the University of Texas Alumni Association. Harris will maintain a seat on Netspend’s board of directors through his successor’s transition. The company has not yet announced who will fill the new role.
Number of Austin employees: 758
Positions climbed: 9
Net employee increase: 258
Year in review: For the second consecutive year, digital banking solutions provider Q2 landed itself a spot on Deloitte’s Fast 500 list, which recognizes companies that have experienced rapid revenue growth. In addition to expanding its local team in Austin, Q2 grew its user base to nearly 10 million registered users by the end of the third quarter, marking a 27 percent year-over-year increase.
Number of Austin employees: 280
Positions climbed: 11
Net employee increase: 104
Year in review: EMDs kicked off 2017 by landing Dr. Eric Weidmann as the company’s new chief medical officer. Weidmann, who has been recognized nationally for his application of new technologies in healthcare, joined the team after years of using eMDs’ practice management solutions professionally. While increasing headcount throughout 2017, the company also reported an upward tick in overall customer satisfaction.
Number of Austin employees: 900
Positions climbed: 12
Net employee increase: 452
Year in review: Amazon opened its first Austin-based corporate office at the Domain in 2015. Over the past two years, the company has more than doubled its local presence. While we still don’t know where exactly Austin falls on the shortlist for Amazon’s HQ2, one thing is certain: the company likes Austin and continues to invest here.
Number of Austin employees: 247
Positions climbed: 13
Net employee increase: 107
Year in review: Since its $21 million Series B in 2016, FloSports added 11 channels to its live-streaming subscription service for sports. The company now has 25 sports available for viewing, including new coverage of rugby, rodeo, cycling, dancing and football. Most recently, the entertainment and media company secured a four-year contract with the Big Ten Network to stream more than 1,000 non-televised conference events.
Number of Austin employees: 700
Positions climbed: 13
Net employee increase: 290
Year in review: After upgrading its 300 W. 6th Street office over the summer, Facebook announced plans to open an additional Austin office at a new high-rise under construction off Nueces Street. The future location will span about 230,000 square feet across 10 floors, boasting room for about 1,500 employees. The social media Goliath first broke ground locally in 2010.
Number of Austin employees: 180
Positions climbed: 15
Net employee increase: 81
Year in review: Shipstation has steadily brought on new employees since it launched in 2011 — and it followed suit this year. In addition to that growth, Shipstation released a new fulfillment platform in November. Its latest product offering matches parcel shippers with vetted outsourced vendors based on factors like customer base, industry reputation ratings and specializations.
Number of Austin employees: 155
Positions climbed: 18
Net employee increase: 68
Year in review: Fortune named California-based TriNet one of the 100 fastest-growing companies in 2017. Ranked No. 57, TriNet experienced a three-year growth rate of 286 percent and increased revenue by a reported 40 percent from 2014 to 2016. The company expanded to Austin in July 2016 with an office north of the city that houses its technology, sales and services teams.
Number of Austin employees: 200
Positions climbed: 19
Net employee increase: 97
Year in review: ESO, a data and management software provider for the healthcare industry, bought FIREHOUSE software in early October, taking on the company’s 13,000 clients. ESO raised $15.5 million from Accel-KKR to help fund the acquisition and grow ESO’s Austin team in every department, with an emphasis on software development and quality assurance roles.
Number of Austin employees: 160
Positions climbed: 24
Net employee increase: 79
Year in review: With one the largest individual funding rounds of the year, TurnKey Vacation Rentals raised a $21 million Series C in March to enter new markets and strengthen its product. At the time, co-founder and CEO T.J. Clark said the company planned to double the number of rentals available on its platform while introducing new elements like virtual property tours. Last month, the travel tech startup also added Jen Ford as its new CFO. Ford formerly served as VP of finance at Snap Kitchen and as senior director of investor relations at HomeAway.
