It's no secret that Austin is experiencing explosive growth. Hardly a day goes by without a new startup opening their doors somewhere in the region. So, what’s drawing them all here? We caught up with three cool companies that recently opened offices in the city to figure out what drew them here.
This is what they had to say:
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Katrina Lake, Founder and CEO at Stitch Fix:
Why did you choose Austin to open your new office? We have had a presence in Austin through our remote styling team since 2014. We were so impressed by the amazing pool of talent there that when we thought about where we'd want to open our next office, Austin seemed like a very natural fit. We pride ourselves on delivering a great experience to our clients by blending the art of fashion with the science of data and technology. We see that same blend of art and science in the culture of the city and people of Austin.
What has been the best part of operating in Austin? I had the pleasure of staying in Austin for six weeks when our office opened, and aside from the great people who have welcomed us to the city and joined our team in Austin, we have loved checking out the inspiring personal style of Austinites.
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CJ Johnson, Head of Creative and Marketing at BuddyTruk:
Why did you choose Austin to open your new office? One of the main reasons why we chose Austin as our second base of operations is because two of our co-founders (Brian Foley and Ryan Salmons) are from Austin and love the community in Austin.
What has been the best part of operating in Austin? Meeting so many awesome people and helping the local economy grow. The people have been incredibly nice and there are so many people in need of our on-demand service. Rather, they need help moving desks and bulky items to other startups like ourselves who need help getting situated in Austin. We really seem to serve a need in Austin. Because we count on so many awesome drivers to provide the bulk of our services, it's been fantastic to put a little extra money in peoples' pockets.
Tell me a bit about your new offices. We currently have a hot desk and membership to the Capital Factory. We're starting a bit lean at first in Austin to see how well things go for us in the city. So far, so good. We love the people of Austin and everyone has been so kind to our team.
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Pooja Khanna, Director of International Operations at Zomato:
Why did you choose Austin to open your new office? Austin has always been on our radar given the diverse and growing restaurant industry, and a very welcoming startup ecosystem. Austin also has some great talent, which has helped us build a team of 20 awesome people in just about a month.
What has been the best part of operating in Austin? We've just started out, but the best part is how supportive the startup ecosystem is in Austin.
Can you tell me a little bit about your future plans in the U.S. market? We see the U.S. as a great market for a product like ours, and feel both users and merchants will find value in it. Our immediate focus is to build a great team and make sure we have the right product market fit. We are looking to set up operations in 19 cities in the next 3-4 months.
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