Irving ranks third in tech startups nationally
Written by Phil Cerroni
Irving has added a new statistic to its marketing arsenal: third in the nation after Fremont and San Jose— Silicon Valley cities—in technology startups per capita.
"Irving’s inclusion at the top of this list is no small accomplishment, and proudly reflects our state’s unique combination of technological savvy and pioneering spirit," Gov. Perry said. "My congratulations to everyone involved in making this happen, and to everyone whose lives will be improved thanks to the jobs created by Irving’s climate of innovation and invention.”
“Irving has a very entrepreneurial spirit so this ranking is not surprising,” said Irving City Manager Tommy Gonzalez. “Like leaders in the technology industry, our economic development team is very forward thinking and creative in its approach to business growth. The team is nimble and accustomed to assembling incentive packages that demonstrate Irving is a valuable partner that is highly focused on development success.”
Irving’s Las Colinas stands as the largest office park in North Texas with 24 million completed square feet of office space and five Fortune 500 companies headquartered there. With more than 8,500 businesses located in Irving, many are connected to the technology sector.
“Startups like to launch business in Irving because we’re centrally located geographically; we’re minutes from one of the world’s largest airports; and they can take full advantage of the larger corporations headquartered here,” said Chris Wallace, president and CEO of the Irving Chamber of Commerce. “Startup entrepreneurs can connect with corporate executives who provide mentoring, networking and entry into possible vendor relationships. We offer the incentives, the location and the support they need.”
WaveTwo, a 2002 Irving tech startup, the company provided health care information technology and managed IT consulting services. This August, All Covered, a division of Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A, acquired WaveTwo and set up its new regional operations in Irving.
“Being located in Irving is very important to the success of our business,” said John Arnott Sr., now Managing Director - All Covered. “Access to our customers and potential customers is the name of the game when it comes to small business. Irving’s national access allowed us to grow and scale into the business we are today.”
The number of tech startups per capita is ranked as follows*:
Rank City State Startups/100K
1. Fremont CA 21.3
2. San Jose CA 10.1
3. Irving TX 6.5
4. Chandler AZ 5.1
5. Austin TX 4.5
6. Paradise NV 3.9
7. Anaheim CA 3.8
8. Mesa AZ 3.7
9. Seattle WA 3.5
10. Santa Ana CA 3.3
*The data and analysis came from SizeUp, a San Francisco–based provider of business intelligence.
Source: City of Irving
