Tech for Transplants

Over the past year the following question has come up several times:

I'm thinking of moving to Bozeman, which tech companies/start-ups do you recommend?

More often than not the question comes from someone involved in tech.

Bozeman Tech Startups

Over the past 2 years I've developed a shortlist of companies and startups I recommend most frequently. This list is by no means exhaustive, Bozeman is an active start-up community with new ventures continually coming and (sadly) going. The relatively recent acquisition of RightNow Technologies by Oracle created an influx of dollars and talent to the local start-up scene as well.

Large/Established

  • Oracle - If the corporate lifestyle is your gig, look no further.
  • Zoot - Zoot provides solutions for 'loan origination and credit decisioning'.
  • Workiva - Platform for organizing company data for SEC filings and other mandatory government reporting. The company has several small offices around the U.S.

Growing

  • Dataminr - Real-time data mining. Great recommendations from others. Offices in Bozeman, NYC and D.C.
  • Wisetail - Learning Management Software. Great team.
  • Elixiter - A Marketo partner, providing support for Marketo's customer relationship management (CRM) and marketing automation platforms. Hard to find a more fun group of people.
  • Foundant - Grant and scholarship management.
  • Flat Earth - Radar applications for environmental monitoring, proximity sensing, medical applications, navigation and transportation, search and rescue.

Early Stage & Small

  • Dropship - A service for connecting people who need to ship an item and drivers.
  • Viralhog - Discovers and licenses viral video content. Super fun team.
  • commonFont - A Medallia partner, providing support and implementation.
  • Ignite Feedback - A feedback widget for websites.

University Spin-offs

The local university, Montana State University, has spun off a number of tech companies over the years. They range from biotech to photonics, aerospace and a variety of other industries. The Technology Transfer Office is a good place to start if you're looking for university related tech.

Think Outside the Bozone

One opportunity Bozeman (and perhaps greater southwest Montana) isn't fully capitalizing on is becoming a mecca for the growing remote workforce. With a relatively low cost of living, abundant recreational opportunities, internet, and the improving attitude toward remote workers, Bozeman is (or could be) an optimal base for remote workers.

I say 'could be' because I believe there are steps the city and state could take to encourage this new genre of workers. Tax breaks, easier/cheaper access to fast internet and a range of other incentives.

The takeaway here is to not limit career opportunities to Bozeman. A remote position has many potential benefits over a traditional job - a more flexible schedule, higher than average salary (compared to local), and the added benefit of bringing dollars into the community, to name just a few.

Here are a few sites for finding remote positions:

  • WeWorkRemotely - Job board focused solely on remote positions.
  • StackOverflow - If you're a coder, and have an active StackOverflow profile I highly recommend the Careers site. You can search for remote positions, and/or companies offering relocation.
  • Remotive - Another job board focused solely on remote positions. Their blog is also filled with great advice for remote workers.

Others?

What companies or start-ups would you recommend to someone who's interested the Bozeman tech scene?

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