February 1, 2017
Charleston’s Tech Scene Made Big Strides in 2016
Ranked the 11th best performing U.S. metro for high-tech GDP growth, Charleston | SC | USA is home to 250+ tech companies and counting. New job opportunities and announcements are always popping up. To stay up-to-date on the exciting news from Charleston’s tech community, sign-up to become a Charleston Open Source Digital Ambassador. You can easily share on social media all that’s amazing about working in tech in Charleston on social media.
Take a look at some of the highlights from Charleston’s tech scene this year:
Awards and accolades
- Twelve Charleston tech companies made the Inc. 5000, an annual ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in the country. 23 of Charleston’s companies earned a spot in the most competitive year of the list’s history.
- Two Charleston-area biomedical startups were awarded $50,000 each from the South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) – Neuroene Therapeutics for developing an epilepsy treatment and Reify LLC for its work in 3D-printed prosthetics.
- Real estate startup Preclose was a finalist at the annual Realogy FWD Innovation Summit hosted by industry leader Realogy Holdings Corp. Preclose was selected from a field of 100 companies.
Acquisitions and expansions
- Blackbaud, leadingprovider of nonprofit software and services, acquired Maryland-based startup Attentive.ly. Blackbaud has invested $380 million + in new acquisitions since 2014.
- Charleston-based human resources tech company PeopleMatter was acquired by Snagajob. Founded in 2009, PeopleMatter has raised $63 million from investors and employs more than 100 workers in Charleston, making the company one of the region’s most prominent tech firms.
- Bookkeeping tech company Ceterus, raised $4.2 million, expanded its headquarters, and grew staff by 50%.
- The Harbor Entrepreneur Center, a startup accelerator program in the Charleston region, will open its fifth location in local tech company BoomTown’s new headquarters in early 2017.
New conferences, co-working spaces and coding schools
- Dig South, “The South’s Innovation Conference,” saw a record number of attendees in its fourth year. The event, which is Charleston’s biggest technology conference, drew presenters representing global brands including Google and Twitter.
- The first-ever Charleston Angel Conference resulted in a $100,000 investment for local startup Dynepic, which creates a platform for the “Internet of Toys.” The conference fills an important niche in Charleston’s tech scene by connecting emerging startups with angel investors in the region.
- Charleston hosted its second Revolve Conference to support tech-minded entrepreneurs and companies in the customer experience, design and marketing industry. A first for the Southeast, the conference drew speakers from several surrounding cities.
- Three new co-working spaces opened in the Charleston region in the past year: Holy City Collective, Launch Pad and the Avondale Incubator. More are planned this year, including Office Evolution.
- Jack Russell Software announced the launch of a new coding school in Charleston. The course joins several other local coding schools that provide a talent pipeline for Charleston tech companies.
In addition to signing-up to become a Charleston Open Source Digital Ambassador, be sure to visit CharlestonOpenSource.com to learn more about the latest news, jobs, resources and more in the region’s burgeoning tech community.
