7 Reasons to Relocate or Expand Your Business in Indiana
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIt’s no secret that the bloom is off the rose in legacy tech hubs where congestion, living expenses, and difficulty making a name for yourself (along with the rise in remote work) are fueling an exodus as tech workers and entrepreneurs seek better lives and careers. Indiana is perfectly positioned to attract people who are looking to leave overcrowded areas.
For entrepreneurs thinking it’s time for a better life in the Heartland, Indiana and its capital city Indianapolis offer the following:
Indianapolis is a mid-sized city with huge reach and great quality of life
Tech is thriving in the Indy metro as well as in smaller cities like Bloomington, Terre Haute, Evansville and South Bend that are short drives away. Eighty percent of the country is within a day’s drive of Indianapolis, which boasts the best airport in the country. You take home way more of your paycheck here. You can own a home without going massively in debt. Your commute will have less congestion/traffic to fight. You can send your kids to better schools, and for employers, there are huge cost savings ($24M/yr) and a reduction in employee churn rates compared to legacy tech hubs.
Indiana is a legit tech hub
The city is home to Salesforce’s Marketing Cloud HQ, Infosys’ Technology & Innovation hub. Multiple (and growing) subsectors in cyber security, edge computing, sports tech and ed tech. Companies like Genesys, Jobvite, UKG and Tangoe that were involved in mergers and acquisitions chose Indy as their HQ or key tech centers rather than other cities where they were active. Companies like ActiveCampaign, Celigo, UGroup, and Wunderkind chose Indy to greatly expand their operations.
Indiana has a thriving startup community with venture capital
Startup activity here is hot and supported by nationally recognized organizations like High Alpha’s venture studio, two Techstars accelerators, Elevate Ventures and the state’s Next Level Fund.
Indianapolis is close to top research universities
The Talent Pool is robust and many tech entrepreneurs who’ve been successful stay to spin out new ventures. Top business and engineering schools like Purdue University, Indiana University, University of Notre Dame and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology produce thousands of young tech leaders each year, and unique internship programs and talent pipelines served by TechPoint and others are working hard to retain those students. Access to a deep talent pool is commonly cited by companies that have moved here, including UGroup, one of the area’s newest tech companies to expand to Indy specifically because of the “thriving tech climate and talent pool.”
Indiana has serious B2B SaaS strength
Having Salesforce’s Marketing Cloud HQ here deepened Indy’s reputation as a Martech town. Companies that work with Salesforce have clustered here, along with others that are breaking new ground in the subsectors.
Indiana is much more than just Martech
Other sectors also offer tech careers because tech is intersecting with every business now. Advanced Manufacturing (think Cummins, Rolls Royce, Raytheon, Subaru, etc…) Life Sciences (Lilly, Elanco, Regenstrief, Cook Medical) Ag Tech and Sports (NCAA, Colts, Pacers, Indy 500.)
Indiana has the quality of life tech talent wants
People who’ve never been to Indy are always surprised at how our Downtown has a big city feel, but the overall community still has a bit of small town charm. It’s an easy drive, walk, bike to just about any other part of the city. Nationally ranked museums, hotels, a great culinary scene, and sporting events are here. You can find some glimpses of that in our “Wish You Were Here” campaign. Amenities aside, an intangible but important factor is the opportunity to come in and be a big fish, to get involved and make an impact, even if you didn’t grow up here. It’s harder to get access to opportunity in a big city. Mid-sized cities often have a “where did you go to high school” clique-ishness. That’s not as present here Indy.
Indiana has long been considered a top destination point for affordability, friendliness, quality of life and work/life balance reasons. As the tech sector continues to expand across so many subsectors, that list is increasingly including great career opportunities as well. If you’re ready to explore Indiana, please let us know how we can help. Explore Life in Indy or reach out directly to us.