These companies have moved their HQs to the Austin area in 2021

Central Texas has always lured small and mid-size companies seeking lower costs of living than the coasts, alongside a stout talent pool that can support a wide variety of industries. Yet, as the December announcement that Oracle Corp. had shifted its HQ to Austin showed, the capital city is now fair game for everyone from the Fortune 500 down to “solopreneuers.” Economic development insiders expect relocations will continue this year and say they could play a major role in helping the economy rebound from the pandemic.

240 Tech LLC

240 Tech LLC, a garment-printing company, said it will put its second headquarters in Cedar Park, north of Austin. The company, which is based in Santa Ana, California, signed incentives agreements with the city, and pledged to add 35 jobs with an average salary of $80,000 by Dec. 31, 2025. 240 Tech will lease and operate a 9,240-square-foot research and development facility in La Jaita Business Park.

Green Dot Corp.

Green Dot Corp., a prepaid debit card and digital banking company, is moving its headquarters to Austin from Southern California. The company is embracing remote work and looking to tap into the business-friendly environment in Texas as well as the Austin area’s talent pool, President and CEO Dan Henry said in a statement in mid-May. At the time, Green Dot (NYSE: GDOT) had about 1,300 employees in the United States and China, and a market capitalization of roughly $2.4 billion.

Einride AB

Einride AB, a Swedish company developing a self-driving electric freight vehicle, is putting its U.S. headquarters in Austin. As of early May the company had raised about $150 million, including a $110 million series B funding round. It was unclear how many people Einride plans to employ in Austin. It also announced plans to open offices in New York and Silicon Valley.

Blockcap Inc.

 Blockcap Inc., a cryptocurrency mining startup, moved its headquarters to Austin from Las Vegas. As of mid-April, the company had about 20 employees at an undisclosed office location, with plans to grow to 50 to 100 employees in six to nine months. Led by founder and Executive Chairman Darin Feinstein, Blockcap had raised more than $100 million as it aimed to grow to be the largest bitcoin miner in North America.

Markaaz Inc.

 Markaaz Inc., which makes an artificial intelligence-powered small business platform that helps connect those kinds of companies to clients and services, has relocated its headquarters to Austin from Los Angeles. It has secured office space on the east side, in the Foundry I building on East Fourth Street. It was not immediately cleared how many employees Markaaz had, but executives outlined in an announcement plans to hire 70 people by the end of the year, and a goal of having a team of 150 by the end of 2022.

City Shoppe

City Shoppe, an e-commerce company with a platform that helps people shop locally online, is relocating to Austin from Portland. CEO Ash Cintas said she put the decision about where to relocate up to an employee vote, and Austin won out. As of early April the team had eight people, with plans to add 15 or more employees. Cintas founded the business in 2020.

XR Masters

XR Masters, which develops software that enables immersive technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality — as well as immersive tech yet to be created — relocated its headquarters to Austin from Chicago, Austin Business Journal on March 25 broke the news. CEO Ali Hantal founded the company in 2015. Hantal said the startup has yet to secure physical office space in Austin for the company’s new HQ because of the Covid-19 pandemic. He is currently exploring options, meeting with commercial real estate brokers and hopes to have a location “by the end of this year.” Local hiring will begin after that.

 CrowdStreet Inc.

 CrowdStreet Inc., a real estate investment marketplace, announced March 19 that it will be relocating its headquarters in June to Austin. The 110-employee company will maintain its current office in Portland, and it’s adopted a hybrid work approach that allows employees to work from anywhere. The immediate impact to the Austin job market is unclear, but the company plans to add 80 positions by the end of the year.

Eleiko

Eleiko, which makes workout equipment, relocated its U.S. headquarters to Austin from Chicago. It has leased more than 52,000 square feet in South Austin for offices, distribution and a strength and condition center. As of early February, the company had about a dozen people on the ground in the Texas capital. Eleiko’s global headquarters remains in Sweden

Amazing Magnets LLC

Amazing Magnets LLC, a magnet manufacturer and distributor, relocated from Anaheim, Calif. It plans to invest $5.5 million into a new headquarters and production facility in Round Rock. The company company expected to have 25 employees in Round Rock by the end of 2021, with plans to double its team in 2022. Most of its current staff are moving to Texas.