Great Places for Tech in Montana: Bozeman
By Emily Simonson, Christina Henderson, and Katy Spence
Since the acquisition of RightNow Technologies by Oracle in 2012, Bozeman’s tech industry has been growing at nationally-recognized rates. Photo via City of Bozeman.
The Alliance is writing a series of profiles on Montana cities to help people find the right community when they’re looking at taking a job or locating an office in Montana. Help us capture your communities’ flavor, amenities, and business environment by sending suggestions to martina.pansze[at]mthightech.org. We’ll write about cities in alphabetical order and update these articles in the future. Check out our story on Billings here.
Bozeman is Montana’s biggest tech hub, with one-third of Montana High Tech Business Alliance members located in the Bozeman area. The city hosts offices for global tech companies like Oracle, Zoot Enterprises, PFL, and Workiva. A vibrant college town with close access to outdoor amenities, Bozeman has been ranked the fastest-growing city of its size in the nation for three straight years.
Doing Business in Bozeman
Many of Montana’s biggest tech success stories have roots in Bozeman, most notably SaaS firm RightNow Technologies, which sold to Oracle in 2012 for $1.8 billion. Founded by Greg and Susan Gianforte, RightNow employed more than 500 people in Bozeman when it was acquired. Oracle’s Bozeman operations are now a global center for cloud computing.
Former RightNow leaders have spun off a number of successful tech companies. Quiq, a digital engagement platform co-founded by former RightNow CTO Mike Myer in 2015, has raised more than $18M in Series A and Series B investment rounds from investors including Foundry Group, Venrock, and Next Frontier Capital, a Bozeman-based venture capital firm founded in 2015.
Andrew Hull left RightNow to found Elixter in 2011. At the time, Hull envisioned a marketing and tech company that could provide great employment opportunities in the Big Sky State. Seven years later, the company was acquired by Perficient, a leading digital transformation consulting firm based in St. Louis, Missouri.
Perficient managing development expert Ryan Bovy touted the quality of entrepreneurial support available in Bozeman.
“The growth of this local Bozeman start-up into a company that has since been acquired wouldn’t have been possible without the support of this community, especially the Montana State University community,” Bovy said.
At the heart of Bozeman is Montana State University (MSU), Montana’s largest university. MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 51 fields through schools like the Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering and Jake Jabs College of Business & Entrepreneurship. Programs include courses in Biotechnology, Business Administration, Accounting, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Marketing, Industrial Technology, Engineering, Computer Science, Aerospace, and Mechatronics.
Gallatin College offers one- to two-year workforce programs with courses like Business Management, CNC Machining Technology, Welding Technology, Design Drafting Technology, Health Information Coding, Network Technology, Photonics and Laser Technology.
Bozeman is home to 40+ photonics companies that specialize in lasers, optics and related technologies. Bozeman has the second-most dense concentration of photonics companies in the country, behind Phoenix, AZ, with firms like Montana Instruments, S2 Corporation, and Quantum Composers. Companies in this cluster benefit from support organizations like Spectrum Lab and the Optical Technology Center (OpTeC) at MSU and the Montana Photonics Industry Alliance.
Tim Sheehy, co-founder and CEO of Ascent Vision Technologies (AVT) and Bridger Aerospace in Belgrade, saw Bozeman as a “tech town” that could provide the talent and photonics supply chain he needed to scale his fast-growing companies. Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL officer and Purple Heart recipient, launched AVT in 2015 to develop and commercialize aerial surveillance technologies used in the military. The ventures have grown from “two guys and an airplane in a barn” to more than 100 employees serving clients on six continents. In 2019, AVT received contracts for over $40 million to support anti-drone initiatives around the world.
“Bozeman's been a fantastic place to start a business. I couldn't ask for more from the community,” Sheehy said.
Bozeman’s support network includes a national resource with MSU connections, TechLink, which facilitates technology transfer activities for the Department of Defense. TechLink also manages the university’s Software Engineering and Analysis Laboratory, and helps entrepreneurs apply for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grants through Montana Innovation Partnership (MTIP).
In addition to the new wave of startups, the Bozeman area boasts home-grown tech companies that have been in business for decades. FinTech firm Zoot Enterprises was founded in 1990 by Chris Nelson and today employs more than 250 people in Bozeman. Five of the ten largest financial institutions on the planet are customers. When Nelson built Zoot’s sprawling campus and the nearby subdivision in 2000, the area was surrounded by empty farmland. Today Four Corners is filling in and growing fast, including neighboring businesses that benefit from Zoot’s new on-site childcare center.
Livingston, Montana, 30 miles outside Bozeman, is home to the headquarters of printing and marketing technology company, PrintingForLess.com (PFL). PFL also has offices in Bozeman and Billings, MT and Indianapolis, IN and employs more than 300 people. PFL raised $25 million in growth capital from Goldman Sachs in 2018 to grow its pioneering services in Tactile Marketing Automation. PFL’s benefits like on-site childcare and a generous employee referral program help it attract top talent in Montana.
Bozeman’s booming economy and quality of life are a magnet for entrepreneurs and highly-skilled workers who could be anywhere but choose to be in Montana. MyVillage co-founder Erica Mackey said Bozeman draws talent from all over the country, making it easier to grow her tech-enabled childcare startup.
“I’ve been very impressed with the candidates we’ve had for open positions,” Mackey said. “The entrepreneurial community is very open and supportive. I have met great friends and resources here in a very short time.”
Mackey understands Bozeman’s attraction first-hand. She previously led a venture-backed startup in Africa and chose to relocate to Bozeman, where her new company, MyVillage, closed the largest seed round in Montana history in 2019.
Local business development organizations such as 1 Million Cups and Bunker Labs meet regularly to connect entrepreneurs with each other and with experienced business leaders and resources to help them grow their businesses. Bunker Labs is a national organization that works with veteran entrepreneurs to find success.
Tech startup pitch competition and accelerator program Early Stage MT holds regional competitions and week-long HyperAccelerator programs in Bozeman and the Blackstone LaunchPad at MSU supports student, faculty, and alumni entrepreneurs.
Triple Tree Software, founded in 2017, is a technical consulting firm that got its start through Montana State University. The company was named a 2018 Startup to Watch. Photo via Triple Tree Software.
Beyond a supportive business atmosphere, Bozeman workers say Montana’s quality of life is a great perk for them. Ephie Risho is a senior UX designer at Workiva, an Iowa-based SaaS company with the world’s leading reporting and compliance platform. Risho works in Workiva’s 90-person office in downtown Bozeman and said the town has everything he wants.
“Bozeman is such a gorgeous place,” Risho said. “If you can get lucky enough to have a desk near a window, the views are some of the most amazing I've ever seen.”
Having come from the Twin Cities, Perficient’s Bovy said he finds Bozeman a refreshing change when it comes to commuting.
“The lack of commute and time in traffic allows me to achieve a lot more in work and in life in a single day,” he said.
Commuting in and out of the state is also getting easier. The Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport now offers 18 direct flights, the most of any airport in Montana, to popular hubs across the country like Dallas, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Bozeman also offers Streamline, a free bus system with stops all over town.
Bozeman has become a popular location for tech companies to locate second offices. The Cannery District is growing fast building offices for companies like Perficient, onX maps, Figure, and LumenAd.
Bozeman is a prime location for growing a business. Check out our Montana tech startups information page for resources to help you build your company and read our Companies to Watch lists to learn about more fast-growing Bozeman companies.
Check out a selection of Bozeman jobs from our members.
Amenities and Fun
Big Sky Resort has an average snowfall of more than 400 inches. Photo via CoolWorks.
While Bozeman’s summer activities include notable fishing in the Gallatin River and hiking in the nearby Bridger Mountains, it’s the proximity to world-class skiing that sets Bozeman apart. Bridger Bowl Ski Area, about 30 minutes’ drive from the city, is a key draw for many folks to the Bozeman area.
“My family loves skiing at Bridger every weekend throughout the winter,” Mackey said.
Big Sky Resort is another popular skiing destination for those looking for year-round big mountain skiing and amenities like shopping and spa experiences.
Ephie Risho grew up in Missoula and said technology made it possible for him to stay in his home state. “I honestly didn’t think I'd be able to land in Montana as an adult, and I'm thankful times and technology have changed to make that a reality,” Risho said.
Risho said Bozeman has a bit of everything: diverse restaurants, interesting festivals, and cutting edge tech companies in a small-town feel.
“Bozeman offers a lot of world-class amenities, and with a university here, there are many opportunities to grow as a person and in your career,” Risho said.
Bozeman is also home to a variety of museums that appeal to all interests: the Emerson Center of the Arts and Culture for the creative mind, the American Computer and Robotics Museum for technology enthusiasts, the Museum of the Rockies for the dinosaur buff. The Museum of the Rockies, a division of MSU and a Smithsonian Affiliate, is recognized as one of the world's finest research and natural history museums.
The Museum of the Rockies features one of the largest collections of North American dinosaurs in the world. Photo via Museum of the Rockies.
Bozeman hosts events all year round like the Bozeman Symphony, Intermountain Opera Bozeman, and Rock in the Rivers.
The Sweet Pea Festival, held in early August, brings tourists to Bozeman for live music, art, and food.
“Sweet Pea is a great encapsulation of all the wonderful art being created in Bozeman each year,” Bovy said.
Although the festival won’t look the same this year due to COVID-19 preventing large gatherings, the team behind the festival is planning creative socially-distant events such as a virtual production of Disney’s “Frozen” performed by Bozeman Children’s Theatre and broadcasts of live music on local radio station KMMS, The Moose.
Risho said Bozemanites are often happy to share with newcomers.
“If anyone is new here, I'd suggest finding people with similar interests and asking them for some inside tips,” Risho said. “You'll be amazed at the fantastic off-the-beaten trail activities, hikes, secret hunting spots, and perfect summer activities out here!”
Ready to start planning your trip to Bozeman? Check out our list of great eateries and lodging in Bozeman.
About the Authors: Emily Simonson is the former staff writer and content creator for the Montana High Tech Business Alliance. Originally from Havre, Emily will graduate from the University of Montana with a degree in English in May 2020. She is also a Public Affairs Specialist in the National Guard and enjoys reading and knitting in her spare time.
Christina Quick Henderson is Executive Director of the Montana High Tech Business Alliance and adjunct professor of entrepreneurship, management and organizational behavior in the College of Business at the University of Montana.
Katy Spence is the former Communications Director for the Montana High Tech Business Alliance. She worked previously with the Missoula Current and Treesource, and has an Environmental Journalism Master’s Degree from the University of Montana.
About the Publisher: Launched in 2014, the Montana High Tech Business Alliance is a nonpartisan nonprofit association of highly-engaged high-tech and manufacturing companies and affiliates creating high-paying jobs in Montana. For more information, visit MTHighTech.org or subscribe to our biweekly newsletter.
