COLUMBUS, Ohio — Mia Ong says moving to Texas from California was a no-brainer.
“A lot of big tech people started moving out to other places where they could have more benefits like no income tax [and] more space,” Ong said.
This story is part of 10TV's "Boomtown" initiative — our commitment to covering every angle of central Ohio's rapid growth. This includes highlighting success stories, shining a light on growing pains and seeking solutions to issues in your everyday life.
Now, three years later as the Chapter Director for Start Up Grind Austin, Ong said the beauty of remote work allows her to base a company where it benefits her bottom line.
“It’s not weird to have an entirely distributed workforce,” Ong said. “Why would I have my business in a state that isn’t tax friendly?”
The state of Ohio is trying to attract people like Ong with multiple incentives.
The Ohio Third Frontier Program provides loans to early-stage investment funds that, in turn, support Ohio-based startups. Approximately $110 million will provide new venture capital funds, matched one-to-one by private capital, specifically for tech startups.
For young entrepreneurs like Rich Fortune, the co-founder of a social app called Hangtight, access to investors is what attracted him to Austin over other Boomtowns.
“You can get your initial cluster of users. There’s a great set of angel investors. A great set of venture capital firms here,” Fortune said.
Fortune is exactly the tech crowd the state of Ohio is working overtime to build.
Just this month, Ohio launched its third innovation hub in the state, bringing a total investment of $125 million to Akron, Dayton and Toledo.
Ong said the infusion of cash and support helps, but creating a vibe like what Austin has, has been what will incubate her business into success.
“I would say for me coming in new, having a very intentional community of people, finding your tribe in all this noise, was what helped anchor me and fall in love with the city,” Ong said.