North Carolina is quickly becoming a tech hub. With its well-educated workforce, affordable living costs, and a growing number of tech startups, the state attracts various tech companies of all sizes. From Fortune 500 giants to innovative small businesses, North Carolina is home to some of the country’s most prominent and influential tech firms. These companies are making waves in the tech sector and bringing innovative products and services to the region. In this blog post, we look at some of the biggest tech companies in North Carolina and their products and services, including their recent accomplishments and plans.

© Mark Turner, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Which Tech Companies Were Founded in North Carolina?

North Carolina has long been a hub of innovation and technology, home to some of the most recognizable tech companies in the world. From Silicon Valley giants to homegrown start-ups, many of the largest tech companies have made North Carolina their base of operations. Here is an overview of some of the biggest tech companies founded in North Carolina.

Epic Games

Epic Games is a video game and software development company based in Cary, NC. Founded in 1991, it is among the largest companies in the gaming industry, with popular titles such as Fortnite, Gears of War, and Unreal Tournament. In addition to developing games, Epic Games also provides various digital services, such as a digital storefront, digital media distribution, and social features.

In 2019, Epic Games purchased Psyonix, a San Diego-based video game developer and publisher, for an estimated $300 million. Epic’s acquisition was a strategic move, allowing the company to expand its reach in the gaming industry. With the addition of Psyonix’s popular title, Rocket League, Epic Games now has access to an even more extensive library of titles and experiences. Other acquisitions include Chair Entertainment, Mediatonic, and Harmonix.

Red Hat

Founded in 1993, Red Hat is another top tech firm in North Carolina. This open-source software company offers cloud computing, operating system platforms, virtualization, middleware, storage, and other technologies. Red Hat has been recognized for its innovation in the industry, with over 2,000 patents. The company’s headquarters is in Raleigh, North Carolina, with offices worldwide.

Red Hat’s flagship product, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), is a popular choice among many businesses, including corporations and government agencies. RHEL is a secure, stable platform with features such as automation, container-based deployment, and support for DevOps. Red Hat offers many other products, such as OpenShift, Ansible Automation Platform, JBoss Middleware, and more.

As a leader in the tech industry, Red Hat’s success is a testament to the vibrant tech scene in North Carolina. With its focus on innovation, open-source software, and collaboration, Red Hat is well-positioned to continue to be a major player in the tech industry.

Bandwidth

Bandwidth provides a wide range of communication services. It specializes in VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), enabling its customers to place and receive phone calls over the internet and offering various unified communication products. It has become one of the USA’s largest and fastest-growing VoIP service providers. Bandwidth has been active in North Carolina for over two decades and employs over 1,000 people. The company is headquartered in Raleigh and has offices in Denver, Austin, Rochester, Simi Valley, and San Francisco.

What are the Biggest Tech Companies Located in North Carolina?

North Carolina is home to some of the world’s biggest and most innovative tech companies. The state’s diverse tech industry, ranging from software and telecommunications to security and cloud computing, significantly impacts the global economy. Here are the biggest tech companies in the state based on the number of employees.

IQVIA — USD 13.87 Billion in Revenue

IQVIA, formerly Quintiles Transnational, is one of the largest tech companies in North Carolina and a global leader in healthcare data analytics and research services. The company helps clients to develop and deliver products that improve healthcare. Founded in 1982, the company has offices in more than 100 countries and employs over 79,000 people worldwide.

IQVIA’s services are geared towards biopharmaceuticals, medical device manufacturers, healthcare providers, and payers. The company offers a range of services, including contract research organization (CRO) services, clinical trial design and management, regulatory services, drug safety & pharmacovigilance, bioanalytical services, real-world evidence (RWE) consulting, market access services, and healthcare analytics.

IQVIA also provides consulting and advisory services to the biopharmaceutical industry and has become a leader in developing and commercializing innovative new treatments and therapies. They strive to build relationships with the medical, academic, scientific, and government communities to help drive innovation in healthcare. The company also works with global partners to develop comprehensive solutions that address the needs of patients around the world.

Qorvo — USD 4.65 Billion in Revenue

Qorvo is one of the largest tech companies based in North Carolina. It is a leading provider of RF solutions and semiconductor technologies. It was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Greensboro, NC. This company designs, manufactures and markets RF solutions for wireless infrastructure, automotive, mobile devices, and defense applications.  Qorvo’s product portfolio includes various devices such as amplifiers, mixers, switches, and power management integrated circuits. In addition to its RF products, the company also offers software and digital platforms to manage complex networks.

Qorvo employs thousands of people around the world and continues to be an important employer in North Carolina. The company is committed to delivering innovative solutions that help customers achieve their goals and stay ahead of the competition. It strives to maintain its leadership position in the industry by investing in research and development, developing new technologies, and delivering quality products to its customers.

SAS Institute — USD 3.1 Billion in Revenue

SAS Institute is one of the largest tech companies located in North Carolina. Founded in 1976, SAS Institute has become a leader in the analytics software industry and is recognized as the world’s largest privately held software business. Many of the world’s leading organizations use the company’s software to analyze data, solve problems and make decisions.

This firm has a range of products that enable customers to get the most out of business data. From predictive analytics to business intelligence to enterprise analytics, the company provides a comprehensive suite of solutions to help organizations maximize their data-driven decision-making process. Additionally, SAS Institute offers advanced consulting services to customers so they can customize their analytics solutions for their unique needs.

SAS Institute’s headquarters are located in Cary, NC, and the company has offices throughout the US, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. With over 13,000 employees worldwide, SAS Institute is a major force in the tech industry and continues to drive innovation in analytics.

The Largest Private Tech Companies in North Carolina

Automated Insights

Automated Insights is a leading provider of natural language generation (NLG) solutions and analytics technology. Their natural language generation (NLG) technology can generate billions of pieces of content that make sense to humans, including financial statements, product descriptions from inventory data, customer support tickets, press releases, and product recommendations.

Fusion3

Fusion3 is a 3D printing and manufacturing company located in Greensboro, North Carolina. Founded in 2013, Fusion3 designs, manufactures, and markets 3D printers and 3D printing software to companies and educational institutions. They offer both industrial-grade 3D printers as well as desktop models for smaller-scale projects.

The firm has a diverse customer base, including automotive, aerospace, defense, energy, electronics, and medical companies. With its advanced 3D printing technologies, Fusion3 is helping to drive innovation and expand the possibilities of what can be done with additive manufacturing.

LEAD Technologies inc.

LEAD Technologies inc. is a leading provider of document imaging, scanning, and image processing solutions for businesses of all sizes. Founded in 1990 and located in Charlotte, North Carolina, the company provides document imaging solutions to businesses in the state. LEAD Technologies inc. offers a full suite of document imaging solutions, including scanning, OCR, PDF, and more. Their software is designed to be simple and easy to use yet powerful enough to meet the needs of any organization.

This tech company prides itself on its technical expertise and customer service. Businesses in industries such as healthcare, finance, manufacturing, law enforcement, and more use its products. With LEAD Technologies inc., businesses can confidently manage and streamline their document imaging processes with reliable and efficient tools.

The Largest Publicly Traded Tech Companies in North Carolina

North Carolina has some of the best tech companies in the country, and they come from all kinds of backgrounds. Here’s a list of the top publicly traded tech companies in North Carolina.

Wolfspeed

Wolfspeed, formerly Cree Inc., is a leader in wide bandgap power semiconductor technology and products. Founded in 1987 in Durham, North Carolina, Wolfspeed focuses on developing products to help customers increase efficiency, improve reliability, and reduce overall system costs.

Wolfspeed develops and manufactures various products, including RF power devices, fast recovery diodes, high voltage MOSFETs, and gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductors. With its wide-ranging product portfolio, Wolfspeed is well-positioned to help customers develop more efficient systems and solutions in their respective markets. The company works with customers across many industries, such as aerospace, defense, automotive, industrial, medical, and consumer electronics.

This company provides its customers with technical support and design services. Additionally, the company has invested heavily in research and development and continues to focus on innovation. As such, Wolfspeed has consistently demonstrated its commitment to bringing the best possible solutions to its customers.

Akoustis Technologies

Akoustis Technologies is a publicly-traded semiconductor company based in North Carolina. The company designs, manufactures and sells radio-frequency (RF) filters and filter-based products for the mobile, aerospace, defense, Internet of Things (IoT), and broadband markets. The company’s core focus is designing and producing high-performance, scalable, ultra-wideband RF filters.

Akoustis has been featured in numerous publications and news outlets, such as Yahoo Finance, Business Insider, and BusinessWire. Akoustis’ products have diverse applications and deployed globally in major wireless communications systems. The company has world-class engineering talent that develops some of the most advanced products in the industry. Akoustis is also an innovative leader in developing technologies for the 5G and IoT markets.

CommScope

CommScope is another large tech firm in North Carolina. Headquartered in Hickory, NC, CommScope is a leader in infrastructure solutions for communications networks. The company provides various products and services, including cabling systems, fiber optics, wireless communication infrastructure, and enterprise networks. It is also a leader in network security solutions and network automation.

Since 1976, CommScope continues developing innovative solutions that allow people to stay connected. Its extensive portfolio of products and solutions includes home and enterprise Wi-Fi, 5G infrastructure, CBRS, small cell, spectrum management solutions, distributed antenna systems (DAS), and more. The company serves various industries, including aerospace, healthcare, hospitality, industrial automation, and government.

Forgotten Tech Companies in North Carolina

It’s easy to think of the most well-known tech companies in North Carolina, but many other great tech companies in the state have come and gone through the years through acquisitions or mergers. Although these firms are no longer part of the North Carolina tech scene, they remain a part of its history. They contributed to the growth of the region’s tech industry and will always be remembered for their impact on the state.

Varrow Inc.

Founded in 2008, Varrow Inc. was an IT services company based in Greensboro, North Carolina. It specialized in data center infrastructure and private cloud services. The company also offered managed IT services, virtualization, networking, storage solutions, and private cloud hosting.

In 2015, Varrow Inc. was acquired by Sirius Computer Solutions, a major IT services provider. After the acquisition, Varrow continued to operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Sirius, but all of its technology and services were integrated with the larger company’s offerings.

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