Key Facts
Nortek was founded in 1967 and specializes in electronics, technology, and HVAC systems for both residential and commercial purposes.
Astronova specializes in technologies for handling analysis, data visualization, and prototype testing. Core Business Technologies was launched in 1983 and specializes in providing businesses with digitized management solutions. It has over 2,000 employees and earns a revenue of over $213.7 million yearly.
The tech industry in Rhode Island employs tens of thousands of Rhode Islanders. Plus, the Rhode Island state government has mandated that most high schools in the state offer advanced computer science courses. So, it’s no wonder that the largest tech companies in Rhode Island are continuing to thrive.
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Stick around to learn about the largest tech companies in Rhode Island.
The Largest Private Tech Companies Founded in Rhode Island
Some of the largest tech companies in Rhode Island are privately owned. Here are several of them as ranked by the number of employees.
Voltserver – 60 employees
Voltserver is a new technology startup that specializes in innovating and creating next-generation power distribution technologies. The company was founded in 2011 in East Greenwich, Rhode Island.
Voltserver is perfecting new ways of energizing equipment in remote areas and distributing power over long distances via the unorthodox use of non-traditional power equipment.
The company patented a proprietary energy distribution technology in 2015 called “Digital Energy Technology.” Digital Energy Technology is an innovative idea that allows copper cables, which are primarily used to transmit data, to be used to ferry and distribute electricity over long distances.
The company’s digital energy technology can also be used to energize power equipment in remote areas through the use of relatively cheap and affordable copper data cables.
Over 700 offices, entertainment venues, hotels, medical facilities, and industrial greenhouses have successfully used the revolutionary power distribution technologies created by Voltserver.
The power distribution technologies being innovated by Voltserver could one day significantly reduce the costs of generating and distributing energy in the future. The technology will also make it cost-efficient and easier to distribute energy over longer distances faster.
Voltserver is a small company with less than 60 employees and an annual revenue stream of $5 million.
Kenzan – 100 employees
Kenzan is a cloud engineering and technology consulting firm that was launched in Pawtucket, Rhode Island in 2004.
Kenzan helps businesses implement and maintain cloud-based technologies in their systems.
The company creates customized business-centric cloud native ecosystems that businesses can use to improve their processes, become more efficient, achieve goals, and improve the customer experience.
Kenzan is a small-sized technology company that employs over 100 people. It generates annual revenue of $6.8 million.
Upserve – 100 employees
Upserve is an online ordering platform and a smart database tracking system designed for use in the restaurant industry. The company was launched in 2009 in Providence, Rhode Island.
Upserve is a smart database tracking and online ordering software service for restaurants that analyzes guest behaviors and habits, sales analytics, server and staff performance, customer menu preferences, marketing tactics and performance, finances, and more.
The Upserve smart database platform is designed to help restaurants streamline their services, enhance operations, and improve the overall customer experience.
Upserve is a small company with about 100 employees and an annual revenue stream of $4.2 million.
Smartapp – 105 employees
Smartapp is an automation management company that was launched in West Warwick, Rhode Island in 2013.
Smartapp is a unique and automated fusion work software platform that is designed to turn any worksite, especially construction work sites, into state-of-the-art digital smart sites.
The smart app can be used to create a convenient convergence of hardware, software, cloud data storage, no-code, and IoT work site application to enable job efficiency. The software app also features IoT-enabled positional and proximity sensors and GPS.
Smartapp can digitally proximate Building Information Modeling, blueprints, pull plan boards, 360-degree photos, safety bulletins, STAs, CAD drawings, and more to keep workers, shareholders, investors, and owners informed and up-to-date on real-time work progress.
The company employs over 105 people and generates over $17.5 million annually in revenue.
Federal Electronics – 500 employees
Federal Electronics is an electronics manufacturing company that was founded in Cranston, Rhode Island in 1948.
Romolo Evangelista launched his Federal Radio and Television business in 1948 which sold new electronics and repaired old appliances. The company changed its name to Federal Electronics in 1963 and expanded its offerings to include equipment and parts for businesses that used computers of the era.
Federal Electronics now transacts the latest in electronics, computers, and their accompanying parts for the retail, military, and industrial industries. The company manages facilities in Cranston, Rhode Island, and Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico.
Federal Electronics is a medium-sized company with over 500 employees. The company generates revenues of $44.1 million annually.
Rite-Solutions – 300 employees
Rite-Solutions is a software design, development, engineering, and consultation business that was founded in Middletown, Rhode Island in 2000.
Rite-Solutions specializes in managing, consulting, and training businesses on the use of the technology the company creates.
The company employs award-winning software engineers, technology scientists, cybersecurity specialists, information technology specialists, machine learning experts, and consulting experts to design, develop, engineer, and innovate software and technology for clients to use to optimize their businesses.
Rite-Solutions sells proprietary and customized software and technologies to clients in the healthcare, fintech, and military defense industries.
In September 2022, Rite-Solutions signed a $77 million deal with the United States Navy to upgrade, improve, and oversee the innovation of the strategic computing viability of the technology at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division in Virginia.
Rite-Solutions is a small company with about 300 employees and it generates about $21.4 million annually.
CORE Business Technologies – 2,000 employees
Core Business Technologies is a cloud-based technology company that was founded in East Providence, Rhode Island in 1983.
CORE specializes in offering businesses digitized business management solutions.
The company offers its clients cloud-based digital management platforms to offer online management services like document management and storage, image storage, over-the-web payroll, facility-wide document distribution, revenue cycle management, payment processing, and more.
CORE offers businesses streamlined, efficient, and user-friendly cloud-based network management services. The company is 100% cloud-enabled. CORE has over 1,600 customers and processes over 21 million transactions annually.
The company has over 2,000 employees and generates over $213.7 million in revenue annually.
Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence – 7,500 employees
Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence is an international manufacturing, metrology, and business technology solutions company that founded a North Kingstown, Rhode Island facility in 2001.
Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence strives to upgrade, innovate, and create new measuring, visualization, and design technologies for every kind of manufacturing industry.
The company is at the forefront of next-gen metrology technological processes, or the science of taking exactingly correct measurements for manufacturing and building efficiency.
The company creates smart software, hardware, and measuring machines that are designed to exactingly measure objects and designs to better hyper-visualize plans, blueprints, and designs of products to be created in the manufacturing market.
Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence is a large company with a staff of 7,500 employees and an annual revenue of $1.9 billion.
The Largest Publicly Traded Tech Companies in Rhode Island
Here is a list of the largest publicly traded tech companies in Rhode Island as ranked by their 2021 revenues.
Astronova, Inc. – $116 million
From 1969 through September 2015, Astronova was known by its original business name, Astro-Med. The company changed its name to Astronova to better reflect its renewed business focus on collaborating with clients in the military defense, aviation, and aerospace industries.
Astronova is a technology company that specializes in creating technologies and machines for specialty printing purposes, analysis, prototype testing, data visualization, and more. Astronova clients can use the company’s technologies and services to analyze or enhance their businesses’ profitability, efficiency, or productivity.
It is a small company with over 300 employees and an annual revenue stream of $116 million.
Nortek – $2.5 billion
Nortek is an electronics, HVAC, and technology manufacturer headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island.
The company was founded in 1967 by Ralph R. Papitto. Nortek is a well-known international distributor and manufacturer of electronics, technology, and HVAC systems for use in residential and commercial applications.
Nortek manufactures products including but not limited to:
The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of its parent company, Nortek Holdings, which owns and manages over 30 subsidiary companies in Canada, the United States, and Europe.
Forgotten Tech Companies of Rhode Island
Some of the largest tech companies in Rhode Island have closed their doors and are in danger of being forgotten.
Tech Collective
The Tech Collective is an organization that networks government agencies with innovative tech startups and existing companies to find a common purpose: the continued advancement of technology.
The company went out of business in December 2021 due to exhausted revenue streams and declining networking and forum opportunities in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Tech Collective was a small organization with about 50 employees and an annual revenue stream of $5 million.
Wrapping Up
Rhode Island is home to plenty of tech companies of all sizes, and it seems that the tech future has much more in store for this state.
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