We moved our tech startup to Oakland. Here’s why.

I’ve built, grown, and sold technology companies in other parts of the U.S. and the world but now call the San Francisco Bay Area home. When it came time to launch our newest venture, FR8Star, I was confident that San Francisco’s combination of innovative companies and professional investors would make the city the ideal location for our new company’s headquarters. Now, almost two years later, we call Oakland home. I still love the city of San Francisco and believe we will benefit from being close to it but here are the 3 reasons why we made the jump east to Oakland:

1.    Putting our office where our users are.

FR8Star offers technology services to the $726B American trucking industry. Trucking literally drives our economy forward and in most states, truck driver is one of the most common jobs. That said, we have seen that hubs of transportation are the regions where we have the highest density of our users.

Oakland’s port consistently ranks as one of the busiest in both the US and the world. Trucks of all shapes and sizes are seen passing right in front of our offices every day. Having the ability to literally walk out our front door and speak to our users has enabled us to quickly improve the technology we offer them and helps ensure we grow our business.

2.    Access to talent.

Computer engineers are a hot commodity in the Bay Area. The ability to understand a problem and efficiently build a digital tool that directly addresses the problem with an easy to use solution is no small feat. As such, engineers are prized members of any technology company.

At the same time, the cost of living in San Francisco pushes many individuals and families to look for places to live further away from the city center. By locating our office in Oakland, FR8Star can offer engineering talent that lives in the East Bay, or beyond, an easier commute than if we were based in downtown San Francisco. Many of our candidates have found us when searching for new job opportunities that would afford them an interesting challenge, a higher quality of life, and a highly competitive compensation package. Throw in the fact that our Oakland offices are less than a block from the Bart (public transportation) so it’s still easy for our SF based employees to get to us, and it’s little wonder that we’ve seen our candidate pipeline expand significantly since making the switch.

3.    Environment

Oakland is going through a big economic transition. Both startups and established companies are either selecting the city as the site of their headquarters or are relocating major portions of their operations here. The energy associated with new, scrappy companies co-locating in the same area is palpable when walking the streets.

This influx of new companies has also brought with it a plethora of other service businesses that seek to benefit from the influx of new potential customers. New restaurants, bars, theaters, and housing options seem to be popping up every week in Oakland. In fact, FR8Star’s weekly company happy hour has not repeated a venue since we’ve been in Oakland; not because we haven’t liked previous locations but because there are so many cool spots to check out!

I am extremely glad that we moved our business to Oakland. Looking back, the only regret I have is that we didn’t do it sooner! Thank you Oakland