Over the past couple decades, South Carolina has rapidly emerged as a formidable tech hub. Once trailing behind tech epicenters like Silicon Valley, South Carolina‘s "Silicon Harbor" area has begun generating impressive growth statistics that demand a deeper analysis by industry experts.
According to CompTIA analysis, the South Carolina tech industry has expanded at a pace far exceeding national averages in recent years. From 2011 to 2021 alone, the tech sector added over 37,000 new jobs. Compare this to the overall private sector job growth rate of 12% nationally versus a staggering 58% growth within South Carolina‘s tech landscape. The Palmetto State now boasts a tech workforce of over 102,000 – a figure that jumps to 183,800 when including ancillary tech occupations.
What is fueling this impressive growth within South Carolina‘s tech ecosystem? And which homegrown South Carolina tech companies are leading the statewide surge? As an experienced tech industry analyst, allow me to spotlight the 10 largest tech companies headquartered in or founded within South Carolina while analyzing broader trends driving this burgeoning sector forward.
Overview of Top 10 Largest SC Tech Companies
Before highlighting individual company spotlights, let‘s first visually digest the landscape with a snapshot view of South Carolina‘s tech leaders by revenue and employees:
| Company | 2021 Revenue | Employees | Year Founded | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyocera AVX | $1.3 billion | 11,000 | 1972 | Fountain Inn |
| Blackbaud | $913 million | 3,400 | 1981 | Charleston |
| 3D Systems | $557 million | 2,700 | 1986 | Rock Hill |
| Benefitfocus | $268 million | 1,500 | 2000 | Charleston |
| Ramboll | $2 billion | 16,000 (400 in SC) | 1945 | Denmark (Greenville office) |
| ACS Technologies | $75 million | 200 | 1978 | Florence |
| Foxfire Software | $16 million | 200 | 1985 | Greenville |
| PhishLabs | $12 million | 165 | 2008 | Charleston |
| TM Floyd & Company | $17 million | 150 | 1976 | Columbia |
| Crunchy Data | $2.3 million | 81 | 2012 | Charleston |
This snapshot table surfaces two key insights on South Carolina‘s tech landscape:
- The presence of longtime legacy companies like Kyocera AVX, ACS Technologies and TM Floyd & Company displays resilience.
- Recent successful upstarts like PhishLabs, Crunchy Data and Benefitfocus showcase an environment conducive to innovation.
Indeed, South Carolina has built a robust tech ecosystem that expertly blends experience and emerging ingenuity across subsectors like software, consulting, manufacturing, 3D printing and more. Let‘s analyze some standout companies in greater depth.
Large Homegrown Tech Leaders
South Carolina‘s reputation as an attractive tech hub traces back to legacy anchors and coral reef-like clusters that sprouted organically over time. As the below company spotlights showcase, many industry veterans opted to retain headquarters or significant operations within South Carolina decades after launch:
Kyocera AVX – $1.3 Billion Revenue
Founded: 1972
Employees: 11,000 globally
Headquarters: Fountain Inn
Kyocera AVX began as a South Carolina-founded technology manufacturing company in 1972, focused on capacitors and interconnect devices. It grew steadily before being acquired by Japanese corporation Kyocera in 1990. The company retains management operations in Fountain Inn while controlling over 30 plants globally.
Kyocera AVX‘s steady growth over 5+ decades and status as one of the county‘s largest tech manufacturers spotlights South Carolina‘s manufacturing strengths.
ACS Technologies – $75 Million Revenue
Founded: 1978
Employees: 200
Headquarters: Florence
ACS Technologies develops SaaS solutions purpose-built for churches, schools and nonprofit clients. This 43-year-old company‘s longevity highlights South Carolina‘s early recognition of the software sector‘s potential.
Based on long-term analysis, ACS Technologies‘ growth trajectory bodes well for Florence‘s future as an enterprise software hub. The company currently partners with over 50,000 clients globally thanks to its on-premise, desktop and mobile software solutions.
TM Floyd & Company – $17 Million Revenue
Founded: 1976
Employees: 150
Headquarters: Columbia
Founded in 1976 and still family-owned 45 years later, TM Floyd & Company offers IT management and consulting exclusively for public sector clients like local governments. The company‘s stability over nearly half a century signals the fertility of South Carolina‘s soil for specialized niche technology firms in sectors like consulting, healthcare IT and public sector contractors.
In addition to seasoned technology consultants, TM Floyd‘s team also provides user-focused software training for clients migrating onto new systems. This dual service model has helped TF Floyd sustain reliable operations even amidst economic uncertainty.
Top Emerging Startups
In addition to legacy firms, South Carolina also incubates some of tech‘s most exciting young companies. Let‘s analyze two rapidly scaling startups headquartered in-state:
PhishLabs – $12 Million Revenue
Founded: 2008
Employees: 165
Headquarters: Charleston
Cybersecurity startup PhishLabs protects enterprises globally against phishing, malware, ransomware and online fraud attacks. Despite launching in 2008 amidst the Global Financial Crisis, PhishLabs has bootstrapped growth fairly organically without relying heavily on venture capital.
In 2022, the company aims to continue expansion riding tailwinds from the wider cybersecurity sector‘s growth. With breaches damaging brands at record rates, PhishLabs‘ mission to train employees and protect businesses remains ripe for growth.
Crunchy Data – $2.3 Million Revenue
Founded: 2012
Employees: 81
Headquarters: Charleston
Crunchy Data develops trusted open source PostgreSQL database software for enterprises moving workloads to the cloud. As more young startups opt for open over closed software systems, Crunchy Data‘s pipeline looks bullish.
Analysts especially applaud the decision to build atop the widely-trusted Postgres system used by over half of all financial services firms. This sets Crunchy Data to smoothly scale as cloud transformation continues across all industries.
Both PhishLabs and Crunchy Data validate South Carolina‘s emerging status as a hub for bold technology entrepreneurship and innovation across subsectors like cybersecurity software, cloud computing and open source. The table below compiling Cyberstates data visualizes the state‘s stellar growth:
Many factors likely fuel this entrepreneurial momentum, including proximity to research universities and urban density allowing founder synergies across Charleston, Columbia and Greenville. Nonetheless, South Carolina‘s 30.9% tech business formation growth rate from 2010 to 2020 notably outpaced the national average.
As this data shows, legacy corporations and promising startups alike thrive thanks to supportive state policies and a low cost of living enabling reinvestment. This fertile environment will likely facilitate continued success stories in years ahead.
Ramboll – Large SC Presence
While spotlighting firms headquartered within South Carolina, we would be remiss ignoring global tech titan Ramboll‘s influence in-state via satellite offices, especially in architecture and engineering consultancy.
Founded in 1945 in Denmark, Ramboll brings combined expertise from 300 offices across 35 countries to clients worldwide. Beyond core engineering disciplines, Ramboll also provides critical software solutions enabling infrastructure modeling, data analysis and design planning.
Although not founded in South Carolina, Ramboll maintains vital offices and over 400 employees statewide. In fact South Carolina joins India and Italy as designated design hubs for Ramboll, speaking to the state‘s wealth of engineering talent.
As this Ramboll case study shows, South Carolina excels at offering foreign technology firms fertile soil to plant domestic operations organically without large tax incentives. The state‘s affordable cost of living and collaborative business climate facilitate expansion announcements from global giants yearly.
Sky‘s the Limit in South Carolina
While thorough analysis makes South Carolina‘s emergence as a top-tier tech hub plain to see, even more opportunity glitters on the horizon according to experts.
With cutting-edge research underway at Clemson University and the University of South Carolina, the future looks especially bright for sectors like materials science, biotech and aerospace. And continued urban revitalization projects in Charleston, Columbia, Spartanburg and Greenville attract diverse talent nationally to fill high-paying openings statewide.
Affordability also cannot be overstated in South Carolina‘s formula. With no state income tax and home sale prices averaging just $210,000, the cost of living stays appealing for founders and employees alike seeking space to put down roots.
In closing, while the present moment finds South Carolina‘s tech industry thriving thanks to mature anchors and youthful disruptors, their symbiotic relationship energizes the ecosystem ensuring this growth story remains unfinished. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for the Palmetto State as ascendance to becoming a true national tech powerhouse feels within reach.
The data doesn‘t lie – South Carolina is a technological force to be reckoned with!
