Tangoe is the latest tech company with global reach to declare Indiana its corporate headquarters. The Parsippany, N.J., company, which simplifies, manages, and optimizes the technology expenses and programs for the world’s largest organizations and nearly half of the Fortune 500 companies, acquired locally founded Mobi in December 2018. The coupling gave Tangoe access to Mobi’s managed mobility service and expanded Mobi’s reach.

At the time, Mobi founder and now Chief Strategy Officer Josh Garrett described the transaction as moving the company from an “ankle biter to an 800-pound gorilla” and plans were to have Indianapolis serve as the mobile services hub for the new company. Since that merger, the company has grown to serve more than 1,000 customers, and its workforce has grown from about 315 to about 1,400 located across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.

Tangoe has picked up accolades along the way like the Association of Telecom, Mobility, and IT Management Professional’s 2021 Business Impact of the Year Award, which recognizes innovation and excellence in the telecom, mobility and technology ecosystem. It was also named a Visionary in the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Managed Mobility Services (MMS), Global based on strong global expense management capabilities, competitive pricing, and continued focus on providing an exceptional customer experience.

Reasons for relocating to Indianapolis

Given its continued success, huge reach and Tangoe’s East Coast roots, the company could have been headquartered wherever it wanted to be. But when it came time to decide early this year, Josh said making Indianapolis its official HQ was a no-brainer.

“The access to talent, support from the local and state government, and the cost of doing business in central Indiana boosted our decision to relocate; it just makes a lot of business sense,” he said. “While we have many talented employees around the globe, having a centralized location with a critical mass of educated employees becomes a differentiator for us.”

Indiana’s business climate and the tech ecosystem were also factors.

Josh Garrett
Chief Strategy Officer, Tangoe
“Having a vibrant and growing tech ecosystem with access to universities, talent, and training helps grow our business and is very important to us. In addition, access to national and international flights was an important part of our decision making for when business travel returns.”

Why businesses are expanding to Indiana

TechPoint is part of a collaborative effort with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) to increase the number of tech headquarters and HQ2s in Indiana. That effort has helped bring in companies like UGroup, (Washington D.C.) Celigo (Bay Area), Wunderkind (New York), Jobvite (San Mateo) and now Tangoe.

Josh advises other companies to work proactively with state and local leaders to understand what programs may be available to support their businesses, understand their needs to help them grow. 

“It’s also important to establish relationships with local universities and tech boot camps as this will provide access to technologically educated future employees,” Josh said.

Jordan Isaacs, TechPoint’s Relationship Manager who works closely with the IEDC on company growth, said he’s available to speak with other tech companies who are considering relocating and considering Indiana as a new headquarters home.

“It’s always rewarding to see companies come here and realize the value, the welcome and the great life they can have here,” Jordan said. “We truly do have an ecosystem where tech companies can thrive. It’s our job to spread that message.”