Tech Town USA

2 global tech companies continue hot trend of moving into entrepreneurial Austin

The tech influx continues.

Nicholas McComber/Getty Images

Plenty of California tech companies have established satellite campuses in Austin or have moved their headquarters here in recent years. Familiar names in this category include Apple, Facebook, Google, and Oracle.

Now, two tech companies from Israel have joined the flood of businesses setting up shop in the Austin area.

Tel Aviv-based Rivery has opened an office in Bee Cave to support North American sales and business development efforts for its data management platform, while Tel Aviv-based automotive technology company REE Automotive has picked Austin for its U.S. headquarters.

Two new hires — Ben Flammang, senior vice president of global sales, and Kyra Purvis, vice president of partnerships and alliances — are leading Rivery’s new office. Rivery currently employs five people here but plans to triple the headcount to 15 by the end of this year. Across its locations in Bee Cave; Tel Aviv; New York City; and Washington, D.C., the company employs 60 people.

In a news release, Rivery cites Austin’s talent pool and Texas’ business-friendly environment as reasons for opening an office here.

“For tech industry workers in search of a higher quality of life, an instant 10 percent pay raise the moment they step off the plane, and a healthy work-life balance, Austin is an extremely attractive choice,” Rivery says. “The city has attracted thousands of recent newcomers with serious tech credentials.”

Another new arrival, REE Automotive envisions employing as many as 150 people in Austin in the next few years. The company plans to break ground later this year on its U.S. headquarters, along with a center where its tech products for electric vehicles will be tested and assembled.

“Austin is fast becoming a worldwide home for elite technology professionals. REE needs to continue growing and thriving, and Austin’s dynamism and entrepreneurial spirit definitely fit REE’s culture and values,” Daniel Barel, co-founder and CEO of REE, says in a news release.

REE and Rivery aren’t the only tech companies with ties to Israel that have been attracted to Austin. Others include Israel-founded Next Insurance, an online provider of insurance for small businesses that has an office in Austin; Israel-based Papaya Global, which operates a payroll and HR platform and has an office in Austin; and Israel-based Quali, a provider of infrastructure automation software that maintains its North American headquarters in Austin.

A 2020 report from research organization Startup Genome puts the Israeli combo of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in a tie for sixth place among the world’s top startup ecosystems. Numerous media outlets refer to Tel Aviv as the “next Silicon Valley.” According to Business Insider, Israel boasts more startups per person than any other country and attracts more venture capital per person.

“Israel’s heady mix of questioning culture, tradition of national military service, higher education, the widespread use of English, appetite for risk, and team spirit makes for a fertile place for fast-moving companies to appear,” the TechCrunch news website noted in January.

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SKIN IN THE GAME

Renowned Hill Country tattoo artist inks new sacred geometry app

Photo courtesy of Dillon Forte

Dillion Forte at his "tattoo ranch" in the Texas Hill Country.

In the world of tattooing, there may seem to be few better rat traps left to build, but Dillon Forte aims to change that. In October, the renowned Wimberley-based tattoo artist and entrepreneur introduced a new iPadOS app to bring ancient symbology into the digital age.

Forte has made a worldwide name for his black dot work (a contemporary take on stick-and-poke techniques) and ambitious undertakings like tattooing underwater and opening a “tattoo ranch.” His ink appears on Usher, Chris Hemsworth, and Kehlani.

Still, he is most recognized for his sacred geometry designs, using patterns to convey various meanings. His interest led him to create the Sacred Geometry Drawing App, a convenient way for novices and experts to develop and export their creations.

The app grew out of his own practice. Over the past decade, he has used tablets and freehand techniques to achieve his highly symmetrical artwork but grew to realize existing tools were not always easy to use.

“The app is an attempt and fulfillment of my desire to make sacred geometry accessible and bring the ability to create into the fingertips of as many people as possible,” Forte tells CultureMap via email, adding a tagline: “symmetry made simply.”

He says he wished the app was available when developing his signature style as a tattoo artist, but it was designed with a broad range of users in mind. He hopes that designers, educators, and artists will find a use for it.

A short intro to the app's capabilities is available on YouTube. It looks like a standard drawing app, starting with a blank canvas and some tools like pens, pencils, colors, and of course, straight line and dot makers.

A "symmetry index" anchors the functionality and expands it to something between 2D art and 3D modeling. In addition to generating shapes like repeating patterns and spirals, the app also creates 3D shapes with grids, so that the artist can map their design in real space or even create sculptures. There is also an index for explaining the spiritual meaning of some standard designs.

“Geometry often prompts an intimidating feeling when it comes to making art,” Forte continues. “The fundamentally complex and often academic nature of math-based art can induce a sense of fear in the potential user instead of creating a sense of awe. The purpose of the sacred geometry app is to cultivate the latter."

Creatives interested in constructing their own geometric masterpieces can download the app at the App Store for free, and in-app purchases are available.

technology apps tattoos arts