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We may be far from Silicon Valley, but that doesn’t mean Asheville is without its own burgeoning startup scene. That’s why we’re excited to kick off the first installment of our State of Startups series, which highlights a selection of the fastest-growing startups that are headquartered right here in Asheville.
Despite the economic challenges that 2020 wrought, 15 of Asheville’s top startups still managed to net a combined revenue of more than $62 million and create 345 jobs, according to data from Venture Asheville.
Let’s take a deeper look at 5 of the fastest-growing Asheville-based startups here:
ProTip: CAGR stands for Compounded Annual Growth Rate, a.k.a., the rate of how fast a company or revenue is growing.
Moonlight Makers
- CAGR: 59.4%
- Employees: 16
- Founders: Claire Watson + Nicole Hairfield
- Fun fact: This retailer launched its business in a short bus and since then has grown its store + factory into a building on 43 Rankin Ave. that covers nearly an entire block.
No Evil Foods
- CAGR: 79%
- Employees: 90+
- Founders: Michael Wolianski + Sadrah Schadel
- Fun fact: This punk rock-themed vegan protein company, which began in a home kitchen, has since expanded into a 20,000 sqft facility in Weaverville. Find their products in 5,000+ stores across the county.
SDV Office Systems
- CAGR: 235.8%
- Employees: 12
- Founders: Dan Whisnat + Tyler Whisnat
- Fun fact: This office systems company is a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business and serves over 100,000 veterans.
Poppy Handcrafted Popcorn
- CAGR: 79%
- Employees: 24 full-time, 5 part-time
- Founder: Ginger Murphy Frank
- Fun fact: This gourmet popcorn producer just launched three zesty new flavors inspired by the ongoing controversy over regional barbecue techniques – Smoky Texas Barbecue, Spicy Kansas City Barbecue and Tangy Carolina Barbecue.
Nomadic Software
- CAGR : 281.1%
- Employees: 12
- Founders: Nathan Silsbee, Brian Hennessy + Michael Burgin
- Fun fact: This adventurous marketing + web solutions company is hiring for a Software Product Manager, UI & UX Designer, and Full Stack Developer. View the listings here.