Houston tech company Ohana to relocate HQ to Indianapolis
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Houston, Texas-based tech firm Ohana is planning to expand operations and relocate its headquarters to Indianapolis and create more than 100 jobs over the next five years, the company announced Thursday.
The company said it made the decision to move after participating in the Gener8tor accelerator program in Indianapolis last year. Financial terms of the relocation effort were not disclosed.
Ohana was founded in 2018 under the name Airo.Life and rebranded to its current name in 2021. The company has developed a platform that uses data analytics that can be used to inform decision making for advertisers to develop “hyper personalized and targeted advertisements,” according to its website.
The company is also developing what it calls the Be Free Enable Device, a smartphone that comes with a free data plan and runs content and ads “atop a thin layer of the device.”
“We collect consented data on peoples mobile devices and basically pay for the mobile device and telecom plan,” co-founder Doug Mochrie said. “Some people may never get a bill for their phone or service depending on their usage and what they opt into.”
Mochrie said Indianapolis aligns perfectly with the company’s mission to “drive positive social and environmental change through innovation.”
“By harnessing big data, we inform evidence-based decision-making for advertisers and optimize campaigns to inspire eco-friendly choices,” he said. “We’re grateful for the support we’ve received from Indianapolis and the state of Indiana as we begin this exciting new chapter.”
Mochrie said in an email to Inside INdiana Business that the company is currently evaluating several options for where its new headquarters will be located in Indy.
The company plans to add up to eight jobs by the end of 2025 and up to 16 by the end of 2026.
As part of the move, Ohana said two of the company’s founders will also relocate to Indianapolis. The new jobs being added will include a mix of in-office and remote positions, including front and back-end developers, and app and web integration roles.
The Indiana Economic Development Corp. is offering Ohana up to $3.5 million in conditional tax credits, which the company will not be eligible to claim until Hoosier workers are hired for the new jobs.