As the sun rises on a warm Monday morning in Austin, Texas, the reflection of the city skyline is projected onto the north-facing windows of OJO Labs’ new South Congress office. While cranes lift large pavers onto the fourth floor balcony, construction hustles to complete the framework and interior of the 12,500 Sq. Ft., state-of-the-art space before the AI-driven tech company’s move-in.
In the last nine months, OJO Labs has seen tremendous growth, including two major funding rounds totalling $65.5 Million, enterprise partnerships solidified, expansion in North American markets reaching tens of thousands of real estate agents and serving countless consumers in their home purchase. With the company’s many advancements, the rapid hiring of talent within its Engineering, Data Science, Product and Design teams is evident, as is the need for a bigger space adequate for housing the coming expansion.
Austin, too, has seen exponential growth over the past few years in the number of tech start-ups and titanic brands moving in and calling the Texas capital home, catapulting the city into the number two spot for technology entrepreneurs and job growth in the country. With the enclave of tech-focused companies sprouting up or rolling into Austin, more jobs are being created, enticing skilled workers to uproot and relocate, subsequently creating an impressive talent pool.
“Parallel to our company’s mission to transform consumer experiences through leading-edge AI technology and add value to an industry that was fiercely in need of reinvention, is our commitment to bring in highly-skilled jobs while curating some of the country’s top talent. Continuing to build Austin into an epicenter of innovation will not only benefit companies like OJO, but will place this amazing city top-of-mind in discussions around where investment, growth and exciting things in technology are happening,” said John Berkowitz, CEO and Co-founder of OJO Labs. Reminiscent of Silicon Valley’s early days, Austin is primed and ready for an evolution into becoming the go-to spot in the country when launching a company hell-bent on challenging the status quo.
Once a small start-up occupying a WeWork office, the Austin-native company has quickly outgrown its current headquarters located on 7th and Brazos in the heart of downtown. OJO Labs’ recent $45 Million Series C round is laying the foundation needed to scale its workforce, and with the significantly larger office location nearing completion, preparation to fill vital positions is in full swing.
OJO Labs’ fresh innovation facility will enable the company to ramp up its hiring, adding 50 jobs in the coming months, while spurring further opportunities in Austin. “We’re now in an incredible position to help our city sustain its ambition of building a hub for world-class tech careers, advancement and longevity,” added Berkowitz.
Austin-based Sixthriver Architects was selected to bring life into the interior of this extraordinary project, where OJO’s employees will be collaborating on a daily basis to solve some of the world’s toughest problems. Sixthriver’s interior design imprint is impressive, having completed projects for Whole Foods, Domain 5, The Castilian, Manzanita Hotel and many more. With the firm’s forward-thinking concepts and execution, it was the perfect match for OJO’s new headquarters.
The South Congress office and its sweeping views of the city skyline echo the company’s vision to build something that is indistinguishable from magic. The panoramic outdoor workspace, massive unobstructed windows, beautifully designed conference rooms and common areas will inspire new ideas, discovery and development, further propelling the company into an influential and thriving future.
About OJO Labs Inc. - OJO Labs is on a mission to empower people to make better decisions through the fusion of machine and human intelligence. The company's unique, patented AI technology products can conduct text conversations with consumers at scale. By combining natural language understanding with data and personalization, the products allow consumers to deeply engage in a purchase process before interacting with a salesperson. OJO Labs is backed by the two most active VC firms in Texas, leaders in real estate and financing industries, as well as key industry executives. OJO Labs has been recognized as a Best Places to Work in Austin by the Austin Business Journal, an Austin A-List and 50 On Fire winner, recognized in Comparably’s 2018 Best Company Culture Awards, named a Built In Austin 2019 Best Company to Work For, and a 2019 Artificial Intelligence Excellence Awards recipient. The OJO team has decades of combined success scaling businesses and deep experience in data science, engineering, product marketing, and operations.