Henderson pitched by billion-dollar, tech titans
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – Even though the building hasn't had a grand opening, the Atwell Suites' mezzanine was standing room only during a business conference that hoped to pitch Henderson as an oasis for startups and high-tech companies.
Joshua Leavitt, CEO and founder of Tech Alley, said the Wednesday event received three times as many reservations for guests than staff were expecting.
"Tech Alley is about bringing the tech startup scenes together to really inspire ideas and thoughts," he said. "It's really neat to see a lot of the people in Henderson actually engaging in that type of discussion."
The Las Vegas valley is seeing tech company surge in 2023. According to Crowdfund Capital Advisors, Las Vegas moved from ninth to the top spot for pre-IPO startups. Henderson seeing similar success with Amazon, Google, and Lithion Batteries, which opened a new Henderson location last week.
Event staff told 8 News Now representatives from Nvidia, a computing and AI technology company, attended the event. David Hauser, an entrepreneur and co-founder for the Grasshopper Group, and Baskar Janardhanan, business development leader for Zoho Corporation, spoke to attendees and elected officials about what they could bring to the table.
"We've had a phenomenal turnout today, exceeded expectations, and economic vitality is one of the strategic priorities for the City of Henderson," Henderson Mayor, Michelle Romero, said. "And oftentimes it's most difficult for businesses when they are first starting up and learning what the next step is. This is a perfect opportunity for these businesses to get to know what that next step is and to learn from those who have done it before them."
Romero said Henderson is an ideal location for many tech startups to locate citing the level of the city's educated workforce and ample land.
"We invest in schools, and we are becoming our own charter authority," she said. "We're working with Senator Cortez Masto on a public lands bill that would expand those opportunities." Jim Seebock, Henderson Councilman for Ward I, said his district has a myriad of opportunities for companies seeking space, noting the newly annexed Eldorado Valley.
"It's going to be a master plan for commercial space, similar to like what you see out of APEX," Seebock said. "Once it's all completed, it's going to have about 40% of all our industrial space will be out in Eldorado Valley."
Eldorado Valley has several advantages, according to Seebock, including proximity along U.S. Highway 95, attachment to the south end of the Las Vegas Valley, and ease of commercial access from Long Beach to Henderson.
"The potential to grow and diversify our economy is going to be fantastic," Seebock said.
The next Henderson Tech Alley event is scheduled for The Pass Casino on Water Street on Dec. 18.
