California Software Firm Zoho To Move Headquarters To Austin

AUSTIN, TEXAS — Software company Zoho plans to relocate its headquarters to Austin from California with construction of a 375-acre campus with a centerpiece, 100,000-square-foot building and creation of "hundreds" of jobs in Southeast Austin, officials announced Tuesday.

Austin Mayor Steve Adler joined company officials in making the announcement during the annual conference Zoholics, staged at the Palmer Events Center in South Austin. In a press release, Zoho said the company plans to hire hundreds of employees in the Austin area for years to come, "...with a focus on finding and training local talent."

Eligible applicants won't need a traditional, four-year college degree given the company's in-house technology program dubbed Zoho University, officials added. The company currently has some 100 workers in Austin, officials said.

Zoho University is a technology school for high school graduates based in India. Additional talent will be sought among Austin schools and colleges, officials said.

Based in Pleasanton, Calif. after its 1996 founding, the privately held firm manufactures more than 40 business applications that have helped secure 45 million-plus users across 180 countries, according to company-provided data. In its press release, Zoho officials boasted of a 39 percent growth in revenue last year. The company employs more than 7,000 employees worldwide among a dozen offices across five continents.