UPDATED 5/18 AT 11:15 A.M.
Amazon isn't the only tech giant eyeing Colorado for a second headquarters. Slack Technologies, the company behind the popular team collaboration tool, is on the hunt for an HQ2 of its own — and Denver just might be it.
News broke that the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade submitted a proposal to the San Francisco-based company, offering up to $10.6 million in Job Growth Incentive Tax Credits over an eight-year period.
Later in the day, Slack confirmed its plans to open an office in Denver, but has yet to comment on whether or not that office would serve as a second headquarters or grow to the size anticipated by state officials.
If the proposal is successful, Denver could stand to gain 550 full-time jobs with an average salary of $107,975.
Slack joins a slew of other Bay Area tech companies looking east to Colorado in search of a market with a broad tech talent pool, affordable cost of living and attractive quality of life.
It was rumored that Slack had started browsing 50,000-square-foot office spaces in Denver back in January, but this is the first formal indication of the company’s intentions to make the city its second home.
Slack is also considering Phoenix; Austin, Texas; and Portland, OR for its expansion. However, Colorado is the first to meet with the company about an incentives package, giving the state what many hope will be an advantage over the other contenders.
Earlier this month, Slack announced it had reached eight million active daily users and three million paid users, up from six million and two million, respectively, in September. This news followed the close of a $250 million round of funding from SoftBank Group Corp. in September, which valued the tech giant at more than $5 billion. In total, Slack has raised $841 million in private equity funding, and many have speculated that the company will IPO before the end of the year.
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