Metro Mountain
Tech Hub

Hiking Meets Fast-Paced Careers

From the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg to GE and Optical Cable Corporation in Roanoke, the region is one of Virginia’s premier technology and innovation zones.

Tech Talent Connection

You’ll Want to Live and Work Here

More than 4,000 technology professionals call the Roanoke-Blacksburg region home. This is a hub for tech jobs, from starting and building a company to major research and enterprise.

Rich in Higher Education

Many of the tech workers, company founders, and entrepreneurs were educated and trained by the area’s 14 colleges and universities that provide some form of computer science credential. Eight of those institutions provide four-year computer science or information technology-related programs, including Virginia Tech, Radford University, Washington & Lee University, American National University, Ferrum College, Virginia Military Institute, Roanoke College, and the University of Lynchburg.

An Innovation Highway

In the last five years, per capita growth of technology patents filed from within the region has exceeded the national average by more than 3.5 times. RBTC’s tech entrepreneurial resources are tremendous: 

Mentoring. Partners at RAMP (Regional Accelerator and Mentoring Program) provide an array of support and services – 1:1 expert mentoring, free office space, and access to angel investors and non-equity capital – to startup tech, health science, and life science companies seeking to accelerate their growth.

Deep connections. Networking events and opportunities keep our region’s technology leaders connected and leveraged to advance community-wide initiatives that boost the entire sector.

Key infrastructure. Connections in higher education and research, as well as with local and state governments — with experts in finance, law, healthcare, human resources, and marketing — provide vital infrastructure for technology companies large and small. 

Strengthening the Region Together

Likewise, many of the region’s most established companies have adapted and been enhanced in response to our tech economy. RBTC sponsor Woods Rogers Attorneys at Law, for instance, has strengthened its legal resources in the areas of Cybersecurity, Data Privacy, and Intellectual Property to better serve the technology community.

Unbeatable Geography

All of this, while boasting one of the most scenic, iconic locales in the country. Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Roanoke-Blacksburg region offers immediate escapes from the technology world with easy access to the Appalachian Trail, the Blue Ridge Parkway, the New River, Smith Mountain Lake, and a wealth of other natural treasures.

Our Metro Mountain Headquarters

With 32 miles of paved urban trails, 1.2 million acres of public land, 70 square miles of lakes, and 1,300 miles of blueways on major rivers, Roanoke was voted the Top Mountain Town and Top Adventure Town three years running by Blue Ridge Outdoors readers. It’s home to the Blue Ridge Marathon — “America’s Toughest Road Marathon” — as well as the IRONMAN 70.3 Virginia’s Blue Ridge