New York-Based Sports Headphones Maker Moves HQ To Austin

AUSTIN, TX — New York-based AfterShokz, a maker of premium sports headphones, is relocating its North American headquarters to Austin, chamber officials announced Monday.

Officials at Opportunity Austin, the Greater Austin Chamber's five-county prosperity initiative, made the announcement in detailing the company's relocation from East Syracuse, New York. The company's products are billed as "the highest-rated premium sports headphones on Amazon and are sold in 15,000 stores worldwide." The company reportedly sold 1.5 million wireless headphones in 2018 alone, officials added, as its innovative product line and robust consumer demand has led to a roughly 200 percent year-over-year growth annually from 2015 to 2018.

"Opportunity Austin is pleased that AfterShokz has chosen to relocate its corporate headquarters to Austin," Austin Chamber Senior Vice President, Economic Development, Charisse Bodisch, said in a prepared statement. "Job creators continue to see our region as an ideal location to find the talent, innovation, and collaborative community that will help them grow and thrive. The addition of 85 jobs over the next three years is another win for our community and the people who continue to look for opportunity and prosperity in the region."

AfterShokz currently operates out of WeWork University Park and has plans to move into a permanent space in Domain Place at 10727 Domain Dr. by March 2020, with plans to lease the entire second floor of the building. The company will employ up to 40 people by the end of the year and has plans to expand to a team of approximately 85 by the end of 2021, company officials said.

“AfterShokz is a fast-growing company, and we needed to find a city for our corporate headquarters that could support the expansion of our brand,” Kimberly Fassetta, CMO, AfterShokz, said in a prepared statement. “Austin’s energy, culture, talent pool and community of leading technology innovators and thriving outdoor brands are what drew us to the city.”

About Opportunity Austin

Opportunity Austin is the economic development initiative aimed at fostering job-creating investment in the five-county Central Texas region. Top priorities include boosting economic diversification to proactively strengthen the economy, deepening the talent pool through development and attraction, and keeping the Greater Austin region attractive to entrepreneurs, business leaders and site selectors through advocacy on issues such as a comprehensive regional transportation system and regional collaboration. Since 2004, Opportunity Austin has helped bring more than 400,000 total jobs to the Austin region. Learn more about Opportunity Austin here.

About Aftershokz

Since its inception in 2011, AfterShokz has been enhancing lives and changing the way people listen with its unique use of bone conduction technology. Through a suite of proprietary audio technologies and open-ear design, the company’s award-winning headphones deliver premium stereo sound and a promise of safety and comfort that is second to none. AfterShokz is committed to innovating unconventionally and making situational awareness a priority. Learn more about the company by clicking here.