Bonobos co-founder Andy Dunn on selling to Walmart.

The Biggest Little City in the World wants you to know that it’s more than a casino town. As founders flee competitive startup hubs like the Bay Area, lower costs and a deepening talent pool have entrepreneurs going all in on Reno.

COMPANIES TO WATCH

Breadware To cut operating costs, cofounders Daniel Price and Danny deLaveaga relocated their startup from California in 2017. It’s a move that many other companies have made in recent years. Breadware, which helps companies build and launch products for the internet of things, is now in its fifth year and thriving: It booked $1.9 million in revenue last year.

TrainerRoad Reno’s homegrown cycling analytics and training platform has bootstrapped operations since it launched in 2010. Co-founder and CEO Nate Pearson, who previously worked as a web developer for International Game Technology, started the business with Reid Weber and Chad Timmerman.

Panty Drop 1 After launching her underwear subscription service in 2014, Julie Arsenault moved to Reno from San Francisco to give the business a little breathing room (financially speaking). Her gamble paid off: Panty Drop grew 200 percent between 2018 and 2019.

WHERE TO FIND INVESTORS

The Reno Seed Fund, one of the city’s first early-stage funds, invests in companies working on software, advanced manufacturing, and the internet of things. It’s invested in blockchain monitoring and management startup BlocWatch, along with lab device maker Clickbio.

Thirty miles south of Reno, in Incline Village, is the Sierra Angels investment group. Founded in 1997, the fund has invested in business messaging app SnapDesk and STEM career training platform NCLab.

BEST CO-WORKING SPACES

The Reno Collective, 2 a co-working space located in a converted music studio, has offices, a 3-D printer, a vinyl cutter, and a soldering station. Plus, it hosts classes on programming, videography, and entrepreneurship. The Innevation Center, part of the University of Nevada, Reno, connects the school’s entrepreneurial community with the city’s. Launched in 2015, it has hosted a dozen-plus startups, such as staff scheduling software maker

StaffFox and laboratory device manufacturer Clickbio.

NOTABLE FUNDING

$5 million Talage (digital distribution for commercial insurance) $5.5 million BlocWatch (monitoring software for blockchain implementations) $6.2 million NevadaNano (smart gassensor maker)