A small software development company in Hilliard is making a big name for itself, improving services for City of Hilliard residents and helping businesses succeed along the way.
Augustwenty was founded in August 2020 – hence the name — by Angela McManaway and DJ Daughtery, a husband-and-wife team with decades of technical and financial experience in the software industry. The company’s offices are in The Junction, a co-working space in Downtown Hilliard, with employees enjoying a hybrid remote work model.
McManaway describes the business as a custom software development consultancy “with a mission to see to the heart of each client’s greatest challenges and build solutions with speed and precision.”
“We’re not focused on any one specific industry, but on solving really gnarly problems,” she said.
The team, now comprised of more than 30 staff members, immerses itself within their clients’ businesses to gain a full understanding so they can develop solutions of value from the moment they arrive.
The innovative mindset captured the attention of City of Hilliard leadership, who knew technology companies with Hilliard City Lab would benefit from augustwenty’s custom software services.
Through the City Lab initiative, the entire City of Hilliard becomes a one-of-a-kind technology testbed. City resources are leveraged to help high-tech businesses create, test, launch and commercialize innovative solutions. In return, the goal is that Hilliard will benefit from the attraction, retention, and expansion of technology businesses, along with the creation of associated high-paying jobs. The result is a tech-friendly environment not found in other communities.
The Hilliard Development Corporation (HDC) recently awarded augustwenty a $25,000 Innovation Grant to assist those companies – allowing a Hilliard business to help other Hilliard businesses, benefiting the entire community.
“Many tech companies have products ready for commercialization, but lack the software component required for the market,” said David Meadows, City of Hilliard Economic Development Director. “This partnership allows augustwenty to work with those companies to develop the final element.”
The HDC Innovation Grant Program is designed to promote research and development investment, workforce development solutions, and high-wage job creation within Hilliard. Grant funding is used to acquire equipment associated with the development, demonstrate emerging technologies, and help with tenant buildout, infrastructure improvements, or relocation expenses.
Augustwenty is the first service provider hired under the City Lab initiative to advance these technologies.
