Richardson | March 2026

Business

BY ISABELLA ZEFF

Startup Runway renews lease, looks to host more companies

in the city, bringing jobs and economic activity to the area. “We went into this kind of as a pilot program,” City Manager Don Magner said. “We have extended their lease for another year, and so we’re really excited to see what year two looks like.” Zooming in With the exception of one company that manufactures high-protein chocolate bars, Nandyala said the 18 companies Startup Runway has brought to Richardson’s IQHQ are all in the technology space, including AI, nancial technol- ogy and blockchain. Most are from India, as well as two companies from Singapore and one each from Europe and Dubai. When considering a company to bring in, Nandyala said Startup Runway begins with background research and analysis to determine whether it is the right t for American markets and for Richardson.

After bringing 18 international companies stateside in its rst year, Startup Runway renewed its lease in Richardson as it looks to help more international companies expand to the city. “We want to expand our relationships and be a truly global conduit, bringing in international companies across dierent industry verticals and sectors into our ecosystem here,” founder and CEO Mahesh Nandyala said. The big picture Startup Runway facilitates global companies’ expansion to the United States, providing resources, connections and a physical space in Richardson’s Innovation Quarter Headquarters, or IQHQ, to launch from. Startup Runway ocially launched its partner- ship with Richardson in August 2024 with plans to bring 10 companies to the city. Nandyala said Startup Runway and Richardson are working on a “shared vision” to expand international business

Startup Runway signed an ocial partnership with the University of Texas at Dallas late last year.

COURTESY STARTUP RUNWAY

Companies start in the “incubator” of the IQHQ, where Startup Runway is also based, with the goal of eventually leasing their own space in Richard- son and hiring additional employees. “It’s like a crawl, walk and run approach because these companies are coming here for the rst time,” Nandyala said.

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