One of Silicon Valley's fast growing start-ups has chosen Ann Arbor as the place to make its first investment.

Systems in Motion plans to invest $15 million and create 1,084 jobs at a new IT support center in Ann Arbor over the next five years. The IT firm also looked at making its first investment in other marquee college towns, like Austin, Texas and Durham, North Carolina before deciding on Ann Arbor.

"I think Ann Arbor is a marquee name in college towns as well," says Debashish Sinha, chief marketing officer for Systems in Motion.

The California-based firm is only 3 months old but has already been able to lock down some venture capital funding and hire 20 people. Systems in Motion plans to create the next generation of IT infrastructure and workers by setting up IT support center at college towns across North America. The combination of the University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University and Washtenaw Community College made the Ann Arbor area a prime target for Systems in Motion.

To help make this happen was a tax-incentive package the state put together. Systems in Motion will receive up to $1.5 million in workforce development funding and a 100 percent employment tax credit over seven years.

Source: Debashish Sinha, chief marketing officer for Systems in Motion
Writer: Jon Zemke