The Australian-founded company chose the city over other contenders including San Diego and Austin, pointing to office costs it says can be a third of New York or London prices — and plans to double its headcount by the end of 2027.
Uptick, an Australian-founded software company serving the fire protection industry, has opened its first permanent North American headquarters in Denver, selecting the city over other candidates including San Diego and Austin, Texas. The firm said Denver’s comparatively cheap office space, well-qualified workforce and central location won it over, and it intends to use the new base to drive expansion across the United States and Canada. After viewing more than 50 properties, the company settled on the historic Platte Street Rowing Club building — and now plans to double its workforce by the end of 2027.
Cost was central to the calculation. “Price-wise, Denver’s a great place. It’s quite affordable compared to, say, New York or London,” said Tom Benians, Uptick’s finance director. “I want to say it’s like a third of the price in many areas, and a lot of landlords here are throwing in incentives to get tenants in. They’re offering capital allowances to help companies build out office space the way they want.”
The city’s talent pool weighed just as heavily. “We’ve got 51% of people completing higher education in Denver compared to about 30% nationally,” said Danielle Worthman, the company’s head of global marketing. The wider state has been courting businesses like Uptick, too: Colorado’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade has identified software and technology as one of its fastest-growing advanced industries, employing more than 220,000 people statewide, and officials have increasingly targeted international tech firms looking to establish US operations.
An office market tilting towards tenants
Denver’s office market is showing tentative signs of recovery. Vacancy has held broadly flat this year while leasing activity has picked up, and net absorption is on course for its strongest year since the pandemic. Figures from the Denver Downtown Partnership put combined direct and sublet vacancy at 29%, with 1.35 million square feet of space leased so far this year and net absorption of 23,770 square feet.
That picture is echoed elsewhere. CBRE reported that Denver ranked among the top US office markets for leasing activity in the first half of 2026 despite elevated vacancies, with tenant demand improving on the back of technology, professional services and energy firms.
Rather than treating the empty space as a warning sign, Uptick saw it as a chance to be choosy — holding out for exactly the workplace it wanted instead of taking whatever was on the market.
From rowing club to tech headquarters
That search ended at the Platte Street Rowing Club building, chosen after the company toured more than 50 properties. Worthman said the team was looking for natural light, exposed brick and amenities capable of drawing employees in. According to JLL, the Platte Street area has become one of Denver’s fastest-growing office submarkets for smaller technology firms, with commercial brokers highlighting its walkability, converted historic buildings and proximity to Union Station as draws for employers trying to coax hybrid staff back into the office.
Headcount set to double by 2027
The Denver base is intended to be far more than a sales outpost. Uptick said the headquarters is designed to house engineering, customer success, sales and product teams as the business scales, and the investment forms part of its long-term growth plans, including doubling the workforce by the end of 2027.
For staff, the shift back to a shared workplace is already being felt. “The hustle and bustle … I’m starting to feel that here, and it’s awesome,” said Dani Richter, who moved into technology sales from a career in nursing. At a time when many employers are still rethinking what the office is for, Uptick believes this is the right moment to invest in physical space.
Founded in Australia, the company has raised more than A$20 million since its launch and serves thousands of fire protection contractors and facility owners worldwide, with a platform used to manage inspection, maintenance and compliance for fire safety systems across multiple countries. Uptick said the Denver headquarters follows several years of growth in the region and is intended to underpin its expansion across the US and Canada.
