We may be far from Silicon Valley, but that doesn’t mean Asheville is without its own burgeoning startup scene. That’s why we’re excited to kick off the first installment of our State of Startups series, which highlights a selection of the fastest-growing startups that are headquartered right here in Asheville.

Despite the economic challenges that 2020 wrought, 15 of Asheville’s top startups still managed to net a combined revenue of more than $62 million and create 345 jobs, according to data from Venture Asheville.

Let’s take a deeper look at 5 of the fastest-growing Asheville-based startups here:

ProTip: CAGR stands for Compounded Annual Growth Rate, a.k.a., the rate of how fast a company or revenue is growing.

Moonlight Makers

CAGR: 59.4%
Employees: 16
Founders: Claire Watson + Nicole Hairfield
Fun fact: This retailer launched its business in a short bus and since then has grown its store + factory into a building on 43 Rankin Ave. that covers nearly an entire block.

No Evil Foods

CAGR: 79%
Employees: 90+
Founders: Michael Wolianski + Sadrah Schadel
Fun fact: This punk rock-themed vegan protein company, which began in a home kitchen, has since expanded into a 20,000 sqft facility in Weaverville. Find their products in 5,000+ stores across the county.

SDV Office Systems

CAGR: 235.8%
Employees: 12
Founders: Dan Whisnat + Tyler Whisnat
Fun fact: This office systems company is a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business and serves over 100,000 veterans.

Photo courtesy of Poppy Handcrafted Popcorn

Poppy Handcrafted Popcorn

CAGR: 79%
Employees: 24 full-time, 5 part-time
Founder: Ginger Murphy Frank
Fun fact: This gourmet popcorn producer just launched three zesty new flavors inspired by the ongoing controversy over regional barbecue techniques – Smoky Texas Barbecue, Spicy Kansas City Barbecue and Tangy Carolina Barbecue.

Nomadic Software

CAGR : 281.1%
Employees: 12
Founders: Nathan Silsbee, Brian Hennessy + Michael Burgin
Fun fact: This adventurous marketing + web solutions company is hiring for a Software Product Manager, UI & UX Designer, and Full Stack Developer. View the listings here.