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Defense and technology startup Red 6 is opening a hub in Orlando to develop its airborne tactical augmented reality system.
It’s one in a long line of companies, including Lockheed Martin, Oracle, Verizon, and Deloitte, with offices in the central Florida city.
For years, people have viewed the Sunshine State as primarily a vacation and a retiree destination, but groups such as the Orlando Economic Partnership have been working to elevate its profile as a tech hub.
“In Orlando, everyone knows the Disney story,” Tim Giuliani, the Partnership’s president, told Insider. “This part of the story that people don’t know or don’t recall is the space race.”
NASA started performing launch operations in Cape Canaveral more than 70 years ago. The city is also home to the Kennedy Space Center and US Army, Air Force, and Navy simulation command centers, which has led to an influx of other technology, defense, and training companies.
“You have this cluster here, that’s developed over a long time, and now you’re seeing it get to a critical mass,” Giuliani said. “You’re seeing more companies moving out of California and New York.”
