BAND

Bandwidth Inc.

A provider of the digital plumbing that lets businesses add voice calling, text messaging, and even 911 emergency dialing directly into their own software and apps. Founded in 1999 by David Morken, a former U.S. Marine who launched the company in a walk-in closet, it merged with Henry Kaestner's Bandwidth International in 2001 and is now based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Fun detail: its headquarters sits on Bandmate Way, a street named after the company.