Northwest Arkansas is providing remote workers with an incentive in the form of $10,000 in bitcoin and a bike to relocate to the region, its council said in a Wednesday statement. The effort seeks to attract tech and entrepreneur talent to the state’s growing tech talent.
“Northwest Arkansas is one of the fastest-growing regions in the country, and we’re now seeing more explosive growth in our tech sector,” Nelson Peacock, president and CEO of the Northwest Arkansas Council, said in a statement. “This expanded incentive offer — Bitcoin and a Bike — not only embraces the growing trend toward the use of cryptocurrency as a payment option by employers, but also helps increase our pipeline of talent to benefit tech employers, startups, cities, local businesses and the region overall.”
The announcement comes as a revamped version of the Life Works Here initiative that sought to attract remote workers to Northwest Arkansas with a $10,000 cash relocation bonus. Now, the region aims to bring those interested in Bitcoin with the option to receive the incentive in BTC, a push to strengthen Northwest Arkansas’ tech ecosystem.
The original initiative, launched in November 2020, has generated over 35,000 applications from people in more than 115 countries and 50 states that wish to move to Northwest Arkansas and grab the cash bonus and the bike. Those who relocate can now opt for the incentive in bitcoin or cash and a street or mountain bike.
To be eligible for the program, applicants must have the ability to relocate to Northwest Arkansas within six months of acceptance, have full-time remote employment, or be self-employed. Additionally, applicants must currently live outside of Arkansas, be 24 years old or older, and be eligible to work and live in the United States. Interested remote workers can apply on the program’s webpage.