The three founders live here, and wanted to build a software company. They worked hard to make something people wanted, and raised money from the three Fs (friends, family, and fools). They applied to YC on a lark, actually got in, moved to Mountain View for 3 months, learned a ton and made good connections.

After gaining traction in the market it was possible to raise from angels and then VCs.

I believe you can build and sell software from anywhere if you have the drive and find a way to solve problems that people are willing to pay money to solve.

Here's an article that talks more about it: https://missoulacurrent.com/business/2018/08/missoula-tech-s...