New report crowns the ‘Silicon Prairie’ capital
August 3, 2015 | Bobby Burch
The Windy City was again named the capital of the so-called Silicon Prairie region.
Chicago ranked No. 7 in the 2015 Global Startup Ecosystem Ranking, a report compiled by market research firm Compass. The United States dominated the list, which crowned Silicon Valley as No. 1, followed by New York City, Los Angeles and Boston, respectively.
The report analyzes such data as a metro’s investment performance and exit valuations, venture capital investments, tech talent availability and cost, international market reach and local gross domestic product.
Kansas City, and other cities in the Silicon Prairie, failed to enter the rankings. The prairie refers to several states in the Midwest region, including Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. A few notable startup ecosystems in the prairie include Chicago, Kansas City, St. Louis, Omaha, Lincoln, Fargo and Des Moines.
Chicago snagging the Silicon Prairie’s crown should come as no surprise. The city’s metro population — more than 9.8 million people — tops all of the aforementioned cities’ populations combined.
Chicago jumped from No. 10 in 2012 to now No. 7, earning high marks for its market reach and startups that have surpassed $1 billion valuations. The report estimates that Chicago is home to 1,800 – 3,000 active tech startups and Chicago now has more than 40,000 tech jobs, 15,000 of which have been created in just the last four years.
International startup ecosystems that ranked in the report included No. 5 Tel Aviv, No. 6 London, No. 9 Berlin and No. 10 Singapore. To read the report, click here.
Featured Business
2015 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
In second term, Mayor Q says he’ll help get City Hall out of entrepreneurs’ way as they build a more diverse economy
Creating economic equity in Kansas City goes hand in hand with building a sustainable city, said Mayor Quinton Lucas. “We will not be the city that we need to be — we won’t have the workforce, the entrepreneurs that we need — if we’re not actually investing in equitable tools in any number of ways,”…
Sandlot Goods takes a swing at a brick and mortar; new JoCo storefront expected to be a home run with brand’s fans
Sandlot Goods — Kansas City’s only local hat manufacturer — is hoping to score big with its first, dedicated, standalone retail space. The new location at Park Place in Leawood — 11530 Ash Street — is slated for a soft opening Aug. 15 and a grand opening Sept. 16, shared Garret Prather, Sandlot vice president…
‘Oppenheimer’ actor says new Missouri tax incentives could bring investors, more film productions to KC
David Dastmalchian’s screenplays for movies set in Kansas City now have a realistic chance to be filmed in and around his hometown, said the acclaimed actor, writer, and producer who grew up in Overland Park. Recently-signed legislation paves the way for increased film production in Missouri by reauthorizing — and strengthening — tax credit incentives…
She witnessed short-staffed hospitals as a COVID patient; How her ‘Airbnb for health care workers’ could save lives like hers
After her own hospitalization with COVID-19, Shapree’ Marshall set out to make sure local hospitals have adequate staffing to care for the community, she shared. In February 2022, Marshall — now a 2023 Pipeline Pathfinder cohort member — founded A Traveled Path Homes, which she describes as Airbnb for the medical industry. She plans to…