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
Coworking blueprint for contractors trades home for critical back-office business support
Trades CoWork provides a professional office environment, storage space, and back-office support to contractors and trades workers who have long been “dismissed,” said William Hayes, an entrepreneur who “sold everything” to fuel the venture. “There is nothing out there for the small contractors that gives them an affordable option to move out of their house,…
Why these Big Jay collectibles are a nod to bobblehead hall of fame’s love of KC-area sports
A cross-country childhood trip to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum inspired a young baseball fan and rookie sports collector to keep Kansas City on his map — later incorporating an array of local major league and collegiate teams into his entrepreneurial venture: a national hall of fame for bobbleheads. The most recent additions to his…
Federal ban on noncompetes would ‘unleash’ entrepreneurs, open door to more startups, advocate says
A proposed rule change that would stop employers from imposing and enforcing contract clauses to limit their workers’ ability to change jobs within their fields is being hailed as a “vital step on the path to expanding economic growth in the United States,” according to one Kansas City-based advocate for entrepreneurs. Earlier this month, the…
Ice Cream Bae returns to the Country Club Plaza with its own storefront, more flavors
Adison and Jackie Sichampanakhone have a soft spot for the Country Club Plaza, they shared. It’s where the journey with their soft-serve ice cream shop began. “We’re excited to be back. We had so many great customers down here before, so we’re happy to be able to serve them again,” said Adison, who co-founded Ice…