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
KC team developing tool to get low-income entrepreneurs online (and it just got a $240K boost)
A collaborative project to “bridge the gap” in Kansas City’s digital divide secured one of the 2022 Heartland Challenge grants from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. PCs for People Kansas City (formerly Connecting for Good), in partnership with The Usher Garage and No-Where Consultants, will receive $240,000 in funding to be used over two years…
How this KC trucking platform is helping drivers achieve the ‘American Dream’ amid high industry demands, burnout
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of truck drivers in the American economy, said Jeff Dema; and Foxpoint is targeting its efforts to ensure that drivers succeed and stay in the demanding industry. “Being a truck driver is a hard job. They’re gone 250 plus nights a year from their home. It requires lots of…
Google’s $100K ‘stamp of approval’ for PlaBook reads like validation for KC-built edtech startup
Kansas City expatriate PlaBook is set to receive $100,000 from Google’s initiative to provide funding to Black-led startups. But for Philip Hickman, it’s not just about the funding, he said. It’s also a credibility boost. “We were happy to receive an investment from Google,” the edtech startup founder said. “It’s a stamp of approval to…
KC’s first Hispanic beer company craft-brews conversations beyond stereotypes
Defining his own cultural identity has been a lifelong struggle for Damon Arredondo, the longtime brewer said. Coming from a mixed-cultural background, Arredondo often felt as if there was “a checklist” that decided whether or not he was able to identify with his heritage, he shared. “Only recently in the last five year have I…