The United States boasts the largest and most dynamic startup ecosystem in the world, with major hubs like Silicon Valley, New York City, and Boston. This ecosystem is characterized by a strong venture capital presence and a supportive culture for innovation and entrepreneurship. The U.S. continues to lead globally in technological innovation and startup activity, contributing significantly to economic growth and job creation.
As of 2024, the U.S. is home to approximately 77,927 startups. The startup ecosystem is supported by substantial venture capital investments, which totaled around $162.6 billion in 2022. This robust financial backing highlights the confidence investors have in the U.S. startup market, ensuring ample funding for innovation and growth.
Key strengths of the U.S. market include a highly skilled workforce, advanced technological infrastructure, and a culture that encourages risk-taking and entrepreneurship. The presence of major tech companies like Google, Apple, and Facebook fosters a collaborative environment and provides ample opportunities for startups. Additionally, the U.S. government offers support through various grants and tax incentives, such as the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.
Silicon Valley remains the epicenter of innovation, driving advancements in AI, biotechnology, fintech, and clean energy. New York City excels in finance and media, while Boston is strong in biotechnology and education-driven startups. These regions are crucial to the U.S. startup ecosystem, offering a wealth of resources, talent, and opportunities.
Cities like Austin, Denver, and Seattle are emerging as significant tech hubs. These cities provide a favorable business climate, quality of life, and are becoming attractive locations for startups and talent. The rise of remote work has further expanded opportunities for startups to access talent from various regions, contributing to the growth of these emerging hubs.
The U.S. startup market benefits from a comprehensive support system of accelerators, incubators, and co-working spaces. Programs like Techstars and Y Combinator have been instrumental in nurturing early-stage startups, providing mentorship, resources, and funding. These support systems help startups at various stages of their journey to scale and succeed.
Despite its strengths, the U.S. startup ecosystem faces challenges such as high costs of living, regulatory hurdles, and intense competition for talent. These challenges can create barriers for new startups and require strategic navigation to ensure long-term success.
The U.S. startup market features a diverse customer base and a culture that encourages innovation and entrepreneurship. The rise of remote work has expanded opportunities, allowing startups to access talent from various regions. The future outlook remains positive with continuous growth and innovation, driven by emerging technologies such as blockchain, quantum computing, and green energy.
The U.S. startup ecosystem is characterized by its resilience and adaptability. Despite challenges, the ecosystem continues to evolve, driven by a strong culture of entrepreneurship and technological advancements. This ensures the U.S. remains at the forefront of global innovation, contributing significantly to economic growth and job creation.
San Francisco Bay Area - Menlo Park - Redwood City - California, U.S.A. - U.K.
Businesses Solutions • Retail (& E-Commerce) • Web Security (& Privacy) • Gaming (& eSports) • Cloud Services (& Infrastructure) • Aerospace (& Defense) • DeepTech • Consumer
Aerospace and Cybersecurity VC
David Cowan serves as Partner, Investments at Bessemer Venture Partners. He is a Member of board of directors at Impossible Aerospace. He is a Board Member at Iris Automation. He is a Board Member at CyberGRX and Bastille Networks. He is also a Board Member of Team8. His historical portfolio includes Ciena, Hotjobs, Blue Nile, LinkedIn, LifeLock, PSI-Net, Qualys and over a dozen other IPOs, as well as many large acquisitions such as Twitch, Postini, Cyota, Tripwire, Netli, Playdom, Dropcam and Skybox Imaging. His current portfolio - spanning startups founded in the U.S., Argentina, Singapore, Israel, New Zealand and Scotland - includes Getinsured, Smule, Twilio, Rocket Lab, iSight Partners, Spire Global, Endgame, Auth0, Zapier and Zoosk. During his tenure at BVP. He co-founded three cybersecurity companies incubated in our offices: VeriSign (IPO), where he served as initial Chairman and CFO; Good Technology (fka Visto, acquired by Blackberry) where he served as CEO, and Defense.net (acquired by F5). Forbes ranked him #6 on the Midas List and tied for 4th in the Midas List of Hall of Fame. He is a Trustee of the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science. You can read his blog at WhoHasTimeForThis?, follow him on twitter (@davidcowan) or see him perform with his men's a capella singing group Voices in Harmony. He also serves as a Board Member at Claroty and an Advisor at Reef Capital Ventures. Cowan earned an A.B. in math and computer science and an MBA degree, both from Harvard University
Denver - Washington - Los Angeles / Southern California - San Francisco Bay Area - New York, U.S.A. - Canada
Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • Businesses Solutions • Retail (& E-Commerce) • CleanTech • A.I. (& Big Data) • HealthTech (& Fitness) • Cloud Services (& Infrastructure) • Aerospace (& Defense) • Mobility • Nanotechnology
Founding Partner at Unshackled Ventures
Most Interested In
Immigrant entreprenuers. We provide 3 things: Your scalable friends and family capital, full immigration support, including sponsorship and stewardship to help you succeed faster. Our goal is to make investment decisions in 3 meetings over 2 hours.
Not Interested In
Non-immigrant founders.
Founder @unshackled - Investor. Entrepreneur. Love being at the intersection of do good, do well.
San Francisco Bay Area - California, U.S.A. - Canada
Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • Businesses Solutions • FinTech (& Financials services) • Hardware (& Manufacturing) • IoT (& Wearables) • A.I. (& Big Data) • Robotics • Aerospace (& Defense) • Woman Focused
Most Interested In
We're the earliest investors you'll ever meet, and never pass because you're 'too early'. We embrace the pre-seed. We are hot on Voice, Market Networks, Industrial Tech, NewSpace, and anything Frontier -- wonky enough for us to spend the time to learn and ramp up with you. We seek founders with Deep Market Insights - you know the problem cold and the solution is bursting from you.
Not Interested In
No discovery apps. No FinTech. No consumer (except for marketplaces). No international, please. No Seed Prime, Post Seed, Series A rounds.
San Francisco Bay Area, U.S.A. - China
BioTech • Hardware (& Manufacturing) • HealthTech (& Fitness) • Robotics • Aerospace (& Defense) • Healthcare (& Wellness) • Consumer
Cyril Ebersweiler serves as Managing Director, HAX and General Partner at SOSV. A hardware investor, visionary and serial entrepreneur, Cyril was SOSV's first general partner to run an accelerator, starting Chinaccelerator, the first mentorship-driven seed-funding program in China. He then went on to found HAX - the world's first and largest hardware accelerator - in 2012, along with HAX China and HAX Growth. Cyril is a mentor to Techstars and 500 Startups, and a founding member of the Global Accelerator Network. He is one of the world's most prolific investors in the hardware space, with 80+ investments. Cyril is a frequent speaker at events such as TechCrunch Disrupt, Makercon, Solidcon, Pioneers, The New Context Conference, AdTech, GMIC, and many others. He is an occasional guest writer at Techcrunch, and has been featured in The Economist, Popular Mechanics, The New York Times, Bloomberg, Huffington Post, Wired and more. He served as the Board Member at Nextly. He serves as Board Member in Formlabs.
San Francisco Bay Area - California, U.S.A.
Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • BioTech • Hardware (& Manufacturing) • Energy • Sales (& Marketing) • CleanTech • Impact • Material Science • Robotics • Aerospace (& Defense) • Woman Focused
Views best described as cosmopolitan-cum-extropian
Most Interested In
Where the intersection of software, hardware, & wetware can create value in over a billion lives this decade––esp. industrial bio, aerospace, industrial robotics, next-gen computing hardware, and drug development.
Not Interested In
CPG, mobile-first, ad/marketing/sales, hiring-tech, anything that could have been built more than 2-3 years ago. Nor cannabis, therapeutics, or medical devices.
Most Interested In
Where the intersection of software, hardware, & wetware can create value in over a billion lives this decade––esp. industrial bio, industrial robotics, next-gen computing hardware, and drug development.
Not Interested In
CPG, mobile-first, ad/marketing/sales, hiring-tech, anything that could have been built more than 2-3 years ago. Nor cannabis, therapeutics, or medical devices.
Ian Rountree is the Founder of Cantos Ventures. He is an Agent and Chief of Staff at Invisible Technologies.
San Francisco Bay Area - California, U.S.A.
FinTech (& Financials services) • Blockchain (& Cryptos) • Payments • Aerospace (& Defense)
Most Interested In
I'm passionate about all things Blockchain, Crypto, and Space and currently leading early-stage investing at Wave Financial where I'm responsible for the day-to-day management of cFund and Wave Genesis. Contrarian at heart. DM me at @DavidMRoebuck if you're a visionary building on the blockchain.
Not Interested In
I don't invest in anything outside of Blockchain and Space.
San Francisco Bay Area - California, U.S.A. - Israel - Japan
Hardware (& Manufacturing) • IoT (& Wearables) • A.I. (& Big Data) • HealthTech (& Fitness) • Autonomous vehicles (& Cars) • Robotics • Aerospace (& Defense) • Healthcare (& Wellness) • Mobility • Nanotechnology • Consumer
Not Interested In
I only invest in hardware/full-stack companies.
San Francisco Bay Area, U.S.A.
Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • Businesses Solutions • A.I. (& Big Data) • Analytics • Cloud Services (& Infrastructure) • Developer tools • Local commerce • Aerospace (& Defense) • Online Social
Co-founder and General Partner at Cervin Ventures
Co-Founder and General Partner, Cervin Ventures
Menlo Park - California, U.S.A.
FinTech (& Financials services) • Hardware (& Manufacturing) • Retail (& E-Commerce) • IoT (& Wearables) • HealthTech (& Fitness) • Gaming (& eSports) • Analytics • Robotics • Aerospace (& Defense) • Healthcare (& Wellness) • Consumer
Director, Firefly Aerospace /
Managing Partner at Kilonova Capital
Technology Special Situations
San Francisco Bay Area - Valley California - Saratoga California - San Francisco California - Texas - New York - Massachusetts, U.S.A.
BioTech • FinTech (& Financials services) • A.I. (& Big Data) • Blockchain (& Cryptos) • Gaming (& eSports) • Insurance (& InsurTech) • Logistics (& Distribution) • Aerospace (& Defense) • Mobility
Enjoy helping startups create disruptive business strategies Most Interested In logistics, autonomous solutions, data analytics, 3d printing, life science, health tech, ar/vr, food tech, robotics Not Interested In social media platforms, influencer platforms, ad tech, Investing via Ecosystem Ventures & MicroVentures...Coffee drinker extraordinaire