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, U.S.A. - U.K. - Germany
FinTech (& Financials services) • Hardware (& Manufacturing) • A.I. (& Big Data) • HealthTech (& Fitness) • Web Security (& Privacy) • Robotics
B2B tech investor across US, Europe and Greater China
David Lam serves as General Partner at Atlantic Bridge Capital. He also serves on Board of Swrve. He currently serves on the boards of Movidius, FieldAware, Accuris, Novaerus and Swrve Mobile. David has spent over a decade in cross-border technology investing between China and Western markets. Prior to Atlantic Bridge, he was Managing Director at WestSummit Capital, a leading US-China cross-border technology investment firm, where his board involvement included Twitch (Acquired by Amazon), Maginatics (Acquired by EMC), Mirantis, 3D Robotics and Nexenta. Previously, David was Managing Director at WI Harper Group, a pioneering US-China technology venture capital firm, and led the firm's investments in Quixey and Innovation Works China. Before WI Harper, David was Vice President at The Carlyle Group where his investments included eScreen (Acquired by Alere), and prior to that, he headed business development for Panasas, a Carlyle portfolio company in the data storage industry. David's operating experience also includes marketing, business development and corporate development roles in leading enterprise technology companies ONI Systems, CIENA, Cisco and Proxim. David is a Board Member, past President and past Chairman of the Asia America MultiTechnology Association (AAMA), which is the oldest and largest pan-Asian, cross-border technology executive network in Silicon Valley. He also serves on the board of the Association of Asian American Investment Managers (AAAIM). David holds a BS and an MA from Stanford University, and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
San Francisco Bay Area - Palo Alto - California, U.S.A.
BioTech • Energy • A.I. (& Big Data) • HealthTech (& Fitness) • Blockchain (& Cryptos) • Analytics • Cloud Services (& Infrastructure) • Future Of Work • Robotics
Partner @lux-capital. Early stage tech investor. Previously VC @general-catalyst-partners, co-founder @rough-draft-ventures-1, MIT PhD.
San Francisco Bay Area - California, U.S.A.
A.I. (& Big Data) • Blockchain (& Cryptos) • Analytics • Cloud Services (& Infrastructure) • Developer tools • Robotics
Greg Castle is the Founder & serves as Managing Partner at Anorak Ventures. He serves as the Advisor at UploadVR. Prior to Anorak, Greg was an active angel investor with 30 investments counting two exits including Oculus, which was acquired by Facebook for $2bln. With strong ties to the VR/AR community, Greg focuses much of his time investing in and mentoring startups in this sector. Previously, Greg led marketing for the popular game development company Scaleform and for Autodesk's Game Technology Group.
New York, U.S.A.
BioTech • Hardware (& Manufacturing) • A.I. (& Big Data) • HealthTech (& Fitness) • Blockchain (& Cryptos) • Robotics • Aerospace (& Defense) • DeepTech • Nanotechnology • Woman Focused
General Partner at Compound
Most Interested In
Emerging categories with some level of commercial viability. Post-science project investing
Not Interested In
- Anything related to marketing automation or adtech - Marketplaces - VR content studios
Investing in Frontier Tech @rothenberg-ventures . Previously: Researched at @cb-insights-1 & invested at Crane Partners.
Boston - Cambridge - Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Businesses Solutions • FinTech (& Financials services) • Hardware (& Manufacturing) • IoT (& Wearables) • A.I. (& Big Data) • Robotics
Co-Founder and General Partner at Converge
@fiksu @apperian @wymsee @yieldbot @wespire @help-scout @blaze-software @promoboxx @coherent-path GP Converge Ventures, BancBoston Ventures, Shott Capital
San Francisco Bay Area, U.S.A.
A.I. (& Big Data) • Robotics
Roboticist, Founder, CEO at Chef Robotics (We're hiring!)
Roboticist, Founder, CEO at Chef Robotics (We're hiring!)
New York - Denver - Washington - San Francisco Bay Area - Palo Alto - Los Gatos - California, U.S.A.
Businesses Solutions • IoT (& Wearables) • A.I. (& Big Data) • HealthTech (& Fitness) • Web Security (& Privacy) • Cloud Services (& Infrastructure) • Developer tools • Robotics • Aerospace (& Defense)
Partner at Crosslink Capital
Most Interested In
Passionate founders who know how to build great teams capable of changing industries. Enterprise and Industrial infrastructure. Big fan of how open source and AI/ML are transforming enterprises, industrial operations and new space.
Not Interested In
I have partners who are consumer focused.
San Francisco Bay Area, U.S.A.
Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • Businesses Solutions • IoT (& Wearables) • A.I. (& Big Data) • Cloud Services (& Infrastructure) • Logistics (& Distribution) • Robotics • Aerospace (& Defense) • Mobility
Most Interested In
Immigrant founders in the US, from anywhere in the world, who are solving real-world problems with a unique insight. Strong adversity muscle is a must. We'll invest capital, take care of immigration, and surround you with operators who help you move faster.
Not Interested In
Companies without atleast one founder born outside the US. There are plenty of funds for such companies. So, we will focus only where we can add the most value.
Nitin is a founding partner of Unshackled Ventures, an early stage venture capital fund for immigrant founded startups in the U.S. The fund has led marquee investments in driverless trucking, AI for water management, edge computing and emotional intelligence. Before starting Unshackled Ventures, Nitin founded an experiential ecommerce company. Prior to that, he ran finance and strategy for ed-tech startup Kno (acquired by Intel) that raised over $90M of funding from top VC’s including Andreessen Horowitz, First Round Capital and Floodgate. Before Kno, Nitin worked at Deloitte, focusing on tech startups and helping them with growth, exits, and strategic initiatives. Nitin has appeared on NBC, NPR, CCTV, has been featured in various publications including Forbes, WSJ, Financial Times, Techcrunch, CNN, and has been an op-ed contributor in the Huffington Post and ReCode. Nitin is actively engaged as mentor or as part of evaluation committee at Stanford University, Babson, Alchemist Accelerator, GTWY, Founder Institute, among others. Being an immigrant himself and having founded startups while on a visa in U.S., Nitin understands the venture resources immigrant founders need, besides capital. He recognizes the opportunity immigrant founders represent and is focused on building an ecosystem that strengthens the pursuit of their American dream.
Pasadena - California, U.S.A.
Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • Hardware (& Manufacturing) • IoT (& Wearables) • A.I. (& Big Data) • Logistics (& Distribution) • Robotics • DeepTech • Mobility • Woman Focused
Co-Founder, Calibrate Ventures
Investing in Seed & A deep tech companies at scale
Palo Alto - California, U.S.A.
Businesses Solutions • Hardware (& Manufacturing) • IoT (& Wearables) • A.I. (& Big Data) • Web Security (& Privacy) • Logistics (& Distribution) • Robotics • Mobility • Nanotechnology
CEO & Managing Partner
Chief Executive Officer & Managing Partner at Next47
New York - Seattle - San Francisco Bay Area - California, U.S.A. - Canada
Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • Businesses Solutions • FinTech (& Financials services) • Sales (& Marketing) • IoT (& Wearables) • Blockchain (& Cryptos) • Analytics • Robotics
Global Private Markets at Shareworks
Most Interested In
I'm most interested in the idea of distributed ownership. This could be for a company, physical good/property or digital asset.
Not Interested In
I don't invest in life sciences, consumer goods and media/content.
Been in a startup, ran a seed fund and now a VC, but an entrepreneur at heart. A Canadian in the Silicon Valley.