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.
Palo Alto - California, U.S.A.
PropTech • Hospitality (& Events) • Businesses Solutions • Retail (& E-Commerce) • Entertainment (& Sports) • CleanTech • A.I. (& Big Data) • AR/VR • Cloud Services (& Infrastructure) • Impact • Medical Devices (& Hospital Services) • Real Estate (& Construction) • Healthcare (& Wellness)
Founder & Chief Firestarter, K9 Ventures
Chief Firestarter @k9-ventures
Palo Alto - California, U.S.A.
HealthTech (& Fitness) • Medical Devices (& Hospital Services) • Healthcare (& Wellness) • Consumer
Investor in Computational Care
Most Interested In
Data Collective is a special seed and A fund focused on tech and deep data compute and novel creation or uses of data. I focus on health + data in all of its glorious forms.
Not Interested In
Network effects in health care. Network effects that leverages or creates very powerful, special data
Los Angeles - California, U.S.A.
Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • PropTech • Businesses Solutions • IoT (& Wearables) • A.I. (& Big Data) • HealthTech (& Fitness) • Logistics (& Distribution) • Medical Devices (& Hospital Services) • Real Estate (& Construction) • Healthcare (& Wellness)
Partner at Pritzker Group Venture Capital
VC @Pritzker Group Venture Capital
Ontario California - Toronto Ontario - Toronto (Ontario) - Toronto (), U.S.A.
PropTech • BioTech • AgroTech • Hardware (& Manufacturing) • Entertainment (& Sports) • Food & Beverage • Impact • Medical Devices (& Hospital Services) • Real Estate (& Construction) • Mobility • Consumer
Jesse Rasch is a Co-Founder and serves as Chairman & Chief Executive Officer at Hedgewood. He is the co-founder and past Chairman & CEO of WebHosting.com and InQuent Technologies. He co-founded CareGuide. InQuent provides private label hosting solutions to telecommunications customers including Bell Canada, KPN, Telecom New Zealand, PCCW, AT&T, Comcast, & Cox Communications. WebHosting.Com was one of the largest business web hosting companies in the world. In 2000, Rasch sold InQuent and WebHosting.Com to AT&T. In 2002, Rasch orchestrated a management team acquisition of InQuent from AT&T. Rasch successfully sold InQuent once more in 2003. InQuent was merged with Network Solutions and is now part of publicly traded web.com. Rasch is widely credited with establishing the white label web hosting market segment that is a significant component of the $95 billion annual web hosting market. VerticalScope, which Rasch co-founded, develops and acquires online media and community properties. VerticalScope's network of websites is visited by over 85,000,000 people per month. VerticalScope's automotive publishing division, the Modified Automotive Group, was acquired by KKR / Primedia in 2007. Torstar acquired 56% of VerticalScope in 2015. Rasch is a proponent of venture philanthropy and is active in encouraging entrepreneurs to participate in strategic philanthropy. He established the Jesse & Julie Rasch Foundation in 2000 to invest in causes that reflect Rasch's broad charitable interests. In 2001, Rasch was awarded the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award. He has been featured in Time Magazine, The Globe & Mail, Canadian Business, The National Post, Network World, Macleans, and on CBC, CTV, Global, City-TV, BNN, and many other print, televised, and radio media. He was a founding member of the Canadian E-Business Opportunities Roundtable, a joint private and public sector advisory group on e-business in Canada.
Washington D.C - Montreal Quebec Canada - Montreal Qc Canada, U.S.A.
Media • Businesses Solutions • Cosmetics (& Fashion) • IoT (& Wearables) • A.I. (& Big Data) • HealthTech (& Fitness) • Gaming (& eSports) • Analytics • Medical Devices (& Hospital Services) • Healthcare (& Wellness) • Online Social • Consumer
Partner at Real Ventures
Alan MacIntosh is a Co-Founder and serves as Partner at Real Ventures. He is also an Angel Investor.
He serves as Mentor and is a Co-Founder at FounderFuel. MacIntosh also serves as Managing Partner at Acta Wireless. MacIntosh has over 20 years of international business experience starting in oil exploration with Schlumberger. He later undertook a product management role with Hewlett-Packard, before joining Canada's Telesystem group in 1990, where he established TIW's mobile operations in eight countries including the UK where he managed operations for three years. Previously, he served as Board Member at Fabric Software. In 1997, Alan moved to sister company Microcell and co-founded GSM Capital, the first global wireless fund, backed by nine of the world's leading operators. Alan currently sits on the boards of WaveMetrix, Millennial Media, Cellfish Media and Montreal Start-up. A native of Scotland, he holds a BSc (Hons) in Offshore Engineering from Heriot-Watt University and MBA from INSEAD.
San Francisco Bay Area - California, U.S.A.
FinTech (& Financials services) • Retail (& E-Commerce) • Cosmetics (& Fashion) • HealthTech (& Fitness) • Gaming (& eSports) • Advertising • Developer tools • Medical Devices (& Hospital Services) • Payments • Healthcare (& Wellness) • Online Social • Consumer
Sneakerhead. VC.
First Round Capital is a venture capital firm willing to invest in pre-revenue companies, often providing a company's first outside capital. The partners look to take an active role in most of the companies they invest in. First Round Capital invests nationally and has additional offices in San Francisco and New York. The firm's typical initial investment is around $500,000. First Round Capital has coordinated the first ever VC-sponsored Exchange Fund. This fund allows qualified First Round Capital entrepreneurs to contribute a small piece of the stock they own in their company and share in the performance of all the other companies in the fund. Members of the First Round Capital Community have raised over $2.5 billion in follow-on capital to date. First Rounds's $20 million in total initial investments (in those companies that have been in the portfolio for over a year) have been followed by $850 million in financing from later-stage venture firms - a roughly 36-1 ratio.
Texas - Victoria - British Columbia, Canada
Hospitality (& Events) • Media • Hardware (& Manufacturing) • Sales (& Marketing) • HealthTech (& Fitness) • Blockchain (& Cryptos) • Medical Devices (& Hospital Services) • Healthcare (& Wellness) • Pharmaceutical (& Medicine)
Entrepreneur, Board Member, Actively acquiring and investing in health and tech businesses.
Advisor, Investment Committee Member, LP at iNovia Capital
Cofounder, Metalogix. Technology enthusiast. Angel Investor.
San Francisco Bay Area, U.S.A.
Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • Businesses Solutions • Retail (& E-Commerce) • Analytics • Medical Devices (& Hospital Services) • Healthcare (& Wellness) • Mobility • Consumer
Managing Director & co-founder at Jackson Square Ventures, B2B SW venture capital investor, Director of DocuSign, Seismic, Mynd, Tala, WinMore, Figg, Magicbook.ai
Managing Director & co-founder at Jackson Square Ventures
New York - Los Angeles, U.S.A.
Hospitality (& Events) • BioTech • Sales (& Marketing) • Entertainment (& Sports) • CleanTech • HealthTech (& Fitness) • Medical Devices (& Hospital Services) • Healthcare (& Wellness) • Mobility • Consumer
Most Interested In
We provide liquidity for founders and investors for their private shares in great companies -usually mature enough to have meaningful revenue traction
Not Interested In
Pre-revenue companies or shares in companies where the investors and founders are not supportive of a secondary transaction
San Antonio Texas - Austin - Health IT San Francisco California, U.S.A.
HealthTech (& Fitness) • Medical Devices (& Hospital Services) • Healthcare (& Wellness) • Consumer
Founder | Venture Capitalist | Investor | Physician | Active Board Member
Most Interested In
Healthcare, Healthcare IT, Digital Health, Delivery of Care
Not Interested In
Fintech