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 - California, U.S.A.
PropTech • Hospitality (& Events) • Education • Energy • IoT (& Wearables) • Food & Beverage • GovTech • Real Estate (& Construction) • Mobility
Most Interested In
Startups shaping the future of cities. Investing at the pre-seed & seed in a variety of verticals, including: - Transportation - Future of work - Real estate tech - Energy & water - Business & fintech services - Food - Health & public safety - Govt & civic tech - Arts & recreation
Julie is a co-founder and Managing Partner of the Urban Innovation Fund. The Urban Innovation Fund is a venture capital firm that invests in transformative urban technology. It provides seed capital and regulatory expertise to entrepreneurs solving our toughest urban challenges – helping them grow into tomorrow’s most valued companies. Previously, Julie co-founded Tumml, an urban ventures accelerator. During the last three years, Tumml has incubated 33 startups, who have raised $37M+ in funding and launched products/ services for over 2.2M people. Her work in urban entrepreneurship has been featured in numerous press outlets, including CNN, TedX, Forbes, and The San Francisco Chronicle, among others. Julie has an MBA from MIT Sloan and a BA from Stanford.
Vancouver - BC, U.S.A. - Canada
Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • Education • Businesses Solutions • Energy • Blockchain (& Cryptos) • Developer tools • Online Social • Woman Focused
Most Interested In
Blockchain, VR / AR, genomics, AI / ML
Not Interested In
Gaming, content / media, commerce / retail
Berlin, Germany - U.S.A.
Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • Education • AgroTech • FinTech (& Financials services) • Energy • IoT (& Wearables) • CleanTech • HealthTech (& Fitness) • Impact • Logistics (& Distribution) • Mobility
Ferry Heilemann is a Co-Founder and serves as Co-Managing Director at DailyDeal. Heilemann was also a Co-Founder and served as Partner at Heilemann Ventures. Heilemann is also a Co-Founder at FreightHub and serves as its Chief Executive Officer. He also serves as Partner at Earlybird Venture Capital. Ferry founded Heilemann Ventures together with his brother Fabian after the trade sale of his company DailyDeal to Google in 2011. Since then he has been an early stage VC-investor, actively supporting companies in the digital sector with his operational skills and experience. Meanwhile, Ferry and his brother Fabian set the fundamentals for their holding Sky & Sand. Currently it combines DailyDeal, which the brothers bought back from Google in early 2013, and the mobile-POS system provider pepperbill.
Lithuania, U.S.A.
Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • Businesses Solutions • Hardware (& Manufacturing) • Energy • IoT (& Wearables) • CleanTech • A.I. (& Big Data) • Analytics • Impact • Logistics (& Distribution) • Woman Focused
Most Interested In energy tech and e-mobility in general. -batteries, storage and DR -recycling of Li-on batteries -new b-models -AI and Automation -digital utilities Not Interested In anything outside energy tech and e-mobility + beyond Series B or small TAM.
New York - Brooklyn, U.S.A.
Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • Education • BioTech • FinTech (& Financials services) • Energy • A.I. (& Big Data) • HealthTech (& Fitness) • Blockchain (& Cryptos) • Cloud Services (& Infrastructure) • Developer tools • SaaS • Woman Focused
Partner at Notation
Most Interested In
We invest in pre product-market fit and tech heavy companies based in NYC. We like to lead the first round of financing, typically pre-seed or seed.
Nicholas Chirls is a Co-Founder and serves as General Partner at Notation Capital. Previously, he also served as Co-Chief Executive Officer at Alphaworks. He served as a Head of Investments at betaworks. Prior to this, he served as the Head of Investments at Betaworks.
San Francisco Bay Area, U.S.A.
BioTech • AgroTech • Energy • HealthTech (& Fitness) • Food & Beverage • Impact • Material Science • Medical Devices (& Hospital Services) • Healthcare (& Wellness) • Consumer • Pharmaceutical (& Medicine) • Woman Focused
Principal at SOSV
San Francisco California, United States
Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • Other • IT (& TMT) • Businesses Solutions • Hardware (& Manufacturing) • Energy • Retail (& E-Commerce) • Web Security (& Privacy) • Food & Beverage • Logistics (& Distribution) • Material Science • Aerospace (& Defense) • Mobile
Co-founder and Managing Director at Peninsula Ventures
Greg Ennis is a Co-Founder and serves as Managing Director at Peninsula Ventures. Ennis serves as Operations Advisor at Naya Ventures. He is a Board Member of Lumenetix. He previously served as an Advisor at Plastc. Ennis holds an MBA from The Anderson School at UCLA and an AB in Economics and Political Science from Stanford University. Greg is also a Director and past President of the Stanford University Department of Athletics (DAPER) Investment Fund. He presently also serves as a Board Director and Observer at Net Power & Light.
New York - Phoenix - San Francisco Bay Area - California, U.S.A.
Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • Education • AgroTech • FinTech (& Financials services) • Energy • CleanTech • Blockchain (& Cryptos) • Web Security (& Privacy) • Payments • Aerospace (& Defense) • DeepTech • Consumer • Woman Focused
Most Interested In
Next generation security companies, "live" in health/fitness/healthcare, autonomous vehicles / drones.
Not Interested In
HR applications
San Francisco California - Palo Alto California Palo Alto, California, United States
Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • IT (& TMT) • Media • Hardware (& Manufacturing) • Energy • Entertainment (& Sports) • CleanTech • A.I. (& Big Data) • Web Security (& Privacy) • Gaming (& eSports) • Material Science • Robotics • Real Estate (& Construction) • Mobile
General Partner at Icon Ventures
Jeb Miller serves as General Partner at Icon Ventures. He was also a Board Member at Origami Logic. He is also a Board Member at Ripcord. He joined Icon Ventures in 2009, bringing over fifteen years of experience working with early-stage technology companies as a venture capitalist, operating executive and investment banker. He has relentless energy and is passionate about teaming with entrepreneurs to help build successful companies. He also serves as a consultant to the Defense Venture Catalyst Initiative program of the US Department of Defense. His venture capital career began with Morgan Stanley Technology Ventures, a corporate venture group he co-founded in 2001. He then further developed his venture investing skills with two leading venture capital firms, three years as a Partner with ComVentures and three years as a Principal with Worldview Technology Partners. Prior to joining Icon Ventures, he was with the Silicon Valley office of The Carlyle Group focused on technology investing. He also gained valuable operating experience as Managing Director of Business Development for Scient, a pioneering Internet consulting firm. He began his career with Morgan Stanley's technology investment banking groups in New York, Boston and Menlo Park. At Icon, he is on the Board of CloudPhysics, TRUSTe and WGT Sports, is a Board observer at Delphix, Inkling and Purfresh, and was involved with Devicescape, TuneIn and Vuclip. Prior Icon portfolio companies include Aster Data Systems (Teradata), FireEye (FEYE), MoPub (Twitter), Ocarina Networks (Dell) and Oodle (QVC). His past investments include AdInfuse (Velti), Innotas, IntruVert Networks (McAfee), LogLogic (TIBCO), ONStor (LSI Logic) and Rhapsody Networks (Brocade). Over the course of his twelve-year venture capital career, he has had the opportunity to work with over 40 start-ups. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Harvard College where he graduated summa cum laude.