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 - LatAm (Latin ) - California, U.S.A. - Canada
Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • Businesses Solutions • FinTech (& Financials services) • Sales (& Marketing) • A.I. (& Big Data) • HealthTech (& Fitness) • Cloud Services (& Infrastructure) • Future Of Work • Real Estate (& Construction)
Partner @homebrew. Formerly VP Product at @twitter, ex-Google PM, ex-Partner at @battery-ventures. Penn educated. Vegas raised.
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.
Boston - Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Media • Businesses Solutions • Real Estate (& Construction) • Consumer
Spark Capital is a venture capital firm that invests in startups led by creative thinkers. The firm seeks to invest in companies operating in the media, software and technology sectors. It was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.
Los Angeles - New York - London - San Francisco Bay Area - California, U.S.A. - U.K.
Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • PropTech • Education • Businesses Solutions • FinTech (& Financials services) • Retail (& E-Commerce) • HealthTech (& Fitness) • Developer tools • Real Estate (& Construction) • Consumer
Most Interested In
Later stage investments
Palo Alto California - Los Altos - San Francisco - San Jose - Berkeley - Oakland - San Mateo - Redwood City - New York - Los Angeles, U.S.A.
Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • PropTech • Media • Businesses Solutions • Retail (& E-Commerce) • A.I. (& Big Data) • Web Security (& Privacy) • Analytics • Developer tools • Real Estate (& Construction)
Partner at OVO Fund Seed stage tech investor who co-founded an e-commerce company, worked at an enterprise IT startup, incubated and launched a double bottom line investment fund in DC and pulled all-nighters on Wall Street as an investment banker. I'm interested in meeting scrappy, persistent, visionary and high integrity entrepreneurs with a chip on their shoulder. Specialties: Seed Stage Investing, US / China Startups, Capital Raising including Seed Stage Syndication, Supporting Entrepreneurs
San Francisco California - Los Angeles California - Venice Italy, United States
IT (& TMT) • Media • Entertainment (& Sports) • Real Estate (& Construction) • Investment Management • Mobile • Restaurants
ex-Entrepreneur and Seed-Stage investor in LA
ex-Entrepreneur and Seed-Stage investor in LA
Brian Garrett is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Crosscut. Brian is very active in the Los Angeles start-up community and currently works actively with the following companies: GumGum, Verve Mobile, Reaction Commerce, Jyve, Sales Pro Quo, The BlackTux, Narvar, Omaze, Robin Care, Foray, Fuzzy, Umbra Lab, Fastdata.io and Saber es Poder. With over 20 years of both investing and operating/entrepreneurial experience, Brian tries to bring humility and empathy to the lonely plight of starting and scaling start-up companies and works tirelessly to help his entrepreneurs succeed. Prior to co-founding Crosscut, Brian was a Partner at Palomar Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm based in Santa Monica, California. Mr. Garrett joined Palomar in 2001 and played an active role in managing and investing two funds over 6 years totaling more than $400 million. While at Palomar, he was the sponsor of and/or an active board member in nine Palomar portfolio companies, including successes such as Entone (a video on demand company that sold to Harmonic), Lombardi (business process management software that sold to IBM) and Datallegro (data warehouse appliance company sold to Microsoft in 2008). Prior to Palomar, Brian was the Director of Business Development at Niku Corporation. Prior to Niku, Brian worked at a boutique strategy consulting firm called R.B. Webber & Company. Brian worked with numerous early-stage technology companies including CommerceOne, Inktomi, Sagent, Aurum and Broadbase. Brian received his MBA from Stanford's Graduate School of Business and he graduated from Stanford University with a B.S. in Industrial Engineering. Specialties: Entrepreneurial focus: Fashion/Tech/Media/Commerce. Investing Focus: Crosscut focuses primarily on seed-stage opportunities in consumer/digital media across Southern California.
San Francisco California - Hong Kong - Israel - Palo Alto California - China - South East, United States
Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • IT (& TMT) • Education • FinTech (& Financials services) • Retail (& E-Commerce) • A.I. (& Big Data) • HealthTech (& Fitness) • Gaming (& eSports) • Real Estate (& Construction)
General Partner S28 Capital / Young Global Leader at World Economic Forum / Honorary Trustee Peking University
Kent Ho is a Co-Founder and serves as Chief Executive Officer at s28 Capital. He also is an Angel Investor. He was a Co-Founder and served as Managing Partner at Harbor Pacific Capital. He focuses on investments in digital media and helps oversee the firm's investment efforts in the United States and China. Upon graduating from Duke, Kent worked at Goldman Sachs in San Francisco in the Private Wealth Management division advising high net worth families and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs. Kent received an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a BA in Economics and a Certificate in the Markets and Management Program from Duke University. He serves as a Board Member at Eden.
San Diego - New York - Atlanta - Seattle - San Francisco Bay Area - California, U.S.A.
Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • PropTech • Businesses Solutions • Retail (& E-Commerce) • Sales (& Marketing) • Future Of Work • Insurance (& InsurTech) • Real Estate (& Construction) • Online Social
Venture Partner at JSV
Most Interested In
I love marketplaces, especially ones that enhance productivity, lower costs, and have big moats. Founding team at oDesk and Rev. Investor OfferUp, Alto Pharmacy, Crexi, and more.
Not Interested In
I love SaaS too, but better to pitch one of my partners Pete Solvik or Greg Gretsch. I don't do much pre-launch either.
Managing Director @jsv , 4th @odesk, cofounder / board @rev, @massachusetts-institute-of-technology.
San Francisco Bay Area - California, U.S.A.
Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • PropTech • Education • Businesses Solutions • HealthTech (& Fitness) • Medical Devices (& Hospital Services) • Real Estate (& Construction) • Healthcare (& Wellness) • Woman Focused
Most Interested In
Labor marketplaces and vertical markets. Vertical markets might include real estate, education, construction, healthcare, or any other large market that has been resistant to change.
Not Interested In
I've made a lot of SaaS investments in the past, but I'm interested in software companies that have a distribution hook.
San Francisco California - Redwood City California, United States
Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • IT (& TMT) • Media • Businesses Solutions • A.I. (& Big Data) • Robotics • Real Estate (& Construction) • Investment Management • Mobile • Mobility • Woman Focused
Investor in Artificial Intelligence, Immersive & Spatial Computing #AI #AR #VR
VC, exec and a techno-geek at heart
New York - San Francisco Bay Area - City, U.S.A. - Mexico
Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • PropTech • A.I. (& Big Data) • Blockchain (& Cryptos) • Food & Beverage • Human Resources • Mobile Apps • Real Estate (& Construction) • Consumer
Most Interested In
Blockchain, marketplaces, space
Not Interested In
Sector agnostic
Boulder - Colorado, U.S.A.
Software (Web Marketplace Saas..) • PropTech • Businesses Solutions • FinTech (& Financials services) • Retail (& E-Commerce) • IoT (& Wearables) • Blockchain (& Cryptos) • Advertising • Medical Devices (& Hospital Services) • Real Estate (& Construction) • Healthcare (& Wellness)
Most Interested In
Looking for strong teams, who think big, and are as early as idea stage.
Not Interested In
Lots of traction. I want startups that aren't afraid of pivoting if they needed to.