Madison ranks No. 20 on Richard Florida's list of per capita venture capital activity

Madison is among the country's top 20 metro areas for venture capital activity per capita, according to a recent analysis by urban studies theorist Richard Florida.

Madison ranked 20th on Florida's list, with $11.5 million, and 1.9 venture deals per 100,000 people, Florida's analysis showed.

Silicon Valley topped the list with 22.6 venture deals per 100,000 people, followed by San Francisco, Boulder, Colo., and the Boston area. The other Midwestern city on the list was Ann Arbor, Mich., with 6.4 venture deals per 100,000 people.

Florida's conclusion about which geographical areas are becoming high-tech challengers to Silicon Valley:

"Silicon Valley's lock on high-tech activity is no longer what it once was. San Francisco, along with urban centers in New York and Boston-Cambridge, have upped the ante, and smaller college towns have also shown they can play as well."

Florida and his Martin Prosperity Institute research team performed the analysis at the request of Brad Feld, co-founder of TechStars, author of the book Startup Communities and a key force in Boulder's entrepreneurial community.

Wisconsin companies raised about $95 million of venture capital in 2012, less than 1% of the total raised in the U.S. About $66 million of that was raised by Madison companies, Florida said.

? 2013, Journal Sentinel Inc. All rights reserved.

Source: http://www.jsonline.com/business/madison-ranks-no-20-on-richard-floridas-list-of-per-capita-venture-capital-activity-b9947368z1-214378541.html

ryan howard ps i love you ray charles cheney heart transplant weather san diego unitarian new black panther party