2017 Best of The Midwest:

Startup City Rankings

Our goal is to provide an analytical, objective benchmark to help companies and individuals alike understand how micro-environments within the Midwest are performing relative to each other.

Explore the Cities

Rankings Legend

1-10

11-25

< 25

Moved up in rank

Moved down in rank

How Rankings are Calculated

Startup Activity

28% Weight

A measure of how active the tech community in the city is, and the size and quality of the network available to a new startup. It considers factors such as the number of startups present and their success rates.

Source: Crunchbase Pro

Access To Resources

60% Weight

A measure of how supportive the city's environment is, and what value-add it can provide to help a startup grow. It considers factors such as the quality of the talent, investor activity, and public and private support

Source: The US Census, US Patent Office, Crunchbase, Pitchbook, and US News & World Report

Business Climate

12% Weight

A measure of how conducive the city's economic environment is to attract and scale a business. It includes factors such as the cost of living, population, and GDP per capita.

Source: The Bureau of Labor Statistics, the US Census, the Tax Foundation, and the Bureau of Economic Analysis

Drive Capital raises $300M Fund II, HQ'd in Columbus
Columbus' CoverMyMeds acquired for $1.1B
Indianapolis' Appirio acquired for $500M
Chicago's OutcomeHealth raised $500M at $5B Valuation
Minneapolis' Bright Health raised $160M Series B

Key Takeaways

Annual Rankings

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