A new report ranks the nation’s leading startup hubs, and Kansas City was not in the Top 10. In fact, we just barely cracked the Top 25, coming in 24th, just ahead of New Orleans.
The good news is that researchers thought Kansas City’s startup community was interesting enough to actually tour it in person—one of only eight chosen for a site visit—and they found a lot of assets that can be built on.
You can find a full copy of the “Innovation That Matters” report at this link. It was a months-long, joint effort by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 1776 and Free Enterprise.
Among the findings about Kansas City:
>> Overall, our entrepreneurial ecosystem is pretty well-connected: We ranked No. 9 among the cities studied. Support from local corporations was particularly strong, third overall, as was support from institutional partners (seventh overall) and engaged citizens (fourth). Connectivity was a big problem for most other cities, and it’s one of the factors most crucial to startup communities’ success.
>> We were dead last for population inflows from outside the region, and our recruitment of talented Millennials wasn’t much better (21st). Still, our current pool of tech talent is competitive—it was ranked 10th among all cities.
>> When it comes to Smart City technology, we’re only 21st in that sector. But we’ve got strengths in construction, transportation and logistics—all part of the foundation for a thriving Smart City industry, if we build on it.
>> We’re not as open to new ideas—Kansas City ranked 21st on that measure. The regulatory environment (14th) and quality of life (17th) were decent.
Nationally, Boston ranked at the top of the “Innovation That Matters” list, following by the Bay Area, Denver and Raleigh-Durham.
“To get results, cities need to develop and patent breakthrough technologies, train people in a specific set of skills and channel more financial resources into these initiatives,” the report states.
“They also need to make connections for entrepreneurs to help them test ideas and grow their businesses, serve as translators to increase collaboration between the startup community and the outside world, break down cultural barriers and unite the community behind a common goal.”
