7 Startup Cities To look For in 2014

7 Startup Scenes to Look Out for in 2014

SILICON VALLEY - Silicon Valley remains the gold standard for startup ecosystems. The area's support network and funding potential (capital raised in SV is 32% higher across all stages of a startup's development) make it the ideal location to start a new business.

NEW YORK CITY - As the top startup breeding ground on the East Coast, New York has launched a number of impressive and nationally recognized enterprises in recent years. Entrepreneurs interested in tackling the world of ecommerce may find New York more fruitful than Silicon Valley, and many female tech entrepreneurs have also settled in NYC.

SAN FRANCISCO - Lots of startup gurus already make their homes in San Francisco. Increasingly, they're basing their companies there too, looking to combine all of the advantages of the Valley with a more vibrant, urban setting.

SEATTLE - Seattle has one of the most robust startup foundations of anywhere outside of the Bay Area. Giants like Amazon and Microsoft mean that there's a large concentration of extremely bright people from a variety of fields who go on to start their own companies. Many Silicon Valley companies open up offices there to take advantage of the talent.

PORTLAND - Portland has emerged as more than just an (occasionally mocked) cultural hub. It's also an increasingly vibrant startup hub, with companies that reflect the city's unique culture. Eleven startups in the area collaborated on a video highlighting a shared culture in the startup scene and are working together to recruit talent to the city.

WATERLOO - Waterloo has one of the strongest (unofficial) connections to Silicon Valley out of all the cities on Startup Genome's list -- 35% of Waterloo entrepreneurs once worked in the Valley. As with other Canadian startup hotspots, Waterloo also suffers from funding challenges. One positive: 28% of Waterloo startups focus on mobile, a market that continues to expand rapidly all over the world.

MONTREAL - Montreal has been leading the Canadian startup scene for years now, with an especially strong network of angels and VCs. It’s also a fun place to start a business, known for it’s startup communities and almost constant startup-related events and gatherings. It get’s better: Montreal is really cheap, AND has even been ranked as the 2nd happiest place in the world buy Lonely Planet.

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