Boulder, Fort Collins make Most Innovative Tech Hubs top 10 list

Boulder and Fort Collins were ranked second and sixth, respectively, on NerdWallet’s top-10 list of America’s Most Innovative Tech Hubs released Monday.

Boulder came in behind San Jose, Calif., for the top spot, and was followed by San Francisco; Corvallis, Ore.; and Seattle in the top 5.

NerdWallet, a San Francisco-based company that develops data tools to help consumers make decisions, considered three main factors in its analysis. Those included the number of technology patents granted per 1,000 residents from 2009 to 2013, the amount of venture funding received per capita in 2014, and tech startup density.

Boulder had the highest startup density at six times the national average. It was third in the country for per-capita venture capital levels, trailing only San Jose and San Francisco, albeit by a wide margin.

“If startups beget startups, Boulder area residents should expect to see even more growth in innovation,” the NerdWallet report stated.

Fort Collins, too, was recognized for startup density that is three times the national average, besting San Jose (2.6 times) and San Francisco (2.4).

“This area also wages a mighty battle (like nearly all startup-centric areas) to retain engineering talent locally and eagerly takes on the fight against the lure of Silicon Valley,” the report said.

Provo, Utah; Austin, Texas; Burlington, Vt.; and Boston rounded out the top 10. Of note was the fact that every city in the top 10 was near a major university. NerdWallet also noted that only two East-Coast cities made the list, with the West dominating.

Via:NerdWallet

on Facebook on LinkedIn