Perhaps you’ve found an neglected resolution to a significant downside. Perhaps you fantasize about being your personal boss and setting your personal schedule. Perhaps you wish to go away a legacy. Or perhaps you simply have an incredible concept you can’t cease desirous about.
No matter your cause for beginning a enterprise, you’ll wish to assume lengthy and laborious earlier than placing down roots to your burgeoning firm. In entrepreneurship, as in actual property, success typically boils right down to location, location, location. The very best locations for beginning and rising a enterprise have deep expertise swimming pools, a low value of dwelling coupled with a top quality of life, academic assets, supportive mentors and a welcoming group of creatives and changemakers.
Able to embark in your entrepreneurial journey? Contemplate establishing store in these startup-friendly cities throughout the nation.
Greenville, South Carolina
Over the previous few many years, due to focused revitalization efforts, Greenville, South Carolina, has reworked from a rundown former mill city to a vibrant, bustling, startup-friendly group. House to some 72,000 residents, town punches above its weight in terms of assist for entrepreneurs and, in consequence, has turn into a magnet for brand spanking new companies.
Greenville’s comparatively small measurement permits entrepreneurs to maneuver rapidly—right here, startups can go from ideation to testing to launch in what looks like no time. And founders don’t should go it alone both. Organizations like StartupGVL, NextGEN and Village Launch are there to supply assist, connections, mentoring and schooling each step of the best way.
Greenville additionally has a low value of dwelling, which is a big perk for cash-strapped entrepreneurs. Workforce growth is a significant precedence; town’s inhabitants is rising, and the area is residence to a number of schools and universities, so that you’ll haven’t any bother discovering workers to assist develop and scale what you are promoting.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
When you’re hoping to reinvent your self, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is the place to be. This group has undergone a reasonably dramatic transformation itself—from “Metal Metropolis” to “Sensible Metropolis.” As an alternative of manufacturing metal, iron and glass, Pittsburgh is now a frontrunner in robotics, synthetic intelligence, cybersecurity, aerospace, software program engineering and different tech industries.
Right here, you’ll discover a welcoming group of changemakers and innovators who’re thriving at work and residential, due to town’s low value of dwelling, considerable inexperienced areas, wealthy arts scene and robust infrastructure. Pittsburgh additionally excels in terms of logistics and placement: It’s only a day’s drive from a number of main metropolitan areas—together with Chicago, New York Metropolis, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.
Pittsburgh additionally has a built-in expertise pool, with practically 30 schools and universities within the space—together with top-ranked Carnegie Mellon College and College of Pittsburgh. And, once you select to begin or develop what you are promoting in Pittsburgh, you’ll be in good firm: Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Meta all have places of work on this vibrant metropolis.
Woodland, California
A few of the world’s most urgent issues revolve round meals, agriculture and well being—and it’s going to take revolutionary, outside-the-box thinkers to unravel them. That’s the place Woodland, California, is available in. This midsize metropolis, located simply west of Sacramento in California’s Central Valley, is a world hub for startups engaged on every part from animal-free protein to new drug supply techniques.
In Might 2021, by a public-private partnership, town opened The Lab@AgStart, a shared-used facility designed to assist entrepreneurs get their concepts off the bottom. The area—which includes a moist lab, a meals lab, coworking area and places of work—proved so in style that town has already expanded it.
As well as, Woodland additionally presents a top quality of life, family-friendly facilities and quick access to Sacramento Worldwide Airport. It’s additionally comparatively reasonably priced by California requirements, making it straightforward to draw and retain one of the best workers.
Macon, Georgia
Girls and folks of colour have traditionally been underrepresented in entrepreneurship. Macon, Georgia, is working to alter that.
In 2018, NewTown Macon, an impartial financial growth nonprofit, launched the Downtown Range Initiative to assist the expansion of Black-owned companies in downtown Macon. This system has been a significant success, practically doubling the variety of Black-owned companies in downtown Macon—from 28 to 53—in only a few years. NewTown Macon additionally distributes loans and gives entrepreneurial coaching to girls and communities of colour to begin much more native ventures.
Zooming out, founders of all backgrounds can even benefit from town’s reasonably priced value of dwelling, collaborative workspaces like Crate X and SparkMacon and energizing occasions like Macon Startup Week. The Center Georgia Innovation Hall can also be furthering innovation all through the complete area.
Boise, Idaho
Nestled towards the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Boise, Idaho, is rapidly establishing itself as one of many nation’s subsequent massive tech hubs. Younger professionals and entrepreneurs are flocking to Idaho’s capital due to its low value of dwelling, pleasant individuals, quick access to nature and the promise of work-life stability.
Massive-name firms like Micron and Meta are establishing store right here, and Boise startups are being acquired left and proper: Intuit purchased the time monitoring and worker scheduling app TSheets in 2017, as an illustration, and Equifax purchased Kount, a fraud administration firm, in 2021. Boise’s inhabitants can also be rising: In 2020, it had greater than 235,000 residents, up 14.6% from 2010.
The town additionally has ample assets for founders, together with startup accelerators like Trailhead and Elevate Idaho, and inspirational occasions like Boise Entrepreneur Week. The Idaho Expertise Council, in the meantime, has set a aim of serving to 50 Idaho-based firms get hold of Sequence A enterprise capital to fund future progress.
Tucson, Arizona
Go to Tucson, Arizona, simply as soon as and also you’ll probably end up scrolling LoopNet to seek out your subsequent industrial property or workplace area. You wouldn’t be the primary, nor the final, entrepreneur to turn into enamored with this midsize metropolis within the Sonoran Desert. Enterprise house owners are often attracted by Tucson’s life-style, shut proximity to Mexico, quick access to main cities, logistical assets and reasonably priced value of dwelling.
Tucson is on the innovative in fields like renewable vitality and pure assets, photonics and optics, aerospace and protection, transportation, enterprise companies and biosciences—so, it doesn’t matter what enterprise you’re constructing, you’re certain to seek out your area of interest right here.
You’ll haven’t any bother recruiting both, for the reason that metropolis is residence to the College of Arizona and Pima Neighborhood Faculty, which produce extremely expert graduates who’re able to hit the bottom operating. And irrespective of the place you’re at in your entrepreneurial journey, Startup Tucson has assets and applications that may assist—from a “Startup 101” class to capital teaching and every part in between.
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Able to go full throttle in your new enterprise? Head to Ann Arbor, Michigan. This business-friendly school city in southeast Michigan is residence to boundary-pushers who’re innovating in all kinds of industries, from biotechnology to automotives.
The highest-ranked College of Michigan creates a strong expertise pool, whereas annual occasions like a2Tech360 assist enhance creativity. On the heart of town’s startup group is Ann Arbor SPARK, a nonprofit that’s been supporting entrepreneurs for practically 20 years. Different assets embody MI-HQ, Cahoots, the Entrepreneurship Middle at Washtenaw Neighborhood Faculty and the College of Michigan’s Middle for Entrepreneurship, simply to call just a few.
In the summertime of 2024, this forward-looking metropolis additionally kicked off an revolutionary, two-year pilot undertaking that gives month-to-month, no-strings-attached funds to low-income entrepreneurs. Referred to as Assured Earnings to Develop Ann Arbor, this system goals to stage the enjoying area for small-business house owners.
This text initially appeared within the March/April 2025 subject of SUCCESS® Journal. Photograph courtesy of VisitGreenvilleSC.
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