Richard Florida

Venture capital shifts

Senior Editor, The Atlantic; Director, Martin Prosperity Institute, University of Toronto, Jan 31, 12.

Tagged with urban planning, growth, investment, downtown

The past several years have seen something of a subtle shift from the traditional “nerdistan” industrial park model of high-tech development to a more urban cast. The growing number of startups and high-tech companies in downtown San Francisco and New York, even London’s so-called Silicon Roundabout, are examples of this shift.
The Route 128 area in Boston’s suburbs has long been deemed the world’s second leading center for high-tech companies and start-ups. Now the shift to “urban tech” appears to be happening there, too.
According to a report in the Boston Business Journal, the city of Boston has caught up with its surrounding suburbs in attracting venture capital. The story reports data from CB Insights, which finds that companies within the city limits raised almost $600 million in 59 venture capital deals, roughly the same as the Route 128 suburbs.

Full Story: Venture Capital Shifts Downtown
Source: The Atlantic Cities, January 26, 2012

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