The Brookings Institution published a report this week titled The case for growth centers: How to spread tech innovation across America. The report focuses on how to spread innovation to new locations across our country, as it has been concentrating growth in a limited number of cities and is an interesting report worth looking at for anyone interested in trends in technology and innovation.
Denver is one of the relatively few number of metro areas whose share as a percentage of tech innovation rose from 2004-2017. Five coastal cities (Boston, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle and San Diego) accounted for 90% of all United States innovation-sector growth during this time. Denver is one of only 6 metro areas located in the interior of the country to increase its share of innovation during that time.
The Brookings Institution classified 20 cities as “Superstar metro areas” for high tech innovation, most of which are located in coastal cities. Denver made the cut on this list as well. This shouldn’t come as a surprise for those of us involved in the Denver area tech scene, as things have been booming especially over the last decade. Ibotta and Guild Education have both recently raised funding at a valuation of $1+ Billion (with a B !), with many tech startups realizing massive success as well.
It’s safe to say Denver is no longer just a dusty old cow town!