Is Vancouver a Legitimate Tech Hub?
In the first part of this series, we covered the history and rise of technology in Vancouver with an in-depth timeline infographic.
Today, our piece compares the Vancouver startup ecosystem against the other major tech hubs in North America.
If you’re asking yourself whether or not Vancouver is able to directly compare with Silicon Valley, the answer is a resolute “no”. To put things in perspective, Silicon Valley boasts at least 10x more tech employees, 20x more venture capital deals, and an unsurpassed track record of success.
In fact, California alone grabbed a hefty 47% of all North American venture capital funding in 2013.
That said, there is no question that Vancouver is trending in the right direction. For starters,Vancouver has some of the best support for entrepreneurs with a high ratio of mentors and incubators per capita. Venture capital figures are rising and some great success stories are popping up.
Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, and the rest of the big boys are all setting up shop in the Rainy City. Even the mayor and city are on the bandwagon.
While the numbers don’t quite stack up against Silicon Valley or New York yet, there is plenty to be excited about. Stay tuned: we’ll tackle the future of tech in Vancouver in Part 3 of this series.
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