A new study by Dell named Austin's economy among the United States’ best prepared for the future.
Dell commissioned the study to find proxy indicators that a city was well prepared for future growth. To get the rankings, they looked at a number of characteristics thought to be associated with a "future-ready economy."
Among those were the ability of a city to attract curious and engaged people, the number of businesses that thrive in collaborative environments and the prevalence of collaborative infrastructure.
The study found that of all the cities in the United States, Austin was the fifth best prepared for future growth, and the highest ranked non-coastal city.
“We’re very confident these cities will grow faster in the next five to ten years than most other cities,” said James Diffley, IHS Economics Group Managing Director for U.S. Regional Services in a statement.
The idea that Austin’s cultural identity contributes to vibrant startup environment is echoed often. In a blog post Dell published with the study’s findings, a project manager for the city attributed Austin’s future readiness to the city’s social scene more than any one industry.
“People are allowed to express who they want to be and they don’t take it for granted,” said Adrian Lipscombe, who is also Austin’s bike share coordinator. “So if you have an idea and you’re an innovator, there are people that are going to be here to support you.”
That sentiment has been supported by the abundant fundings available to early-stage startups in the city, which have flourished in a cluster of incubators and co-working spaces that have opened in the past few years to nurture them (several more have opened since we published that article, which wasn’t even exhaustive at the time).
For an in-depth look at Austin’s fundings landscape, take a look at our latest annual report.
Anthony Sodd contributed to this report.
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