Madison, Wisconsin named a top ten startup-friendly city for entrepreneurs

MADISON - Entrepreneur magazine lists Madison, Wisconsin as one of the Top Ten best places to be an entrepreneur in its' August issue. The writer, Jason Daley referred to Madison as "The Diversifer" for moving beyond the cities traditional base of state government, UW-Madison, and agriculture. The article points out that Madison has expanded to grow businesses in the biotech, healthcare, and software industries. 

The article mentions that a renewed focus on entrepreneurship by the University's business school which hosts the Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship, the establishment of a fast-growing University Research Park, over half a dozen business and arts incubators, and plans for a new food science lab and incubator developed with the Environmental Protection Agency. The fact that Madison has the second most educated work force in the country and one of the best quality of life ratings makes it attractive to business owners of all stripes.

Daley reported, “There's something that statistics just can't capture about the entrepreneurial spirit of a town. In some cities, the do-it-yourself business ethic may spring from a ruined economy. In others, small-business booms were carefully engineered by long-term government policies, or developed as a byproduct of rapid growth.”

Other cities that made the list:

• Las Vegas: “The Opportunity”
• Portland, Oregon: “The Cooperator”
• Orlando, Florida: “The Coordinator
• San Diego: The Proactivist”
• Chapel Hill, North Carolina: “The Gloablizer”
• Phoenix: “The Exapander”
• Atlanta: The Grower”
• Youngstown, Ohio: “The Deamer”
• Austin, Texas: The Cross-Pollinator”

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