The entrepreneurial spirit in Southern Nevada is getting a substantial boost from StartUpNV, a non-profit dedicated to guiding new businesses towards success. Emphasizing the importance of nurturing local talent, StartUpNV has organized an educational event where aspiring entrepreneurs can develop and showcase their startup ideas—a process designed to galvanize innovation within the community. Madeline Feldman, vice president of StartUpNV, shared details about the initiative in an interview with News3LV, signaling a step forward for the diverse economic landscape of Southern Nevada.
Yet StartUpNV is not just championing newcomers to the business arena. Their recently announced statewide partnership marks a significant push to propel startup growth across Nevada. Harnessing the resourcefulness of the first American startup ecosystem map developed by Dealroom, the platform is tracking startup activity and, according to a KOLO news report, providing an "open-access platform designed to facilitate data-driven policy and decision-making." Founder of Hibear, Mark Tsigounis, part of this ecosystem, will be presenting his multi-functional hydro-flask on Shark Tank, offering a testament to the program's reach in magnifying the ambition of Nevada-based innovators.
The Dealroom collaboration includes an impressive lineup of state and local economic players. Reported by KOLO, the Governor’s Office for Economic Development (GOED), Clark County Office of Community and Economic Development, and other esteemed organizations, have aligned with the initiative. Executive Director Jeff Saling's excitement about the partnership is clear. "It really sets a nice benchmark so that you can make sure you are indeed growing and it’s growing at a pace that’s consistent with other communities that are similar," Saling told KOLO.
This significant support system for founders is backed by hard data. With a nine-fold acceleration in startup growth since 2019 compared to the U.S. national index, Nevada is developing a nurturing ground for business innovation. In 2023, Nevada-based companies saw more than $25 million in early-stage funding and surpassing $42 million in Series A rounds. These figures underscore the growth of a startup ecosystem which, as per Dealroom’s evaluation, has seen its valuation swell from $1.9 billion in 2013 to an outstanding $27.3 billion a decade later.
