A recent Crowdfund Capital Advisors (CCA) study ranked Las Vegas as the best city in the country for startups, moving Las Vegas up nine spots to displace Austin, Texas in the 2023 survey.
“If one takes time to understand the entrepreneurial scene in Las Vegas, they will find all the key elements, including engaged civic leaders open to learning about the startup ecosystem, where they collaborate on the vision and provide government sponsorship of events, gatherings and tax breaks,” said Sherwood Neiss, Principal at CCA. “The community has training and mentorship programs for local entrepreneurs and has benefitted from revitalization efforts from large companies and hosts trade shows, funding programs, co-working spaces and a low living cost. This is why Las Vegas has become one of the fastest growing tech hubs in the country.”
To help build the startup ecosystem, the city of Las Vegas developed not one, but two Innovation Centers in downtown Las Vegas. The International Innovation Center @ Vegas (IIC@Vegas), an 11,000-square-foot space at 300 S. Fourth St., opened in 2019. It was so successful, a second hub (IIC@VegasII) opened in 2020 at 801 S. Main St.
Designed as an incubator for companies developing smart technologies that align with city priorities, the IIC’s are home to a growing number of tech companies, including but not limited to Ubicquia,Influential, NTT, SenSen, Pills2Me, Amiga Latina, Dragone Creation, Kaptyn, Vay-Jo, Right Wise Health, Heligenics and Gener8tor, a nationally ranked venture capital firm and accelerator that brings together startup founders, investors, corporations and job seekers.
Since 2019, the IICs have hosted 600-plus events, including Tech Alley meetups, summits, remote work events, angel investor conferences, and thanks to tenants StartUpNV and StartUpLV, a number of events to help founders launch, find funders and grow.
Companies may apply for leases at both centers for a period of three to 12 months during their pilot periods. If a pilot project and/or technology development is successful, the technology may be considered for deployment by the city of Las Vegas. Once a company’s lease term is complete, the city’s Economic and Urban Development department works with tenants to secure and move into available space in the downtown Las Vegas area or elsewhere in the city.
Photo: Inside the International Innovation Center @ Vegas on Fourth Street