Top Ten U.S. Cities for Corporate Innovation

I am always amazed at the incredible amount of creative energy you can find in smaller towns across the United States. Many people think that you need to be in the hub of a big city or university center in order to see corporate innovation at work.  That being said, Innovation Leader Magazine has just put out its Top 10 List for cities with the most innovative corporate workforces.

Most of these won’t surprise you (see the image on the right), but you can get a full explanation in the article, which I found interesting!

Here are the five factors they used to build the list:

1. Global 1000 companies with R&D labs or innovation centers, and their R&D investment levels
2. Trend-setting tech companies with large partner ecosystems (e.g. Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft, Salesforce)
3. Startup density, including accelerator programs, incubators, and co-working spaces
4. The presence of top-tier research universities
5. Conferences, trade shows, and networking events that foster interactions among corporate executives, entrepreneurs, and academic researchers.

Check out the list here.