Orlando has all the ingredients to be the next big startup hub

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What Austin is to Texas, what Atlanta is to Georgia, is a booming hub where startups flock from around the world.

In the first half of this year, a little more than $360 million was invested in the metro area, which is more than the amount invested in the first half of last year. $30 million was allocated in Q2 2020 and $90 million in Q2 2021.

The $170 million invested in the third quarter was a decrease from last year's figure. This year, the city has received just $9.57 million in capital investment. There was around $12 million in capital allocated this year.

“We have tremendous amounts of velocity happening and we’ve been quiet in how we’ve told the story, but there is a huge underswell of stealth technology being built here.” David Adelson of the Orlando Economic Partnership

According to Jordan Walker, the co-founder of the messaging platform Yac, people don't think about technology when they hear about the shooting. There is a lot of innovation out here and people think of Disney World.

The chief innovation officer at theOrlando Economic Partnership said that the tech community in the area is very collaborative. There is a huge underswell of stealth technology being built here and we have been quiet about it.

The vibe check was conducted to see what is happening in the venture scene and what needs to be done to keep it thriving. The city's plans to become the center of the metaverse was highlighted by the city's founder and investor. In order to make a bigger splash, a beacon is needed.

Hunter McKinley said that every major city has a beacon. He pointed out that the capital factory of Austin and the mayor of Miami have been leading the way in innovation.

He said to look at niches that seem to stand out in the city and find the most influential people to encourage them to be a beacon. There needs to be a Capital Factory in the city.

Orlando: The Silicon Swamp?

It would do well as a venture hub, for example. It has an emerging art scene, an incubator of talent from the University of Central Florida, and a low cost of living compared to Los Angeles, San Francisco, and even Miami.