New ecosystems in Midwestern states create tech hubs in the heartland

Places like Cincinnati allow entrepreneurs to start and grow businesses in affordable places with indigenous capital, great universities and leadership, and attractive areas.


“We believe fundamentally that individuals shouldn’t have to be forced to trade off location for vocation,” says Monty Hamilton, CEO of Rural Sourcing, an Atlanta-based startup that employs coders and other tech workers in the Midwest.


In Cincinnati, for example, Don Wright recently launched a new startup, Clarigent Health, just a few years after he sold his first healthcare company, Assurex, for about $410 million.


“Guys like Don cash out and become part of our tech ecosystem to build a next generation of entrepreneurs,” says Rod Robinson, CEO of ConnXus, a Cincinnati-based firm that connects minority- and women-owned suppliers with customers worldwide.


And by leveraging these and other attributes, new ecosystems are created that allow talent to grow outside of the coasts.

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