Post by Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center

"What happens when a world-class innovation region loses its angel community? In our ARIE research, the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center examined the structural conditions that drive entrepreneurial success across 20 U.S. metros. Seattle ranked 9th overall — a top-tier ecosystem with talent density most regions would envy. But Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati partners Craig Sherman and John Brust see the gap up close. Sherman: "There used to be a very vibrant angel community [in Seattle], but it has faded away. Companies go to Silicon Valley earlier than they should." Brust: "Those first checks usually come from a founder's local network. And they are hard to come by." Seattle doesn't need to reinvent itself. It needs to rebuild the middle — revive angel networks, add local Series A/B capacity, and keep founders building where they live. The full Seattle story from our editorial partner Technical.ly: https://lnkd.in/eVCe2JDH Download ARIE: www.nasdaqcenter.org/ARIE #ARIE2025 #Entrepreneurship #StartupEcosystem #Seattle #RegionalInnovation"