Good news for startups (per WSJ): your odds of success increase by 277% if you are in Silicon Valley! Why is SV “the best destination for startup companies”? Because it has an “entrepreneurial ecosystem” where VCs and other startups “help foster new ideas and innovation.” SV based startups are 277% more likely to achieve equity growth by acquisition or IPO, 218% more likely to get VC funding, and 60% more likely to receive a patent. Other tech hubs are Denver, Los Angeles, Boston and New York, but their benefits “aren’t as big as those conveyed by moving to Silicon Valley.”

Another point the article makes, which is good for IP lawyers, is the most important factor in an entrepreneurial ecosystem for startup growth is patents per capita, more important than VC dollars or entrepreneurs per capita. Turns out “patents per capita is the metric most strongly linked with startup growth. This suggests that local idea generation is more important than the availability of financing or the presence of other startups.”