Birmingham and Huntsville named ‘up and coming’ tech hotspot

Delect
Via Innovation Depot’s Facebook

Last week, the popular digital site Livability  named Birmingham and Huntsville number two on their Beyond Silicon Valley: 5 Up-and-Coming Tech Hotspots list.

According Livability’s profile, the site explores what makes small-to-medium sized cities great places to live through proprietary research studies. They also  examine topics related to community amenities, education, sustainability, transportation, housing and the economy.

Innovation Depot, Velocity Accelerator, Birmingham
Velocity Accelerator 2018 teams! (Via Innovation Depot)

Other cities making the Beyond Silicon Valley list included:

Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska
Ame and Des Moines, Iowa
Raleigh and Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Kansas City and St. Louis, Missouri

In its story about Birmingham, Livability recognized many of the Magic City’s success stories and the fertile creative atmosphere that has been created by Innovation Depot. Here is an excerpt from the story:

The state’s most populous city, Birmingham, has also received a lot of attention for its recent growth in the tech sector. Through the work of Velocity Accelerator, the Innovation Depot, and others, the city has seen successful start-ups launch, such as grocery delivery service Shipt and Daxko, software for health and wellness organizations.

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via Shipt Facebook

Just last month Bham Now reported about Innovation Depot’s Velocity Accelerator program.

Innovation Depot’s Velocity Accelerator Program launches its second year

On the other end of the I-65 corridor, Livability recognizes the growth in tech jobs in and around the Huntsville region. Recent studies by Zip Recruiter and Bloomberg show explosive job growth in the Rocket City.

Separated by only 90 miles, could Birmingham/Huntsville become the next “Southern Silicon Valley?” Let’s hope so.

What are is your opinion? Did Livability get the ranking right?

 

Pat Byington
Pat Byington

Longtime conservationist. Former Executive Director at the Alabama Environmental Council and Wild South. Publisher of the Bama Environmental News for more than 18 years. Career highlights include playing an active role in the creation of Alabama's Forever Wild program, Little River Canyon National Preserve, Dugger Mountain Wilderness, preservation of special places throughout the East through the Wilderness Society and the strengthening (making more stringent) the state of Alabama's cancer risk and mercury standards.

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