Did you know that Florida, California, Texas and New York have economies so big that if they were countries, they would rank in the top 20 in the world?
In June, WalletHub released a study that ranked Florida’s economy the seventh-best in the U.S.
Within that study, Florida topped an individual category, placing as the state with the most startup activity.
Here are the top five states with the most startup activity in 2024, according to WalletHub’s state-by-state economy rankings list, and five Florida startups to watch.
Is Florida good for startups?
According to WalletHub’s rankings list of the states with the best and worst economies, Florida is the state with the most startup activity. Utah takes second place and Nevada slides into third.
Here are the top five states for startup activity, according to WalletHub:
- Florida
- Utah
- Nevada
- Idaho
- Colorado
Here are the bottom five states for startup activity, according to WalletHub:
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Vermont
- Iowa
- Hawaii
What are the top startups in Florida right now?
Crunchbase is an online platform that aggregates information about companies and startups to help investors, business people and researchers with market research.
Crunchbase’s company profiles include a wealth of information, from each company’s funding and investment data, to a breakdown of who owns, operates and works at the company.
Here is Crunchbase’s list of the top five startups headquartered in Florida that have been trending up for the last 30 days:
- Star Catcher: Star Catcher is an energy startup based in Jacksonville, Florida. According to the company’s website, “Star Catcher is creating the first energy grid for space. Our orbital infrastructure will transform how satellites are powered.” Star Catcher was founded this year and announced in July that it received just over $12 million in its seed funding round.
- Breakout Trading Group: Breakout Trading Group is a crypto-focused financial services startup based in the Tampa Bay area. According to its Crunchbase profile, the “evaluation-based prop firm allows users to trade global markets and gain access to real payouts,” and was founded in 2023.
- Tastes Pretty Good: Tastes Pretty Good is a restaurant group based out of the Tampa area, founded by the CEO of PDQ, Nick Reader (who is a University of Florida alumnus). The group’s two restaurants, Rocca and Streetlight Taco, have both been recognized by the Michelin Guide, according to Reader’s Linkedin bio.
- Exitoweb: Exitoweb is a private Miami-based website development agency founded in 2020.
- GalenusRX: GalenusRX is a private healthcare company based in Fernandina Beach, founded in 2023. According to Pitchbook, “the company analyzes, personalizes and optimizes medication regimens by holistically assessing individual regimens and ensuring patients receive appropriate, safe and optimally effective treatments.”