Check out this cool map, produced by The Atlantic in partnership with the Martin Prosperity Institute, which shows where venture capital dollars flowed in 2012.
As one would expect, the East and West Coasts have the biggest pockets, led, of course, by San Francisco/Oakland (No. 1) and San Jose (No. 2).
Based on the 2012 data, Seattle ranked 7th, with 3.3 percent of all venture capital dollars. (Seattle attracted $886 million in 2012, compared to more than $10 billion for Silicon Valley/San Francisco; $3.1 billion for Boston; and $2.2 billion for New York).
In fact, Seattle ranks between San Diego and Austin in terms of dollars invested. (Portland does not crack the top 20).
The chart comes out an interesting time, as we continue to debate whether there’s enough capital available for entrepreneurs in the Seattle region and whether the entrepreneurs here are going after enough home run opportunities. I’ve personally expressed concerns about the dwindling ranks of venture capital firms in the region, not to mention some dips in money, especially compared to New York and, at least during the first quarter, Portland.
Others have argued that there’s plenty of money at the ready for smart and talented entrepreneurs.
“There is an infinite amount of capital available for great ideas backed by great people. It is not true that there is not capital available,” argued Nick Hanauer, a partner at Second Avenue Partners, in Seattle on the GeekWire podcast this past weekend.
Zillow co-founder Rich Barton, an investor in companies such as Glassdoor, RealSelf and Avvo, agreed with Hanauer on the show. And he said stressed the big ideas emerging in Seattle, countering that with what he dubbed a “sell-out culture” in New York.
“I would way rather be investing here in Seattle and in Silicon Valley than in New York,” said Barton.
