Cincinnati saw strong startup growth in 2015, index shows

Cincinnati jumped seven spots on the latest Kauffman Index of Startup Activity to 24th metro in the nation.

The Queen City was one of five metros that experienced the biggest positive shifts in rank from 2015 to 2016, according to the study, the first and largest index tracking entrepreneurship across cities, states and nationally.

In third place for fastest startup growth, Cincinnati jumped from 31st place to 24th out of 40 metro areas. Some of the other metro areas that saw bigger jumps were Orlando and Kansas City.

Cincinnati, which promotes the #StartupCincy hashtag, boasts a growing list of accelerators spanning the Tristate, including the Brandery in Over-the-Rhine, UpTech in Covington and Ocean in Oakley. The entrepreneurial ecosystem includes seed-stage investors, such as CincyTech, Connetic Ventures in Northern Kentucky, and Queen City Angels.

Cincinnati has gained attention for its potential as a startup hub. In 2013, Entrepreneur Magazine named Cincinnati an "unexpected hub for tech startups."

Local startups have increasingly gained national attention for their work, most recently Rodney Williams,founder at Lisnr, raised a $10 million series B round led by Intel Capital. The money was the largest amount raised by any company to date, receiving funding through Intel Capital’s $125 million Diversity Fund.