They are now in the second year of the survey and are proud to announce that 2015's results are now out.
Here are some key takeaways:
- Access to capital and talent along with support from local and state government are still the top concerns for the NJ startup and entrepreneurial community.
- New Jersey's startup/entrepreneurial ecosystem has yet to develop a strong brand. 42% of respondents feel that New Jersey’s ecosystem is made up of a collection of smaller hubs based around cities or towns.
- Almost a third of the respondents (29%) reported that they feel that state’s ecosystem is an extension of the larger hubs in New York City and Philadelphia, while about a quarter (26%) believe it is organized around larger geographic regions like North, Central, and South Jersey
- Despite a slight decline from last year, members of the startup and entrepreneurial community still view New Jersey as a favorable place start or grow a venture (new question in 2015)
- There was a notable change in the way members of the New Jersey entrepreneurial and startup community were feeling about the direction of the ecosystem in 2015.
- Just over half of respondents (57%) to the 2015 survey felt that the ecosystem was headed in the right direction, which is down from 72% the previous year.
- Those who reported that the ecosystem is heading in the wrong direction dropped by almost half from last year to roughly 9%, with a very significant jump in those who are uncertain about the direction of the ecosystem (35%), which is up almost four times from 2014
To review the full survey, click here.
To read NJBIZ’s coverage on the report, click here.