Despite progress in expanding access to capital, private equity and venture dollars remain concentrated in a handful of coastal cities. California, New York, and Massachusetts continue to absorb the lion’s share of funding, while vast regions of the country—particularly the Midwest and South—receive only a fraction of institutional attention.

This imbalance represents more than a regional gap. It reflects a persistent blind spot that risks leaving long-term value on the table.

Despite the growing conversation around equitable capital allocation, the reality remains stark: more than 85% of venture funding in the US still flows to just three states: California, New York, and Massachusetts. That leaves the rest of the country, including high-potential markets in the Midwest, competing for a sliver of investor attention.

Investors missing opportunities in less familiar markets

Yet these so-called “flyover states” are proving to be fertile ground for capital-efficient innovation. Founders in states like Illinois and Missouri are building businesses with lower burn rates, stronger unit economics, and a clear focus on early profitability. The cost of doing business—from talent to infrastructure—is often significantly lower than on the coasts, giving startups in these regions more time to refine products, secure revenue, and scale sustainably before taking on growth capital.

These fundamentals are increasingly relevant in today’s environment. As capital becomes more discerning and macro conditions tighten, investors who focus exclusively on headline geographies risk missing durable, high-upside opportunities in less familiar markets.

Illinois is a case in point. Chicago has emerged as a hub for applied AI and quantum computing research. Regional universities are producing commercialisation-ready IP. Healthcare innovators are working to improve care delivery in both urban and rural contexts. These are not conceptual bets—they are operational businesses in need of early, strategic capital. Yet access remains limited, often constrained by geography, legacy bias, or the absence of coastal network ties.

Many of these businesses are founder- or family-led. They are deeply rooted in their communities and bring with them a level of operational continuity that is difficult to replicate in more transient startup ecosystems. What they often lack is the support required to scale—whether that’s capital for digital transformation, expertise in governance and succession, or partnerships that open up cross-border growth.

Underinvestment in these markets creates ripple effects beyond the companies themselves. When capital bypasses middle America, innovation slows. Intellectual property remains underutilised. Job growth lags. In sectors like healthcare and advanced manufacturing, this also affects national resilience. Companies solving real problems are unable to bring their solutions to market at the scale required, not due to technical shortcomings but because the capital infrastructure is not in place.

Whether it’s upgrading legacy operations in an industrial firm in Missouri or helping a healthcare platform in Illinois expand into regional hospital systems, there must be sustainable scale support from the inside out.

The idea that transformation must come from disruption is a coastal assumption. In much of America’s interior, transformation looks like enabling continuity: helping long-standing businesses evolve into modern enterprises without losing what made them resilient to begin with.

Beyond viable, vital

As private capital recalibrates, allocators should take this moment to reexamine where growth is likely to emerge. The regions often dismissed as secondary markets are proving to be primary engines of innovation, particularly in sectors that underpin economic stability. The combination of technical talent, lower overhead, and real-world application creates favourable conditions for long-term, fundamentals-based investing.

Investing in these places requires more than capital. It requires presence, patience, and a willingness to build trust outside of legacy networks. But the reward is significant. These are not speculative markets—they are under-networked ones.

The more investors expand their aperture, the more they will find businesses that are not only viable, but vital.

Middle America does not lack potential. It lacks proximity to capital decision-makers who too often prioritise proximity over possibility.

Private capital has a role to play—not just in funding ideas, but in balancing the geography of opportunity. This is beginning to change. The question is whether the shift will come quickly enough to unlock the innovation already waiting to be scaled. 

By Ankit Shrivastava, Founder and Managing Partner, Enventure