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Madison

Madison-Janesville-Beloit, WI CSA Wisconsin

Overall score9.4#32 of 32 metro areas
Development7.9Size of activity
Growth12.9#32 in growth
Startup raises153$834M sold · 18 venture funds raised $842M

Activity by quarter

Startup raises per quarter
peak 9Q4 2020: 92020Q1 2021: 42021Q2 2021: 5Q3 2021: 6Q4 2021: 9Q1 2022: 72022Q2 2022: 6Q3 2022: 7Q4 2022: 7Q1 2023: 92023Q2 2023: 4Q3 2023: 9Q4 2023: 9Q1 2024: 72024Q2 2024: 4Q3 2024: 3Q4 2024: 6Q1 2025: 52025Q2 2025: 9Q3 2025: 7Q4 2025: 8Q1 2026: 52026Q2 2026: 2Q3 2026: 6
Venture funds per quarter
peak 3Q4 2020: 02020Q1 2021: 22021Q2 2021: 0Q3 2021: 0Q4 2021: 0Q1 2022: 32022Q2 2022: 1Q3 2022: 0Q4 2022: 0Q1 2023: 02023Q2 2023: 2Q3 2023: 0Q4 2023: 3Q1 2024: 22024Q2 2024: 0Q3 2024: 1Q4 2024: 1Q1 2025: 12025Q2 2025: 0Q3 2025: 0Q4 2025: 1Q1 2026: 02026Q2 2026: 0Q3 2026: 1
YearStartup raisesStartup dollarsVenture fundsVenture fund dollars
Q4 2020–Q3 202124$192M2$2.2M
Q4 2021–Q3 202229$183M4$345M
Q4 2022–Q3 202329$128M2$419M
Q4 2023–Q3 202423$104M6$62M
Q4 2024–Q3 202527$99M2$12M
Q4 2025–Q3 202621$127M2$1.6M

Score breakdown

Development scales each six-year total 0–100 between the smallest and largest ranked metro areas; Growth is each measure’s momentum as a percentile among them.

MeasureSix-year totalDevelopmentLast 2 years vs prior 2Last year vs priorGrowth
Startup raises1530.0−8%−22%3.2
Startup dollars raised$834M0.0−2%+28%45.2
Venture funds187.4−50%+0%3.2
Venture fund dollars$842M24.4−97%−86%0.0

Venture firms headquartered here

None of the firms in our Venture Capital Fund Index is headquartered here yet.

How the index works

Every company and fund raising money privately in the US files a Form D notice with the SEC within 15 days of its first sale. We count each new offering once, in the quarter of its first notice, at the amount sold in its latest amendment. Startup raises are offerings by operating companies in technology, health care, energy, manufacturing, business services, and financial services (excluding banks and debt-only offerings). Venture funds are pooled funds that describe themselves as venture capital funds, excluding single-deal and series vehicles (SPVs) and feeder funds.

Offerings are placed by the issuer’s ZIP code in its combined statistical area, or its metropolitan area where there isn’t one. Addresses shared by 25 or more unrelated issuers (registered agents, fund administrators, mail drops) are left out, because they don’t say where a company works.

Development averages four measures over the whole period: the number of startup raises, the dollars they sold, the number of venture funds, and the dollars they raised. Each is scaled 0–100 on a log scale between the smallest and largest ranked area. Growth averages, for the same four measures, the change in the last two years against the two before and in the last year against the one before, as a percentile among ranked areas. Overall is 70% Development plus 30% Growth. Areas need 150 startup raises and 10 venture funds in the period to be ranked.

Form D undercounts: some issuers never file, and amounts are self-reported. Amounts sold grow as issuers amend their notices, so the latest quarters’ dollars run low until they do. Delaware and Wyoming still include companies that list a smaller registered agent’s address rather than where they work. Firms are placed in a metro by their headquarters city. Data through September 30, 2026. Sources: SEC Form D data sets; US Census Bureau 2020 ZCTA to county relationship file; OMB 2023 metropolitan area delineations (NBER county crosswalk).