Current Events/Article Review

Name Date Class and Section Number "Denver's Startup Exit Values are on the Rise, Deloitte Study Finds" Periodical Used/Date of issue: September 16, 2024 Web Address: https://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2024/09/16/deloitte-denver-startup-exit-values.html I. Summary The news article published in the Denver Business Journal focuses on the growing role of exits in Denver startups by analyzing the Deloitte report. Exits are increasingly transforming Denver into one of the leading cities for startups to exit, especially those within the technology and life sciences industries. From the first half of 2024, the city recorded 24 expansion-stage deals valued at $2.8 billion, much higher than the prior year's results (Romano, 2024). This growth indicates that Denver's startup ecosystem is growing; companies are growing to the stage where they can grow big and exit. The study also reveals several push factors indicating why Denver has been experiencing high success levels, such as the availability of university talents, tax incentives, and advanced digital networks. These factors have assisted in luring sectors into the higher growth cycle, such as fintech, artificial intelligence, and healthcare. The article also proposes that through this trend, Denver is becoming a dominant regional center for innovation and entrepreneurship, making it one of the very few premier startup locations in the United States that is not on the coast. Part II. Critique The article outlines the emergence of high-value startup exits as a positive economic trend for the Denver economy, which has the capacity for further expansion. Although the article highlights the advantages of these trends well, it does not explore potential drawbacks or difficulties connected with the skyrocketing evaluation of startups. On the positive side, as the author of the article correctly pointed out, the increase in exit values should be viewed as evidence that the startup culture is rapidly developing in Denver (Romano, 2024...