F&D Magazine

Where Startups Do Roam: Swati Bhatt

SWATI BHATT

October 2, 2025

Courtesy of Swati Bhatt

In This Episode

The US is a breeding ground for startups, and California has been the center of that universe since the dot-com boom in the late 1990s. But rising costs, tighter quarters, and increasing bureaucracy have many tech innovators seeking greener pastures, well beyond Silicon Valley. Princeton University’s Swati Bhatt has been studying the evolution of America’s startup boom in recent years and has uncovered a surprising trend toward rural communities, better known for raising cattle than for high-tech infrastructure. In this podcast, Bhatt talks to journalist Rhoda Metcalfe about these new entrepreneurs opting for a different lifestyle. Transcript

Read the article in the IMF's Finance & Development magazine

SWATI BHATT is a faculty member of the Department of Economics at Princeton University.

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