Small business in the Big Sky: Blackstone Launchpad at the University of Montana turns students into entrepreneurs and ideas into cash

Most Montana startups are in business activities, just like Kwame’s site, and they’re popping up in the Treasure State at a faster rate than anywhere in the United States. Montana has topped the Kauffman’s Index of entrepreneurial startup activity for two years in a row. Of every 100,000 Montanans, 540 become entrepreneurs each month, according to the Index.

There were a growing number of entrepreneurs in Montana before the 2008 recession, peaking in 2007 before declining. This is mostly because so many construction startups that began during the housing bubble failed. The current upward trend of entrepreneurs began in 2011, according to the Montana Labor Market Information Office.

The rise in entrepreneurs across the state and country is mostly due to globalization, technology, social media and crowd funding platforms like Kickstarter, according to business management professor Klaus Uhlenbruck. The three collude, allowing Montana to connect to the rest of the world and actually be a player in the world economy.

Claire Chandler

Full Story: http://www.montanakaimin.com/news/article_8d9654fc-7f56-11e5-b477-c78020337834.html