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Introducing Our 5th Annual

2022 State of Startups Report

An analysis of our projects from the past year and what they reveal about the current startup economy

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Every year, we examine our business plan projects to gain insights into the startup economy. Here’s what we learned in 2021.

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Despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, 2021 was a banner year for startups, a welcome respite after a sluggish 2020. The entrepreneurial spirit was stronger than ever, as new business registrations hit an all-time high of 5.4 million, an 23% increase over 2020.

That level of innovation was reflected in Masterplans projects last year, which increased by 20% over the total number of projects created in 2020.

Masterplans Total Projects 2019-2021



Funding Type

Another area to measure the startup ecosystem’s vitality in 2021 is to look at business funding. The flagship SBA lending program, the SBA 7(a) loan, totaled $36.5 billion in 2021, up from $23 billion in 2020. Meanwhile, venture capital funding increased to nearly $330 billion in total investment, with angel and seed investment increasing by a whopping 70% year over year.

Eighty percent of Masterplans clients used their business plans for seeking funding, with over 2/3 of those seeking bank lending:

Masterplans projects by funding type

Strategic planning, not-for-profits, and cannabis licenses were among the other uses for our business plans.

Trending Industries

Speaking of cannabis, the industry reclaimed a position near the top of our industries in 2021, after slipping in 2020. Other top industries included restaurants, healthcare, and retail & consumer goods.

2021 Trending Industries for Startups



Demographics

Women-owned businesses accounted for 24% of our projects in 2021, a slight decrease. Minority-owned businesses increased slightly over 2020, accounting for 41% of our total projects. Veteran-owned businesses decreased from 12% to 9%.

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The entire report is available online for free. Just click below for access.

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