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Did LinkedIn Leave You Off The Top 50 List This Year?
- Cynthia Nevels
- Oct 16
- 5 min read
October 15, 2025 #linkedin #business #startups #venturecapital #growth
The 2025 LinkedIn Top U.S. Startups list has generated significant attention due to its focus on innovative companies that are changing their industries. This year's highlights include a special emphasis on businesses led by West and East Coast founders. I
Venture capital trends reveal a pattern familiar to us working on innovation in the South: our region is rich in talent, tenacity, and solution-driven technologies. However, as this year’s LinkedIn Top Startups 2025 list shows, the majority of recognition and investment still orbit the coastal hubs. Out of 50 high-growth firms named, less than 15% are led by women or minority founders—and nearly two-thirds are concentrated in California and New York, with the Bay Area and San Francisco alone representing nearly half the roster.
Major cities like Dallas, Atlanta, Miami, and Raleigh are missing from these lists—not for lack of innovation, but often due to proximity to venture capital, talent pipelines, and entrenched networks driving the selection process. For example, Dallas-Fort Worth is now ranked as the #2 metro for growth among women business owners, and companies like KPIXAI are pioneering artificial intelligence right here in Texas. Yet, investment statistics still don’t reflect our region’s momentum or hidden growth potential.
Let’s put this in focus:
Region stats: Over 60% of LinkedIn’s Top 50 Startups are headquartered in the Western U.S., and just 15% are based in Southern or Eastern states.
Diversity stats: Only 6 out of 50 companies (12%) are led by women founders or co-founders, and less than 10% have minority founders.
Examples of diverse-led firms:
Common Room (Seattle, WA): Led by Linda Lian (Asian woman CEO), Industry: Software/AI. Backed by Greylock, Index Ventures.
Midi Health (Palo Alto, CA): Led by Joanna Strober (woman founder), Industry: Digital health. Investors: Felicis Ventures, Muse Capital.
What’s missing in these high-profile lists? The vast untapped potential of southern innovation and minority leadership. From AI and healthtech to fintech and enterprise SaaS, southern and eastern founders are building the future—often without national attention or capital at scale.
The gap is clear: VC money flows fastest where networks are deepest; southern entrepreneurs, especially women and minority founders, too often operate on the margins of these networks. Historic underinvestment and pipeline challenges mean high-growth companies in our region are less likely to be spotlighted or funded, despite rates of entrepreneurship by Black and Latina women outpacing national averages.
West Region Reigned Supreme This Year
California
Perplexity
Industry: Software Development
Ownership: Minority (Aravind Srinivas, Indian founder)
Headquarters: San Francisco
Perplexity is a software development company recognized for its cutting-edge solutions. Founded by Aravind Srinivas, a member of the Indian community, the company has garnered praise for its technological innovations. Last year, Perplexity improved its user engagement by 35% through unique features that cater to diverse audiences.
Fireworks AI
Industry: Software Development
Ownership: Woman-owned (Lin Qiao, Asian woman founder)
Headquarters: Redwood City
Fireworks AI stands out as a leading woman-owned enterprise led by Lin Qiao. The company harnesses the power of artificial intelligence to develop impactful software solutions that have shown to increase productivity for small businesses by as much as 20%. This illustrates the significant potential of women in technology-driven fields.
Common Room
Industry: Software Development
Ownership: Woman-owned (Linda Lian, Asian woman CEO)
Headquarters: Seattle, WA
Common Room, under Linda Lian's leadership, is focused on enhancing community engagement through software solutions. The company has successfully improved user retention by 40% in its first two years, demonstrating how diverse leadership can drive innovation and success in tech.
GOODLES
Industry: Manufacturing (Mac & cheese)
Ownership: Woman-owned (Jen Zeszut, CEO)
Headquarters: Santa Cruz
GOODLES, founded by Jen Zeszut, is transforming the mac and cheese market by introducing healthier and innovative variations. In a competitive food manufacturing sector, the company has grown its sales by an impressive 50% since launch, reflecting the power of creative diversity in the industry.
Mountain Region
Colorado
MagicSchool AI
Industry: Education
Ownership: Woman co-founded (Not yet confirmed full ownership, under review)
Headquarters: Denver
MagicSchool AI is an educational startup dedicated to enhancing learning experiences through technology. While ownership details are still being verified, the significant involvement of a woman co-founder suggests a positive trend toward female representation in the education sector, an area critical to future generations.
Mid-Atlantic/South Region
North Carolina
CareYaya Health Technologies
Industry: Hospitals and Health Care
Ownership: Minority (Neal K. Shah, Indian founder)
Headquarters: Durham
CareYaya Health Technologies, founded by Neal K. Shah, focuses on improving access to healthcare services. This minority-owned company has developed applications that have successfully decreased appointment wait times by up to 30% for underserved communities, emphasizing the need for diverse leadership in the healthcare sector.
Pacific Region
California
Midi Health
Industry: Hospitals and Health Care (Women's health-focused platform)
Ownership: Woman-owned (Joanna Strober, founder)
Headquarters: Palo Alto
Midi Health, led by Joanna Strober, addresses vital health issues affecting women. As a woman-owned business, it is striving to improve treatments and resources available to women, impacting over 10,000 users within its first year and highlighting the critical nature of representation in healthcare.
Additional Companies Identified So Far
Thinking Machines Lab (San Francisco, CA)
- Industry: AI/Technology, Software
- Ownership: Woman-owned (Mira Murati, Albanian woman, former OpenAI CTO)
Thinking Machines Lab, headed by Mira Murati, is advancing artificial intelligence and technology. With a solid foundation from her time at OpenAI, Mira is driving this woman-owned startup to innovate in AI solutions.
ARMRA (Florida)
- Ownership: Woman co-founded, more info pending confirmation
ARMRA is currently under review for ownership specifics, but its co-founding by a woman suggests a promising future for female entrepreneurship in health and wellness.
Ownership Type Breakdown For The LinkedIn Top 50
Woman Owned: 6 identified (12% so far)
Minority Owned (Asian, Indian, etc.): 3 identified (6% so far)
Black Owned: No clear black-owned companies identified from initial research, but more may surface as further ownership checks are performed
From the initial analysis, we've found that approximately 12% of the companies reviewed are woman-owned, while 6% are minority-owned. The absence of confirmed black-owned companies from the first 50 companies checked highlights an area where further exploration is needed.
Percentage Breakdown
Woman Owned: ~12%
Minority Owned: ~6%
Black Owned: Pending, none confirmed
This breakdown emphasizes the need for increased representation of black-owned businesses in the venture-backed ecosystem. As our analysis continues, we hope to uncover more black-owned companies, thereby enhancing their inclusion in the billions of dollars invested in them in less than 24 months.
Insights on the Startup Landscape
The opportunity to change this narrative is here. Organizations like Integrality LLC (Dallas), Impact Ventures (Dallas), Fearless Fund (global), and national programs targeting underrepresented founders are starting to move the needle. With the launch of the Texas Stock Exchange | TXSE Group Inc and Goldman Sachs’ $500 million Dallas expansion, the infrastructure for capital and network-building is growing in our backyard.
So, what’s next?
Widen the investor search: Investors and national media must actively expand their focus to include southern and eastern deal flow and demand greater founder diversity.
Strengthen regional networks: Corporations, VCs, and civic leaders can amplify founder visibility, mentor connections, and inclusive pitch events—ensuring every entrepreneur has a seat at the table.
Partner for impact: VCs should connect with local universities, HBCUs, and accelerators to fund founders from every background—not just in major urban hubs. We have worked with Dallas College to do this for five years.
Uplift regional success: Share and celebrate the stories and achievements of southern innovators—spotlighting their journeys in outlets like Dallas Innovates.
Our region stands on the threshold of transformation. The next wave of high-growth technology and entrepreneurship will come from founders reflecting America’s true diversity and optimism. With new infrastructure, rising investor attention, and inclusive networks expanding, the South is ready for its moment—and I’m proud to stand with the leaders driving that growth.
Want to know which VC firms invested in these high-growth firms? Schedule an appointment at Integrality to learn more about our new AI-BOS solutions.
Sources:
LinkedIn Top Startups 2025
Venture Capital Journal, U.S. News & World Report
Diversity VC, Bloomberg
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