(The Center Square) — Between 2019 and 2024, Louisiana saw a massive 452% increase in investment, with venture capital growing from $165 million to more than $910 million, according to a new national analysis from Broker Chooser.
Despite the impressive surge, Louisiana still landed among the bottom states for growth in investment over that period — ranked 37th overall.
The findings reflect a broader trend in which some states are attracting an outsized share of venture capital, while others are falling behind due to economic stagnation, limited startup infrastructure, or the fading afterglow of earlier booms.
Conversely, Louisiana ranked 18th on the list of states with the lowest percentage increase in investment from 2019 to 2024, underscoring how competitive the landscape has become. Even so, the state managed to outperform Texas — a frequent benchmark for Louisiana leaders who often point to the Lone Star State as a model for economic growth.
A separate report from Flippa, released in April 2024, paints a longer-term picture. Using data from the National Science Foundation and Pitchbook, Flippa found that Louisiana had the sixth-highest venture capital growth nationwide over the past decade, with a 10.2x increase between 2012 and 2022.
Back in 2012, Louisiana pulled in just $25.75 million in venture funding. By 2022, that number had jumped to $324.45 million. Average deal sizes also rose significantly — from $610,000 to $3.38 million — while the number of deals more than doubled, from 42 to 96.