#8. Columbia
1 Million Cups is a weekly event for local entrepreneurs to meet and present their startups to a peer network of small business founders in Columbia, with the morning get-togethers occurring at The Innovation Hub in the Downtown Incubator building. Also available is a Columbia  Entrepreneur Network on LinkedIn, and the University of Missouri offers an Entrepreneurship Alliance at its College of Business.
Business Growth (2011-2015): 24%
Employment Growth (2011-2015): 19%