A new report ranked Houston No. 19 among the top 100 emerging ecosystems in the world. 

Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2021, produced by Startup Genome and the Global Entrepreneurship Network, considered ecosystems that are at earlier growth stages and who have high potential to be global top performers in the coming years. Houston was the fourth-highest U.S. city on the list, only behind Miami, Detroit and Portland. The report also ranked Houston No. 4 in Top Regional Challengers of North America. 

As InnovationMap reports, Houston climbed up in this year's rankings compared to the same report last year, which lumped Houston in the 31-40 range with other emerging ecosystems. 

The findings further underscore the region's momentum as one of the country's leading next-generation tech hubs. 

According to a recent Partnership analysis of venture capital, VC funding has remained strong with $373.1 million raised in Q2/21, up from $166.8 million from the same period last year. Companies raised $1.261 billion over four quarters ending in Q2/21 - a record high for a four-quarter span. HighRadius, Axiom Space and Preventice Solutions made up the three largest deals of the past year, accounting for over $500 million in funding. 

Read the Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2021. See the Q2/21 quarterly venture capital update.