Though tourism and gaming will lead Nevada’s economy for the foreseeable future, businesses and government entities in Nevada, and Las Vegas in particular, have invested deeply into several areas of emerging technology.

In Las Vegas, The Downtown Project – an incubator and investor in several Las Vegas-based startups – has been the catalyst for several emerging technology companies in Las Vegas, including arguably the most prominent support organization for start-ups: Tech Cocktail. Tech Cocktail hosts monthly events in Las Vegas and puts on start-up showcases in other emerging tech hubs nationwide such as Austin, Baltimore, Denver, DC, Philadelphia, Raleigh, Chicago, and Miami. In October 2014 Tech Cocktail hosted its second annual “Tech Cocktail Celebrate Conference” where over 50 startups from over 30 cities competed in Tech Cocktail’s “Nation’s Hottest Startup” competition, over 50 speakers from various tech industries presented, and hundreds of startup companies and venture capitalists were in attendance.

Las Vegas is also home to The InNEVation Center, a recently constructed and dynamic building that houses several government, nonprofit, and mostly tech-related startup organizations. This organization is funded by Supernap, a large facility that primarily houses data centers for over 1,000 clients. The InNEVation Center collaborates with and provides top-notch technical and logistical support to over 60 “INNEVATORS.”

As more and more tech professionals have relocated to Las Vegas, hiTech Vegas has developed a professional space for networking in the emerging technology space. Through hiTech Vegas, Las Vegas’ more established tech companies have a monthly opportunity to interact with start-up tech folks, creating compelling opportunities for collaborations and creative synergy.

In short, Las Vegas’ neon lights are not going anywhere, but the emerging tech future of Southern Nevada has extremely bright prospects.