Why the Next Civilization-Scale Breakthroughs Might Be Built in the Midwest
The case for America’s heartland as the future of existential innovation
“The future is already here—it’s just not evenly distributed.”
— William Gibson
The next wave of civilization-shaping innovation won’t come from where you expect. It will emerge from regions built on grit, resilience, and real-world infrastructure.
While many people still consider America’s Midwest a legacy zone, I propose a different perspective: seeing it as a launchpad.
The era of existential innovation—the kind that reshapes how humanity survives and thrives—requires more geographies to deliver breakthroughs so we can unf*ck the future.
Not just for tax reasons. Not just for lower burn. But because the very soul of innovation is shifting—from noise to depth, from spectacle to substance.
What the Midwest can build, and why now
We need to build systems that determine and ensure that we have a livable future.
AI alignment and agentic infrastructure
Climate adaptation, fusion, and resilient energy systems
Biotech, healthspan extension, and biosecurity
Fertility science and demographic resilience
Space logistics, orbital manufacturing, and off-world infrastructure
These are some of the domains of existential innovation. And they require more than capital—they require commitment, patience, and pragmatism—qualities the Midwest has in abundance.
1. Industrial backbone meets frontier vision
The Midwest is underestimated.
This region built the backbone of American prosperity: steel, railroads, energy, automotive, and agriculture. Now it’s being quietly rewired for a new century.
Intel’s $20B investment in Ohio could transform New Albany into a semiconductor superhub.
Michigan and Indiana are leading domestic EV battery and mobility R&D.
Illinois is home to Fermilab and Argonne—two of the world’s most important research institutions in high-energy physics and supercomputing.
Minnesota is a biotech and medtech giant, with over 1,000 companies in the sector.
Wisconsin is home to generational leaders in food systems, manufacturing, and materials science.
Missouri and Iowa are becoming testing grounds for agricultural resilience and distributed energy.
The infrastructure is already there.
Now it needs mission-driven builders to show up.
2. Untapped talent engine
The Midwest is overflowing with technical talent. What it lacks is a story.
University of Michigan, Purdue, UIUC, Notre Dame, Ohio State University, UW-Madison, and Carnegie Mellon produce thousands of engineers and scientists every year.
The region is home to the top 10 programs in quantum, AI, mechanical engineering, regenerative biology, and food science.
Midwest grads often leave because ambition feels like a one-way ticket to the coasts.
But if we build the right innovation infrastructure, founders won’t leave—they’ll stay.
Many will return because building the future is an excellent career move and, perhaps more importantly, a generational calling.
3. Civic muscle and public-private momentum
The Midwest still believes in building for the collective good.
This shows up in:
Institutions like JobsOhio, a state-aligned organization that funds hard tech and deep science.
Federal investments like the CHIPS and Science Act target Midwest cities for semiconductor and quantum infrastructure.
A growing network of venture firms, innovation districts, and startup studios outside the coastal spotlight (Drive Capital, The O.H.I.O Fund, Vessel, Builders + Backers, Heartland Ventures, OhioX, and more).
These institutions are backing the next chapter of American ambition.
What we could build in the next 5 years
We should build an innovation infrastructure for existential progress, rooted in America’s most overlooked geographies.
Over the next 5 years, we should lay the foundation for a distributed network of deep-tech hubs focused on solving the most important problems of our time.
Imagine:
1. Biosecurity and health-focused accelerators in Cleveland and St. Louis
Positioned near world-class health systems (Cleveland Clinic, WashU Med), this accelerator would turn breakthrough biology into startups focused on pandemic prevention infrastructure, rapid-response synthetic biology, fertility preservation, IVF optimization, and fertility innovation
A home for founders at the intersection of reproduction, longevity, and public health resilience.
2. AI alignment research hub in Pittsburgh
Located beside Carnegie Mellon, the center would incubate safety-first AI startups and support foundational research into alignment architectures, robust interpretability, and simulation-based safety testing.
A high-integrity environment for AI alignment builders outside the coastal arms race.
3. Decentralized education prototypes in Madison, Champaign, and Ann Arbor
Across these university towns, we can prototype a new civic learning network focused on alt-universities for builders and scientists, vocational training for the AI and bioeconomy, and entrepreneurship-first education models.
Reclaiming the land-grant university spirit for the 21st century.
4. Grid-scale energy storage lab in Iowa or Indiana
A testbed for commercializing long-duration energy storage solutions critical to renewable grid reliability, decentralized energy sovereignty, resilient infrastructure in extreme weather regions, advanced battery chemistries, and mechanical storage.
The Midwest can become a power storage backbone for a net-zero world.
5. Space logistics and autonomy testing site in Dayton or Kansas City
With proximity to the Air Force Research Lab (Wright-Patterson) and central U.S. logistics corridors, this hub would support autonomous drone and satellite servicing systems, on-orbit supply chain simulations, dual-use aerospace applications, and space robotics and teleoperation platforms.
A “Skunkworks for Space” rooted in the industrial heartland.
The frontier is moving
The frontier is underfunded. We should do more than back founders—we can help shape where the future is built, and who gets to build it.
The Midwest is the perfect proving ground for a new generation of institution-scale innovation—grounded, distributed, and aligned with long-term impact.
If Silicon Valley was built on software, the Midwest can be built on system-scale innovation.
The next wave of transformative companies will be built with incredible conviction.
In converted warehouses.
With insatiable curiosity and hunger.
With a willingness to do what it takes to transform the world around us.
If you’re a founder with a long view, don’t follow the noise.
Follow the signal.
And build in the Midwest.
Thanks for reading,
Yon
👋 Hello! My mission with Beyond with Yon is to ignite awareness, inspire dialogue, and drive innovation to tackle humanity's greatest existential challenges. Join me on the journey to unf**ck the future and transform our world.