Paul Graham had this thesis that there was untapped potential by targeting young people. I've always believed that same principle could apply to the midwest. Where I grew up everyone wanted to be an entrepreneur. Not because it was hip, but because there were no good jobs (the town was built around a factory that closed down in the 80's).

The exceptional talent moved to the coasts, but what's left is still pretty persistent, and given that the trends of technology have been to lower the barriers to entry in startups, "exceptional talent" isn't required. In fact what the midwest has is a plentiful supply of ambitious, and persistent people... which arguably is more valuable.