Investor Watch: January 22, 2026

This online exclusive follow-up to the recently published Washington, DC Investment Guide explores why the nation’s capital continues to be a magnet for attorneys.

E-COMMERCE/LOGISTICS

With a global network of nearly 500 facilities and more being added all the time, Lineage, Inc., knows where to place new links in the cold chain.

INVESTMENT PROFILE: TENNESSEE

Tennessee’s history of nuclear discovery is one marked by pivotal chapters. It’s also a story that is far from over.

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Photo courtesy of Vienna Institute for Global Studies

The Vienna Institute for Global Studies last week unveiled the 2026 Global Digital Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Index Report, which it says offers “one of the most comprehensive global assessments to date of how digitalization translates into entrepreneurial and economic outcomes across 170 economies.”

Wouldn’t you know it, two countries very much in the news this week top the rankings: the United States at No. 1 and Denmark at No. 2 in a tie with the United Kingdom. The next position is also a tie between Netherlands and Singapore, followed by Sweden, Switzerland, Australia, Norway and Finland completing the top 10.

“We are at a turning point in the global digital economy,” said Prof. Dr. Zoltán Ács, director of the Vienna Institute for Global Studies. “Digital access is no longer the main constraint. The real challenge is enabling entrepreneurship — particularly scaling, finance, and institutional coordination — so digital readiness can be transformed into economic value.”

Compare and contrast the findings with the past two years of Site Selection’s Global Startup Ecosystem analysis at the metro level, published in July 2025 and July 2024.

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Photo © 2026 World Economic Forum / Boris Baldinger

Released on the first day of the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting this week, “Global Value Chains Outlook 2026: Orchestrating Corporate and National Agility” examines “how companies and governments can remain competitive as disruption becomes a permanent feature rather than a cyclical shock.”

Notwithstanding the inherently ironic premise of planning for what you don’t plan for, the report, developed in collaboration with Kearney, includes the launch of the Manufacturing and Supply Chain Readiness Navigator. “Drawing on leading global indices, the Navigator supports strategic decision-making on industrial policy and manufacturing footprint design,” said a WEF release. “Governments can use it to diagnose competitiveness gaps and prioritize reforms, while companies can assess infrastructure readiness and ecosystem maturity when making location and investment decisions.”

A photo-rendering envisions what the new project from Sphere Entertainment Co. will look like once completed at National Harbor, Maryland.
Photo-rendering courtesy of Sphere Entertainment Co.

All hail the Mini Sphere. Earlier this week, Sphere Entertainment Co., the State of Maryland, Prince George’s County and Peterson Companies announced today their intent to develop a new Sphere venue at National Harbor, the development spearheaded by Peterson Companies that has played host for several years to the SelectUSA Investment Summit.

“Our focus has always been on creating a global network of Spheres across forward-looking cities,” said James L. Dolan, executive chairman and CEO of Sphere Entertainment and of Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. (MSG Entertainment), whose sports division owns the NBA’s New York Knicks and the NHL’s New York Rangers. While the full-scale Sphere in Las Vegas is the pioneer and a second is in development in Abu Dhabi, this project will be the first developed on a smaller scale, i.e., a planned 6,000-seat capacity vs. the 18,600 seats in Las Vegas. But that doesn’t mean small investment.

“This project would utilize a combination of public and private funding, including approximately $200 million in state, local and private incentives,” the official announcement stated. “Sphere would support approximately 2,500 jobs during the construction phase, and 4,750 jobs once operational, in addition to generating millions in additional revenue for the County and State. Once open, the economic impact of Sphere National Harbor is expected to be greater than $1 billion annually.”

“This will be one of the largest economic development projects in Prince George’s County history — proving once again our state is the best place in the country to bring dreams to life,” said Maryland Governor Wes Moore. “We’re excited for what this means for our people, and how it will showcase the best of what Maryland has to offer to everyone who visits.”

Located 15 minutes from Washington, D.C., National Harbor already welcomes more than 15 million visitors annually. — Adam Bruns