The Global Startup Ecosystem Index Report 2021
StartupBlink has launched the 2021 startup ecosystem index report that ranks 1,000 cities and 100 countries worldwide and is based on the results of an improved algorithm.

The Startup Ecosystem Index Report 2021 launched by StartupBlink ranks 1,000 cities and 100 countries worldwide and is based on the results of an improved algorithm. The report now tracks both momentum and trends within the startup ecosystem from 2017 onwards. It also has new sections on City Ecosystems in Unranked Countries, a Top Island Cities Ranking, Analysis by Sub Score, Analysis by Population, and even a ranking based on special entities such as Unicorns and Pantheons.

Read the full report here

The main goal of the rankings is to feature and rank hundreds of ecosystems rather than highlighting a few highly successful ecosystems that are already well known. The used method also reveals trends at both the country and city level, identifies up and coming startup ecosystems, and flags underperforming ecosystems that are losing momentum.

Key Insights in 2021 (Top Ten Countries and Cities)

When compared with 2020, this year the top 5 countries have all maintained their rank from last year, however, there are several interesting insights.

The table below illustrates the Top startup ecosystem countries globally in the 2021 rankings as well as their change in the last years. 

 

Firstly, the United States maintains a massive lead over the 2nd ranked, the United Kingdom, showing a strong and dominant innovation scene across the 267 USA cities ranked in this report. 

Additionally, for the first time since 2017, it seems that Brexit does have some negative influence on the UK ecosystem. Another interesting development is a change in the group which we refer to as the “Big 4” Startup Ecosystems: the US, UK, Israel, and Canada.

Canada is still ranked 4th, but it is now much closer to the startup ecosystem of Germany at the 5th spot than to the UK and Israel. Therefore, we can now relabel the term our “Big 3” club, led by the US with a massive gap over both the UK and Israel.   

2021 has seen changes to the top 10 cities, with the top 5 this year being – San Francisco (1st), New York (2nd),  Beijing (3rd), Los Angeles (4th) and London (5th).

The top two startup ecosystems remain the same as they were last year: San Francisco and New York. San Francisco is the “supernova” of startup ecosystems, evidenced by its total score, which is almost 3 times higher than New York. However, this may eventually change. Like last year, New York deserves congratulations for building the 2nd strongest global startup ecosystem.

Beijing, now ranked 3rd after increasing 3 spots, is proof that the Chinese model of innovation is working. Ranked 4th globally is Los Angeles, a city which is becoming much more than an entertainment hub, and is now a truly robust global technological leader outranking ecosystems like London and Boston.

London, ranked 5th, is facing a challenging environment. Boston, ranked 6th, could not keep up with the excellent results of Beijing and Los Angeles, giving up 2 spots but still holding strong as a global leader. At 7th is an additional Chinese city, Shanghai, solidifying its position as a leading global hub and offering more proof of the outstanding growth rate of Chinese ecosystems. 

At 8th, Tel Aviv is an international ecosystem representing the startup nation of Israel. At 9th is Moscow, a powerful hub with outstanding talent, but a more domestically driven ecosystem, catering mainly to the massive Russian market, albeit with the potential to go global if the geopolitical situation allows. At 10th, after increasing 4 spots, is the splendid ecosystem of Bangalore, a hybrid model of an international hub which also enjoys the advantages of the massive local market in India.
 

Via StartupBlink