This list is complied from Startup Genome, a yearly report on the world’s top startup ecosystems. The rankings on factors like access to capital, talent, successful startups and cultural openness.
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25. Stockholm, Sweden
By Kyle Pearce
The openness and progressive thinking of Sweden has made this place a haven for startups and creative people.
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24. Amsterdam, Netherlands
By Kyle Pearce
Amsterdam’s storied history as a major port city makes it open to entrepreneurs and new ideas from all over the world. Dutch tax laws are also excellent, meaning many tech companies are moving here.
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23. Montreal, Canada
By Kyle Pearce
The most inexpensive and culturally rich of Canada’s major cities, Montreal has a thriving scene for startups, artists and musicians.
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22. Portland, Oregon
By Kyle Pearce
The city where young people go to retire has a thriving startup community. An outdoorsy lifestyle and a strong community that wants to buy local make Portland a hotbed for smart, creative people.
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21. Austin, Texas
By Kyle Pearce
A technology center and liberal enclave in the conservative Texas. One of the best music and cultural scenes in the US and a low cost of living make this a good spot for bootstrapping startups.
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20. Santiago, Chile
By Kyle Pearce
The Startup Chile program has really put Chile on the map. With it’s relatively low corruption, small debt and extremely low taxes, Chile is the best place to launch a startup in South America.
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19. Bangalore, India
By Kyle Pearce
The startup and technology hub of India, Bangalore has excellent local Universities and has grown beyond it’s reputation as a global outsourcing hub to a more homegrown startup ecosystem.
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18. Melbourne, Australia
By Kyle Pearce
Melbourne, the cultural capital of Australia is giving Sydney a run for its money as the best place to build a startup in Oz. A fun city that is full of energy and local talent.
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17. Singapore
By Kyle Pearce
This city state in South East Asia has a booming export economy and some of the lowest taxes in the world. The startup community is growing and entrepreneurs are moving here from all over the world.
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16. Waterloo, Canada
By Kyle Pearce
A small city outside of Toronto, Waterloo is home to Canada’s top Computer Science program and is the headquarters of Blackberry and a thriving startup community.
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15. Berlin, Germany
By Kyle Pearce
Berlin is probably the best place to build a startup in Europe today. This energetic and diverse city offers excellent local talent and the lowest cost of living for major Western European cities.
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14. Moscow, Russia
By Kyle Pearce
Never underestimate the homegrown talent of the Russians. Moscow is a thriving startup ecosystem and Russia has developed a dynamic set of local alternative to major US-based cloud-based services.
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13. Sao Paulo, Brazil
By Kyle Pearce
Brazil has made efforts in recent years to cut red tape and make the country more open to entrepreneurs. Sao Paulo has become the hub for the country’s growing startup ecosystem.
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12. Sydney, Australia
By Kyle Pearce
The biggest city in Australia has a thriving startup community and an excellent lifestyle with beautiful beaches and a laid back Aussie mentality.
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11. Paris, France
By Kyle Pearce
A startup visa program by France’s government, a stronger willingness among young French people to take risks and an educated workforce has made Paris the most dynamic startup hub on the continent.
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10. Chicago, Illinois
By Kyle Pearce
Chicago is the midwest’s hub for startups. The Groupon phenomenon has really been a shot in the arm for the Chicago startup ecosystem which has exploded in the last 5 years.
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9. Vancouver, Canada
By Kyle Pearce
For entrepreneurs that want work-life balance, Vancouver is a laid back outdoor recreation mecca. The neighbourhood of Gastown is full of startups and the community of entrepreneurs here is strong.
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Toronto, Canada
By Kyle Pearce
The most multicultural city in the world, Toronto is a radical social experiment in bridging the gap between different cultures and people. The city is an excellent launching pad for new startups.
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7. London, England
By Kyle Pearce
The city of London provides good access to capital and the largest startup ecosystem in Western Europe. The diversity of this cosmopolitan city is its best asset.
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6. Boston, Massachusetts
By Kyle Pearce
With many of Ivy Leagues best schools like Harvard, MIT and Yale nearby, Boston is one of the best places in the world to find cutting edge tech talent.
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5. New York City, New York
By Kyle Pearce
The city that never sleeps offers a lot to entrepreneurs who want to live and work relentlessly on their startup. Good access to capital, a magnet for talent and trend setters.
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4. Seattle, Washington
By Kyle Pearce
The small city that spawned Microsoft, Boeing, Amazon and Expedia is a hotbed for startups. 8 months of rain makes it easy to focus and work hard on building a successful business.
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3. Los Angeles, California
By Kyle Pearce
The center of Hollywood and the global showbiz industry, Los Angeles has long been magnet for people chasing dreams. The LA melting pot and good access to capital make this sunny city a great spot.
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2. Tel Aviv, Israel
By Kyle Pearce
3 years of mandatory military service for both men and woman has made Israel a made Israel a thriving startup ecosystem with disciplined, battle-hardened entrepreneurs pushing the boundaries.
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1. San Francisco Bay Area
By Kyle Pearce
The epiccentre of the global startup ecosystem, the San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley to the south provides the best place in the world for raising capital and finding talent.
