Index
Startup Cities
Where is the best place to build a startup?
Leader: San Francisco · 7 source rankings · 999 cities
The Superscout Index: a ranking of rankings
An aggregate ranking of startup cities, countries, universities, venture firms and accelerators, built from the leading independent rankings. Every score shows the original positions it comes from.
5 indexes, one method
Each index answers one question for people building, funding or joining startups. They share one scoring method; each draws on the rankings that matter for its question. Updated September 24, 2026.
Index
Startup Nations
Which country gives a startup the best odds?
Leader: United States · 4 source rankings · 144 countries
Index
Founder Universities
Which universities produce founders?
Leader: Stanford University · 7 source rankings · 323 universities
Index
Venture Firms
Which firms back the companies that win?
Leader: Sequoia Capital · 7 source rankings · 46 firms
Index
Launchpads
Which accelerators actually launch companies?
Leader: Y Combinator · 4 source rankings · 109 programs
What an aggregate ranking is
Dozens of organizations rank startup cities, universities and investors, and they rarely agree. Each has a blind spot: one counts funding, another exits, another research papers. The Superscout Index does not collect new data or survey anyone. It reads the rankings people already rely on and combines them, so a place that does well by many measures rises above one that shines in a single list.
Think of it the way a film site averages critics’ reviews: the original rankings stay the authority, and every score here links back to them. See every ranking Superscout tracks.
How a score is made
- Choose the source rankings. For each index, Superscout picks independent rankings that measure what the index is about, and leave out lists that are narrow, outdated or paid for.
- Turn positions into points. First place earns full points and last place almost none. Positions count relative to the size of each list, so #10 of 1,000 is worth more than #10 of 40. The scale is steeper at the top, where competition is fiercest.
- Weight each source. Every ranking carries a published weight based on what it measures, how much it covers and how reliable its method is. Results older than a year lose 10% of their weight for each further year.
- Add it up and show the proof. The weighted points form a score from 0 to 100. Missing from a source ranking earns nothing from it. Next to every score you can see each original position.
Superscout Startup Cities Index
Where is the best place to build a startup?
Cities ranked by the strength of their startup ecosystems: companies built, capital raised, exits, and the research that feeds them.
Top 10 of 999 cities7 source rankingsMethod v1
| Rank | Name | Score | Startup Genome30% | StartupBlink30% | Dealroom20% | WIPO clusters10% | GFCI5% | Kearney2.5% | Oxford Economics2.5% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco | 92.0 | #1 | #1 | #1 | #3 | #11 | Not listed | #5 |
| 2 | New York City | 86.4 | #2 | #2 | #2 | #7 | #1 | #1 | #1 |
| 3 | London | 78.2 | #3 | #3 | #4 | #8 | #2 | #2 | #2 |
| 4 | Boston | 68.9 | #5 | #5 | #3 | #9 | #18 | Not listed | #7 |
| 5 | Beijing | 64.9 | =6 | #6 | #9 | #4 | #16 | #6 | Not listed |
| 6 | Seoul | 57.1 | #9 | #202025 | #10 | #5 | #7 | Not listed | #38 |
| 7 | Los Angeles | 53.3 | =6 | #4 | Not listed | #12 | #14 | #9 | #12 |
| 8 | Tokyo | 49.5 | #12 | #132025 | Not listed | #2 | #6 | #4 | #9 |
| 9 | Tel Aviv | 48.7 | #4 | #7 | Not listed | #19 | #94 | Not listed | #34 |
| 10 | Singapore | 48.5 | #8 | #10 | Not listed | #16 | #4 | #5 | #29 |
Each source column shows the position in that publisher’s own ranking. Select a ranking to read how it works, or a position to open the full original list. A small label marks an older edition, used when the latest one does not list that entry.
Superscout Startup Nations Index
Which country gives a startup the best odds?
Countries ranked as places to start and scale: startup activity, innovation capacity and business conditions.
Top 10 of 144 countries4 source rankingsMethod v1
| Rank | Name | Score | StartupBlink40% | Global Innovation Index30% | IMD20% | Bloomberg10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 75.3 | #1 | #3 | #10 | #11 |
| 2 | Singapore | 74.1 | #4 | #5 | #1 | #2 |
| 3 | Switzerland | 72.3 | #8 | #1 | #3 | #3 |
| 4 | Sweden | 64.5 | #6 | #2 | #9 | #5 |
| 5 | United Kingdom | 60.0 | #2 | #6 | #24 | #182019 |
| 6 | The Netherlands | 51.5 | #10 | #8 | #8 | #9 |
| 7 | Germany | 48.8 | #7 | #11 | #23 | #4 |
| 8 | Israel | 48.3 | #3 | #14 | Not listed | #7 |
| 9 | South Korea | 47.9 | #202025 | #4 | #21 | #1 |
| 10 | Canada | 47.8 | #5 | #17 | #16 | #202019 |
Each source column shows the position in that publisher’s own ranking. Select a ranking to read how it works, or a position to open the full original list. A small label marks an older edition, used when the latest one does not list that entry.
Superscout Founder Universities Index
Which universities produce founders?
Universities ranked by what they give founders: how many venture-backed founders they produce, and the research and standing behind them.
Top 10 of 323 universities7 source rankingsMethod v1
University of California appears as one system because several source rankings list it that way.
Each source column shows the position in that publisher’s own ranking. Select a ranking to read how it works, or a position to open the full original list. A small label marks an older edition, used when the latest one does not list that entry.
Superscout Venture Firms Index
Which firms back the companies that win?
Venture firms ranked by the outcomes of their portfolios first, then by how active they are where the market is moving.
Top 10 of 46 firms7 source rankingsMethod v1
Early signal. Most source rankings cover US firms, so European and Asian firms are under-represented today.
| Rank | Name | Score | Strebulaev-Jackson50% | PitchBook Gen AI15% | PitchBook AI agents10% | PitchBook AI infra10% | Crunchbase fintech5% | Endpoints5% | Sifted5% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Sequoia Capital | 76.3 | #1 | #1 | #2 | #4 | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| 2 |  Andreessen Horowitz | 67.6 | #2 | #2 | #3 | #2 | =3 | Not listed | Not listed |
| 3 |  Accel | 41.3 | #3 | Not listed | =8 | #7 | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| 4 |  Lightspeed | 35.9 | #7 | #10 | #7 | #6 | =3 | Not listed | Not listed |
| 5 |  Tiger Global | 35.9 | #5 | Not listed | Not listed | #5 | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| 6 |  DST Global | 35.0 | #4 | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| 7 |  Index Ventures | 32.6 | #6 | Not listed | =9 | Not listed | #4Q2 2026 | Not listed | Not listed |
| 8 |  Thrive Capital | 27.5 | #8 | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| 9 |  OrbiMed | 19.3 | #27 | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | #1 | Not listed |
| 10 |  Parkway Venture Capital | 18.1 | #19 | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
Each source column shows the position in that publisher’s own ranking. Select a ranking to read how it works, or a position to open the full original list. A small label marks an older edition, used when the latest one does not list that entry.
Superscout Launchpads Index
Which accelerators actually launch companies?
Accelerators and incubators ranked on outcomes first (exits and follow-on success), then on activity and recognition.
Top 10 of 109 programs4 source rankingsMethod v1
Early signal. Few independent accelerator rankings exist, so scores are low across the board.
| Rank | Name | Score | Rice SARP35% | CB Insights30% | Beta Boom25% | TIME10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Y Combinator | 43.7 | Platinum+ | #2 | Not listed | #4 |
| 2 |  Techstars | 38.3 | Platinum | #3 | Not listed | #1 |
| 3 |  Plug and Play Tech Center | 31.0 | Silver2017 | #1 | Not listed | #34 |
| 4 |  MassChallenge | 27.8 | Gold | #6 | Not listed | #2 |
| 5 |  CARB-X | 20.6 | Not listed | Not listed | #2 | Not listed |
| 6 |  Motus Ventures | 18.0 | Not listed | Not listed | #3 | Not listed |
| 7 |  betaworks | 16.2 | Not listed | Not listed | #4 | Not listed |
| 8 |  Creative Destruction Lab | 15.0 | Not listed | #10 | Not listed | #15 |
| 9 |  Moderne Ventures | 14.8 | Not listed | Not listed | #5 | Not listed |
| 10 |  AngelPad | 14.6 | Platinum+ | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
Each source column shows the position in that publisher’s own ranking. Select a ranking to read how it works, or a position to open the full original list. A small label marks an older edition, used when the latest one does not list that entry.
The method will change
The Superscout Index is a living method. As publishers release new editions, launch new rankings or retire old ones, Superscout adds, drops and reweights sources. Scores and positions can move when the method changes, not only when the places themselves change.
Every change gets a new method version and a dated entry below, so you can always tell whether a move comes from the data or from the method.
- Method v1
- September 2026. First version: five indexes, 30 source rankings, weights as shown above.
The rules behind the index
- Sources stay the authority
- Every position links to the original ranking and its publisher.
- Weights are public
- Each index lists its sources and exact weights.
- Paid lists count least
- Rankings where entrants pay or nominate themselves carry the lowest weight.
- No paid placement
- No one can pay to be included in or move up any Superscout index.
- Honest about gaps
- Where sources are thin, as for venture firms and accelerators, a note says so next to the scores.