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Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER)

Startup Genome's annual report ranks the top 40 startup ecosystems worldwide (plus a Top 100 of emerging ecosystems) on exits, ecosystem value, funding, talent and market reach. It is one of the most cited ecosystem rankings among governments and ecosystem builders, who use it to benchmark cities.

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Reliability
Grade C · 7/12
Publisher
Startup Genome
Ranks
Startup ecosystems
Editions
11 since 2012
Method
Mixed
How items get in
Compiled by the publisher
Status
Active
Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER)
SectionEditions
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Editions

EditionPublishedTop of the listOn record
GSER 2026June 17, 2026Silicon Valley41
GSER 2025 Method changedJune 12, 2025Silicon Valley41
GSER 2024June 10, 2024Silicon Valley41
GSER 2023June 15, 2023Silicon Valley17 of 40
GSER 2022June 14, 2022Silicon Valley6 of 40
GSER 2021September 2021Silicon Valley13 of 40
GSER 2020June 25, 2020Silicon Valley13 of 40
GSER 2019May 2019Silicon Valley7 of 30
GSER 20172017Silicon Valley20
2015July 27, 2015Silicon Valley20
Startup Ecosystem Report 2012 Method changedNovember 20, 2012Silicon Valley20

How the ranking works

The 2026 edition scores ecosystems (defined as metro regions within roughly a 100 km radius) on six success factors, each scored 1 to 10: Performance 27.5%, Funding 20%, Market Reach 20%, Talent & Experience 17.5%, AI-Native Cluster 10% and R&D Engine 5%. The Emerging ranking uses different weights (Funding 30%, Market Reach 15%, AI-Native Cluster 5%).

Data covers more than 5.5 million companies across 350+ ecosystems, drawn from Dealroom, Crunchbase, PitchBook and CB Insights plus proprietary data and local partner input. Ecosystem Value (exit and startup valuations) is measured over a rolling window (H2 2023 to 2025 in the 2026 edition). Factor sets change often: an AI-Native factor was added in 2025 and its weight doubled in 2026.

Ranked positions: Each item has a position (1, 2, 3), with ties allowed. Ecosystems cannot apply to be ranked; Startup Genome ranks all ecosystems in its dataset. However, Startup Genome's business is advising governments and ecosystem agencies (it cites work with more than 200 agencies in over 65 countries), and the report includes chapters on partner ecosystems such as Hessen, Abu Dhabi and Qatar.

Read the publisher’s methodology

How far to trust it

Superscout grades every ranking on six criteria, each scored 0 to 2. Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER) scores 7 of 12, grade C.

Transparency 1/2
Factors and weights are published, but underlying metrics and normalization are not.
Independence 1/2
Ranks all ecosystems in its data, but earns revenue from ranked governments and ecosystem partners.
Evidence 2/2
Built on venture, exit and valuation data from commercial databases.
Stability 0/2
Factor set or weights changed in 2025 and 2026 and in several earlier editions.
Coverage 1/2
Ranks the top 40 plus an emerging top 100 out of 350+ analyzed ecosystems.
Track record 2/2
Eleven editions since 2012.

History

Startup Genome published its first Startup Ecosystem Report in November 2012 with Telefonica Digital, based largely on survey data from its Compass benchmarking tool. A 2015 ranking appeared under the Compass name; the Global Startup Ecosystem Report label has been used since 2017, with annual editions since 2019. The list grew from a top 20 (2012 to 2017) to a top 30 (2019) and a top 30 plus 10 runners-up (2020 onward), now presented as a Top 40.

The method has shifted from survey data to venture databases and the factor set has been revised repeatedly (Connectedness dropped, Knowledge replaced by R&D Engine, AI factors added in 2025 and 2026), so year-on-year moves partly reflect method changes.

How it is received

The GSER is widely quoted by city governments and press releases announcing rank gains. Academic reviewers are more cautious: Attila Makai (Hungarian Statistical Review, 2021) argues that rankings built on crowd-sourced startup databases produce 'a hybrid ranking based on the startup ecosystem's real performance and digital visibility' and that the input data 'cannot be considered as complete or representative'.

Startup Genome also advises many of the governments and agencies whose ecosystems it ranks (it cites policy work for more than 200 agencies in over 65 countries), a structural independence concern readers should weigh.

Strengths

  • Long track record back to 2012 with consistent top-tier coverage.
  • Publishes factor scores for each ranked ecosystem, not just a rank.
  • Methodology page states factor weights.
  • Uses several commercial venture databases rather than a single source.

Weaknesses

  • Factor set and weights change most years, which limits year-on-year comparison.
  • Publisher sells advisory services to ranked governments and agencies.
  • Ties and coarse 1 to 10 factor scores hide small differences.
  • Underlying data are not published for independent checking.

Open questions

Facts not verified yet. They stay visible so they are not mistaken for settled facts.

Superscout describes Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER) independently from the publisher’s own pages and outside coverage, linked below. The rankings belong to Startup Genome.

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Sources and known limits

Last reviewed .