Based on the Startup Ecosystem Rankings Report 2019, many cities have emerged as the fastest-growing startup ecosystems when compared to 2017. We have already celebrated the top-ranked startup ecosystems by countries and by cities, but have never had a chance to celebrate the locations with the massive jumps in the rankings. And we are not talking about dozens or a hundred locations. In this article, we will be looking at the cities around the world that skyrocketed by 400 or more places up.
The Report has proved to be useful not only for entrepreneurs looking for their next business stop but the government and municipalities across the world striving for innovation as well. Hence, we hope that this mention of the fastest-growing can serve as a source of motivation to keep on building and strengthening the ecosystems.
We will start off by presenting the biggest regional jumps in North America, Asia, Europe, and South America.
North America: 24 cities
North America remains strongly positioned at the top of the rankings. It does not only boast with the #1 startup ecosystem in the world, USA, and Canada standing at #3 but seems to have the highest number of cities with biggest jumps. Even though that sounds impressive, the results are not that shocking knowing that the USA only has more than 400 cities, or over 40% of the total number of ranked cities on the map, based on the Startup Ecosystem Rankings Report 2019. In comparison, no other country has more than 50 cities in the rankings.
The startup ecosystem scene is massively dominated by North America and these are the 24 cities that increased by 400 and more spots:
| Country | City | Rank (2019) | Change (from 2017) |
| USA | Palm coast | 743 | 406 |
| USA | Calabasas | 739 | 411 |
| USA | Tyler | 579 | 411 |
| USA | Monroe | 572 | 427 |
| USA | Idaho Falls | 737 | 430 |
| USA | Prescott | 589 | 437 |
| USA | White Plains | 518 | 444 |
| Canada | British Columbia | 654 | 452 |
| Canada | Windsor | 630 | 454 |
| USA | Daytona Beach | 570 | 463 |
| USA | Broomfield | 643 | 508 |
| USA | Rancho Cucamonga | 430 | 508 |
| USA | Erie | 611 | 544 |
| USA | Winchester | 470 | 553 |
| USA | Elk Grove | 551 | 554 |
| USA | Harrisonburg | 619 | 556 |
| USA | Green Bay | 490 | 589 |
| USA | Concord | 405 | 595 |
| USA | Santa Clarita | 526 | 607 |
| USA | Cheyenne | 524 | 646 |
| USA | Hayward | 443 | 653 |
| USA | Brookhaven | 425 | 675 |
| USA | Marietta | 363 | 715 |
| USA | Fairfield | 387 | 741 |
Asia: 20 cities
Unlike for North America, rankings in Asia have shifted to a great extent. Some of Asia-Pacific top-ranked countries lost momentum. For instance, Singapore is no longer ranked 1st in Asia-Pacific, dropping 11 spots to 21st and falling out of the top 20 club. Luckily, there is one Asian country making a swift climb in the rankings: India has climbed 20 spots and is now ranked 17th. More good news arrives from several Asian countries, namely Thailand (33rd), the Philippines (54th), Pakistan (61th), and Bangladesh (87th), all increasing their rankings by 15 spots or more. New Zealand is also gathering momentum, increasing its ranking by 20 spots.
Asia might not be as powerful as its neighbor continent across the ocean but looking at the bigger picture, it is obvious that the cities are waking up and making massive jumps! Here is a list of the most impressive rises across the continent:
| Country | City | Rank (2019) | Change (from 2017) |
| India | Faridabad | 379 | 417 |
| India | Coimbatore | 456 | 432 |
| India | Mansa | 735 | 437 |
| India | Jodhpur | 475 | 441 |
| India | Nagpur | 339 | 453 |
| Japan | Kyoto | 380 | 423 |
| Indonesia | Denpasar | 502 | 440 |
| Bangladesh | Dhaka | 300 | 500 |
| India | Thiruvananthapuram | 388 | 504 |
| Japan | Yokohama | 301 | 514 |
| India | Lucknow | 273 | 520 |
| India | Vadodara | 369 | 521 |
| China | Chengdu | 527 | 525 |
| India | Bhubaneswar | 382 | 535 |
| India | Bari | 344 | 542 |
| China | Xiamen | 511 | 581 |
| India | Ghaziabad | 308 | 583 |
| Beirut | Lebanon | 205 | 589 |
| India | Surat | 295 | 594 |
| Philippines | Manila Area | 84 | 822 |
Europe: 12 cities
The positive notes continue with Europe that has witnessed some wild growths. To begin with, an impressive number of 19 countries in the top 30 countries club; the Netherlands’ jump to the 6th location, Finland’s notable rise of 7 spots to 12th, Serbia’s impressive 13 spots grow to 36th and Luxemburg’s climb of 12 spots to 53rd. Despite an intensive competition from other emerging economies, Europa seems to keep up the momentum.
There are 12 European cities that made a leap in the rankings, including countries with the most powerful economies in the continent, as well as the ones that are still in the process of development.
| Country | City | Rank (2019) | Change (from 2017) |
| Italy | Genoa | 554 | 406 |
| Ukraine | Kharkiv | 435 | 442 |
| The Netherlands | Ede | 707 | 450 |
| France | Annecy | 581 | 451 |
| France | Strasbourg | 338 | 464 |
| Germany | Bonn | 571 | 464 |
| Spain | Santander | 675 | 470 |
| Spain | Oviedo | 690 | 486 |
| Ukraine | Dnepropetrovsk | 561 | 503 |
| Portugal | Guimaraes | 612 | 540 |
| Belgium | Hasselt | 492 | 648 |
| Luxembourg | Luxembourg City | 203 | 670 |
South America: 10 cities
Despite a massive gap between North American countries (USA and Canada 1st and 3rd) compared to Latin American countries where the closest competitor is Chile (ranked 30th), we have noticed some positive changes. It seems that Latin American countries, even though struggling to evolve due to political challenges in the region, are working hand in hand to build economies that support innovation. Chile is now the hot ecosystem in the region after switching places with Mexico (now ranked 32nd). Colombia, another rising star, is now ranked 34th globally and 3rd in Latin America.
The bar for South America is raised. The region is rich in both natural resources and talent pool. Hence, it is only a matter of time when it will become a startup hub to align with.
| Country | City | Rank (2019) | Change (from 2017) |
| Chile | Valparaiso | 457 | 412 |
| Chile | Puerto Montt | 691 | 444 |
| Brazil | Ribeirao Preto | 441 | 454 |
| Bolivia | Cochabamba | 473 | 475 |
| Paraguay | Asuncion | 411 | 483 |
| Mexico | Leon | 673 | 487 |
| Brazil | Uberlandia | 517 | 544 |
| El Salvador | San Salvador | 493 | 581 |
| Colombia | Barranquilla | 410 | 612 |
| Mexico | San Luis Potosi | 310 | 641 |
Africa
Even though Africa did not have cities increasing by 400 or more spots in the rankings, we want to point out the good news coming out of Rwanda. The phoenix of Africa has soared up the rankings by 92 spots and is now resting at 64th. If this continues, we might see Rwanda as a new African leader in the top 50, what an inspiring story!
These were the biggest jumps from the Startup Ecosystem Rankings Report 2019. We are excited to witness the development of all these locations and look forward to tracking all the startup ecosystem activities in each of these cities for the upcoming Report.
