The Startup Ecosystem of Kampala

Home to 96% of Uganda’s startups, Kampala boasts a vibrant startup ecosystem that is ranked 462 in the world.

CITY RANKING

While Kampala decreased by 93 spots in its global rank in the Global Startup Ecosystem Index of 2022, its ranking in Uganda remained stable at 1 nationally since 2021.

National Ranking

1st
0
In Uganda

Regional Ranking

3rd
0
In Eastern Africa

Global Ranking

462nd
-
93
Worldwide

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ECOSYSTEM

Browse the startup ecosystem database of Kampala

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Ecosystem

The Startup Ecosystem in Kampala

Startups in Kampala excel in Fintech, Ecommerce & Retail, and Social & and Leisure. There are some notable success stories contributing to the city’s growing Fintech industry. One of the most promising startups in Kampala in 2022 is SafeBoda, XENO Investment Management, and clinicPesa.

Global Rank

Kampala is ranked within the top 500 startup ecosystems globally.

Top Industries

Kampala’s startups excel particularly in Fintech where it ranks 168 and in Ecommerce & Retail, and Social & Leisure. Find out more

Top Cities for Startups in Uganda - Ranked by StartupBlink
StartupBlink ranks the startup ecosystems of 100 countries and 1,000 cities. Download our latest Global Startup Ecosystem Report.
Rows:
2022 National Rank & Change ▲
2022 National Rank & Change City
search leaderboards icon
Global Rank & ChangeTotal ScoreQuantity ScoreQuality ScoreBusiness Score
1st
0
462nd
-
93
0.856
0.27
0.15
0.43
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Startups

Notable Startups in Kampala
SafeBoda startup icon
SafeBoda
XENO Investment Management startup icon
XENO Investment Management
clinicPesa startup icon
clinicPesa

Startups

Successful Fintech startups in Kampala
clinicPesa startup icon
clinicPesa
Ensibuuko startup icon
Ensibuuko
Xente startup icon
Xente

Startups

Startups Ranking by Industry

Fintech icon
Fintech
#168 worldwide

On our map, you can explore a total of 20 startups for Fintech.

Ecommerce & Retail icon
Ecommerce & Retail
#315 worldwide

In Eastern Africa, Kampala's Ecommerce & Retail is in top 315. Kampala has a concentration of about 0% of the country's total Ecommerce & Retail startups that are represented on our map.

Social & Leisure icon
Social & Leisure
#338 worldwide

Social & Leisure is ranked 338th in the world. Our database contains 17 startups for this industry.

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ECOSYSTEM

Why should you join Kampala's Startup Ecosystem?

Overview

Within Kampala there is an increased attraction for entrepreneurs to set up their startups in industries such as Fintech, Ecommerce & Retail, Social & Leisure. These three industries represent about 55% of the startups represented on the Startup Ecosystem Map of Kampala.

1st

National Rank

3rd

Regional Rank

Overview

Kampala is Uganda's 1st best startup ecosystem and is ranked 3rd in Eastern Africa. With a population of 1M - 2M people, Kampala is ranked th in the world. The city boasts some notable startup success stories including SafeBoda.

ECOSYSTEM
Startup Infrastructure in Kampala
With a large variety of initiatives, Kampala's startup ecosystem stands out from other cities in Eastern Africa. Kampala offers a number of funding opportunities for entrepreneurs and startups. Below is a list of Kampala's most prominent support initiatives:

Accelerators

StartHub Africa (NGO)  startup icon

StartHub Africa (NGO)

RAN Lab (ResilientAfrica Network) startup icon

RAN Lab (ResilientAfrica Network)

AVODA Institute of Entrepreneurship startup icon

AVODA Institute of Entrepreneurship

Coworking Spaces

VentureLabs Africa startup icon

VentureLabs Africa

National ICT Innovation Hub startup icon

National ICT Innovation Hub

Makerere Innovation and Incubation Center startup icon

Makerere Innovation and Incubation Center

Organizations

Refactory  startup icon

Refactory

Uganda National Council for Science and Technology startup icon

Uganda National Council for Science and Technology

Ortus Africa Capital  startup icon

Ortus Africa Capital

Featured Ecosystem Portals

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Work with us

If you are a startup ecosystem developer in Kampala, you can grow your startup economy by becoming a partner.

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Recent Posts

Tue Mar 14 2023

EP 33: Do Small Countries Have an Edge in Building a startup Ecosystem?

Do small countries have an edge in building a startup ecosystem? In this episode, the StartupBlink team and Eli David discuss the unique advantages of small countries for building a thriving ecosystem. In StartupBlink’s Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2022, 9 out of the top 20 highest-ranked countries had a population of less than 10 million, […]

Wed Mar 08 2023

How can collaborating with StartupBlink as an ecosystem partner help your ecosystem and organization?

Collaborating with StartupBlink as a data partner can bring a range of benefits to your organization and ecosystem. As the most comprehensive startup ecosystem map and research center, we publish the Global Startup Ecosystem Index Report (GSEI) annually, ranking the top 1,000 cities and 100 countries worldwide.  StartupBlink’s GSEI is based on an elaborate algorithm […]

Tue Feb 28 2023

The Top 30 Countries by Absolute Power in 2022

What is Absolute Power? Generally, StartupBlink’s GSEI scoring algorithm calibrates the countries’ total score to their population size to check the startup outputs of countries per capita.   The “Absolute Power” algorithm ignores the size of the population and looks at the absolute amount of startup output per country to compare their dominance regardless of population […]