The Startup Ecosystem of Nairobi
Nairobi boasts 180 startups in our sample database which represents about 90% of Kenya’s sampled startups. Nairobi is the highest-ranked startup ecosystem in Kenya.
CITY RANKING
While Nairobi decreased by 27 spots in its global rank in the Global Startup Ecosystem Index of 2022, its ranking in Kenya remained stable at 1 nationally since 2021.
National Ranking
In Kenya
Regional Ranking
In Eastern Africa
Global Ranking
Worldwide
In Partnership with
ECOSYSTEM
Browse the startup ecosystem database of Nairobi
Download the Global Startup Ecosystem Index
Understand our ranking methodology and get the latest insights on the startup ecosystems of 100 countries and 1000 cities around the world!
Ecosystem
The Startup Ecosystem in Nairobi
Global Rank
Nairobi is ranked within the top 200 startup ecosystems globally.
Top Industries
Nairobi’s startups excel particularly in Fintech where it ranks 37 and in Energy & Environment, and Foodtech. Find out more
Top Cities for Startups in Kenya - Ranked by StartupBlink
| 2022 National Rank & Change | City | Global Rank & Change | Total Score | Quantity Score | Quality Score | Business Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st 0 | 163rd - 27 | 4.819 | 1.23 | 1.51 | 2.08 | |
2nd 0 | 891st - 135 | 0.205 | 0.06 | 0.01 | 0.14 |
Startups
Notable Startups in Nairobi
Startups
Successful Fintech startups in Nairobi
Startups
Startups Ranking by Industry
On our map, you can explore a total of 43 startups for Fintech.
In Eastern Africa, Nairobi's Energy & Environment is in top 71. Nairobi has a concentration of about 0% of the country's total Energy & Environment startups that are represented on our map.
Foodtech is ranked 80th in the world. Our database contains 21 startups for this industry.
ECOSYSTEM
Why should you join Nairobi's Startup Ecosystem?
Overview
Within Nairobi there is an increased attraction for entrepreneurs to set up their startups in industries such as Fintech, Energy & Environment, Foodtech. These three industries represent about 57% of the startups represented on the Startup Ecosystem Map of Nairobi.
1st
National Rank
1st
Regional Rank
Overview
Nairobi is Kenya's 1st best startup ecosystem and is ranked 1st in Eastern Africa. With a population of 5M - 10M people, Nairobi is ranked th in the world. The city boasts some notable startup success stories including M-kopa and its startup ecosystem infrastructure is strengthened by organizations such as M-Pesa and ILAB AFRICA.
ECOSYSTEM
Startup Infrastructure in Nairobi
Accelerators
E4Impact Accelerator
GrowthAfrica
Kick
Coworking Spaces
KENYA CLIMATE INNOVATION CENTRE (KCIC)
Nairobi Garage
PAWA254
Organizations
Assek
ECOSYSTEMSFeatured Ecosystem Portals
Work with us
If you are a startup ecosystem developer in Nairobi, you can grow your startup economy by becoming a partner.
BLOG
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 […]