The Startup Ecosystem of Somalia

Somalia has 2 cities in the top 1000 and is one of Eastern Africa’s best countries for setting up a startup.

COUNTRY RANKING

Somalia’s startup scene remains stable in 2023 on the 98th position, having gained 1 more city in the global top 1000.

Population

17.6
Million

Regional Ranking

5th
-
1
In Eastern Africa

Global Ranking

98th
0
Worldwide

In Partnership with

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Ecosystem

Startup Ecosystem Overview

Free Somalia Banner photo and picture
Somalia is a surprising example of innovation flourishing under tough economic and geopolitical circumstances. With some stability restored over the last decade, Somalia has a strategic location at the horn of Africa and routes through the Red Sea and Suez Canal.


Although Somalia is still an ecosystem in the seed stage, we were inspired to see how the public sector, local entrepreneurs, and international organizations have worked hard to foster disruptive innovations aimed at solving some of the country’s biggest problems. In particular, women entrepreneurs play an important role in the economy of Somalia, as they own almost half of the businesses. The innovative potential of the country is supported by local and international organizations such as Innovate Ventures, VC4A, and the Response Innovation Labs.


As a country that finds itself on a major transformation path, Somalia has a number of reforms to tackle and several challenges to address. These challenges aren’t only financial but also have to do with building infrastructure and changing both the country’s narrative and mentality when it comes to entrepreneurship. We look forward to seeing how these reforms will be implemented in the coming years and the positive impact they will have on Somalia’s startup scene.

Startups

Somalia Top Startup Industries

Energy & Environment icon
Energy & Environment
#41 worldwide

19 startups

Software & Data icon
Software & Data
#81 worldwide

10 startups

Fintech icon
Fintech
6 startups

6 startups

Ecosystem HealthCheck

Somalia Ecosystem Health Check

The health check tables allow you to look at the performance Somalia has in each of the parameters that are part of StartupBlink's ranking algorithm. There are five tables, corresponding to the three subscores, the subscore analysis and industry ana...

  • Overperformance
  • Performance equal to global ranking
  • Underperformance
ParameterParameter Global rankParameter rank change since 2022ResultContribution to total scoreRank gain / loss due to parameter
Total Score9800.322100%0
Quantity Score87-70.18958.72%8
Sample size of startups74-35433.77%13
Sample size of accelerators62-20916.88%6
Sample size of coworking spaces116155.63%0
Community Score102N/A0.0082.44%0

ECOSYSTEM

Browse the startup ecosystem database of Somalia

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Ecosystem

The Startup Ecosystem in Somalia

In 2023, Somalia register a rise in Energy & Environment startups. Some of the most notable success stories in this industry are those of , Zaad.

Global Rank

Somalia is ranked within the top 100 startup ecosystems globally.

Top Industries

Somalia’s startup scene is best represented in Energy & Environment, Software & Data, and in and Fintech.

Top Cities for Startups in Somalia - Ranked by StartupBlink
StartupBlink ranks the startup ecosystems of 100 countries and 1,000 cities. Download our latest Global Startup Ecosystem Report.
Rows:
2023 National Rank & Change ▲
2023 National Rank & Change City
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Global Rank & ChangeTotal Score
Access subscores for 1000 cities and 100 countries
Quantity Score
Quality ScoreBusiness Score
1st
0
678th
+
86
0.279
00.00
00.00
00.00
2nd
0
842nd
new
0.177
00.00
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Startups

Notable Startups in Somalia
Zaad startup icon
Zaad
Suubbis startup icon
Suubbis
Solargen startup icon
Solargen

Startups

Successful Energy & Environment startups in Somalia
Solargen startup icon
Solargen

Featured Startup Ecosystems

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