Serbia has 3 cities in the top 1000 and is the leading startup hub in Eastern Europe.
Serbia’s startup scene saw an increase in 2022 and jumped 1 spots from the previous year, outranking Thailand.
The Serbian IT sector is the country’s most recognizable economical engine of growth; Due to its affordability, Serbia has become a freelancing hub for Western companies. One of the country’s challenges is to get more of its IT talent to take the uncertain path of entrepreneurship with a relative abundance of outsourced tech jobs available.
One milestone for Serbia’s startup ecosystem is the region’s first Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR), which aims to prioritize developments in biotechnology and the application of artificial intelligence in healthcare. Apart from the industries mentioned above, with access to the European market, Serbian startup ecosystems are already excelling in a number of innovative industries, including Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence. Notably, Agritech has an immense potential for the country, as agriculture covers 65% of the land area. There are some promising examples showcasing the potential of Agritech in Serbia such as Agremo, an app utilizing artificial intelligence and machine learning to monitor crops.
Supported by Google, ecosystem support organizations such as Startit offer entrepreneurs a stable platform for networking and linking startups in smaller cities with funding from Belgrade. Startit was launched by a group of savvy entrepreneurs who have become key players in growing the local ecosystem. We also commend the efforts of Business Incubator Novi Sad in supporting the local ecosystem, as well as initiatives such as Venture an Idea, launched cooperatively by Digital Serbia and USAID.
As for funding, the government supports innovative activities and funds them through Serbia Innovation Fund. Additionally, Serbia Ventures works to incentivize individuals with high net worth to incorporate venture capital funds in Serbia. Another public sector initiative, “Strategy for the Development of Startup Ecosystems of the Republic of Serbia, has the objective of accelerating the Serbian startup ecosystem by identifying and supporting successful startups and integrating entrepreneurship into all levels of education. With such public sector support, and considering the impressive talent in the country, it is likely that new success stories will emerge in the Serbian startup ecosystem. In the future, we hope to see Serbian startups focus more on the international markets and on making their ecosystems more recognizable on a global scale.
Understand our ranking methodology and get the latest insights on the startup ecosystems of 100 countries and 1000 cities around the world!
Serbia is ranked within the top 100 startup ecosystems globally.
Serbia’s startup scene is best represented in Software and Data, Energy & Environment, and in Social & and Leisure.
2022 National Rank & Change | City | Global Rank & Change | Total Score | Quantity Score | Quality Score | Business Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st 0 | 200th - 41 | 4.115 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | |
2nd 0 | 456th - 111 | 0.881 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | |
3rd new | 842nd new | 0.242 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 |
On our map, you can explore a total of 91 startups for Software and Data.
In Eastern Europe, Serbia's Energy & Environment is in top 31. Serbia has a concentration of about 29 of the region's total Energy & Environment startups that are represented on our map.
Serbia's Social & Leisure is ranked 42nd in the world. Our database contains 18 for this industry.
Apply to join hundreds of leading ecosystem developers and represent the Serbia startup ecosystem at no cost.
Download the Barcelona and Catalonia Report Ecosystem Report
Download the Global Startup Ecosystem Index Unlock the full list of Influencers with the StartupBlink Pro Purchase Now Key Insights: US Entrepreneurs are in a much better position to become influencers The United States has 130 influencers, representing 80% of all influencers globally, mainly hailing from major cities such as San Francisco, New York, […]
In this episode, Martin Jordana and Eli David discuss how to determine the right ecosystem for your startup. If you want to learn what are the factors that indicate if your ecosystem is the right place for your startup, tune in and get more insights. Why does your startup ecosystem matter? Usually, when entrepreneurs […]