Where is the best city to launch a startup?
To help discover the best cities for startups, we asked a number of startup founders this question for their choices and the reasons behind them. From Melbourne, Australia to Dublin, Ireland, there are several cities around the world that were selected to launch and grow startup businesses in 2022.
Here are the eight best cities to launch a startup:
- Melbourne, Australia
- Lehi, UT
- Berlin, Germany
- Scottsdale, AZ
- Boston, MA
- Miami, FL
- San Francisco, CA
- Dublin, Ireland
Melbourne, Australia
Melbourne is the best location to launch a startup, and it’s my hometown too. This city has been an abode to numerous technological behemoths over the years. With the countless market for sizable industries to flourish and develop, Melbourne provides the right type of living to its people and top-notch business culture with a fondness for accessibility and community. Therefore, this city helped me build my new startup with the appropriate venture capital to thrive. It recently grabbed the limelight from Sydney as the “Tech capital of Australia,” and 1/5th of businesses in Melbourne have gained a “Series A” funding.
Caroline Lee, CocoSign
Lehi, UT
Motivosity is located in Lehi, Utah, which is one of the cities within Silicon Slopes. Our location has a ton of benefits (an active VC community, three universities to draw talent from, small city, and outdoor options for entertainment) but the real draw? The tech community here is incredible and involved with each other. Every week you’ll find amazing events where people make real connections. No stuffy networking, no business card drawings…but food truck parties, mental health events, etc. The tech and startup community around Lehi is unlike anything I’ve seen in any other metro.
Logan Mallory, Motivosity
Berlin, Germany
Internet companies and start-ups promote a certain idea of corporate work adapted to Berlin. Spaces are often dedicated to coworking, a method that facilitates exchanges between employees, and the office is not just a place of work. It is also a space for sociability that aims to encourage the well-being of employees, largely inspired by the Californian Silicon Valley model. There are many initiatives that provide funding and support for entrepreneurs in Berlin. While housing prices have risen dramatically in recent years, Berlin is – at least compared to many other well-known international capitals such as London, Paris, and New York – still relatively cheap, especially for groceries and shopping.
Zalando, N26, Delivery Hero, Tier Mobility, Hello Fresh, are some of the Berlin startups that are shaking up their industries. Many other unicorns have announced their intention to open offices in Berlin, such as the recent case of Tesla.
Ilija Sekulov, Mailbutler
Scottsdale, AZ
Our startup is located in Scottsdale, Arizona (greater Phoenix area). Besides the year-round sunshine and temperatures that make you feel like you’re on vacation, there are a multitude of reasons why Scottsdale is a great location to grow your roots. Ultimately, the best supporters and clients for startups are other small businesses. The greater Phoenix area has many organizations that host events for small businesses to network with each other (such as Local First Arizona, Arizona SBA). Additionally, you can find a home at one of the many startup hubs, like #YesPhx, Startup Grind, and Startup AZ.
Thylan Le, Terkel
Boston, MA
Our startup is based in Boston, MA. Boston is a fantastic city to start a new business because you’re surrounded by some of the best universities in the world, the startup community is top tier (though this may be biased), and if you’re in tech, life sciences, or robotics – this is the place for you. Also, within Boston, there are so many networking and startup events available to those building companies, which gives you access to some of the best advice from other successful founders when building your startup.
Nick Cotter, Growann
Miami, FL
Miami is the next megacity in the world, listed next to Hong Kong and Dubai. It’s become a mecca for startups given the government-friendly environment, no personal income tax, the weather, and incredible post-pandemic startup community that migrated here!
Chad Rubin, Profasee
San Francisco, CA
There are many reasons why San Francisco is still the best place for startups. It is well known that the number of founders in the bay area exceeds the norm. Coworking spaces have popularized and are overflowing with founders from different spaces. Networking events are common and there’s always an event going on for founders to connect with each other and find other useful contacts. Lastly, most of venture capital and investing is still based in San Francisco. You’ll be raising at a higher valuation as an SF-based company.
Myra Ahmad, Mochi Health
Dublin, Ireland
As a member of an underrepresented group, I cannot recommend Dublin, Ireland strongly enough. Not only is Dublin brilliantly connected between the US, the UK, and mainland Europe, but Dublin is also a beautiful location for professionals, entrepreneurs and founders from underrepresented communities.
Dublin craves diverse talent and offers a fertile ground for new ideas. It grants visibility to the voices that are often pushed in the background. Whether you’re a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Black+, Asian+, LatinX or live with a disability, Dublin offers a plethora of opportunities for startups. It is also home to the Silicon Docks, Europe’s Silicon Valley equivalent, giving founders access to first-in-class mentorship opportunities with Tech giants and grassroots startups alike. I’m a Therapist and Coach from the Queer community for the Queer community and I feel welcome in Dublin, seen, heard, and celebrated.
Manuel Schlothauer, HeyManuel.com
Other notable regions for startups:
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