Image: © NicoElNino/Stock.adobe.com
After more than a year of checking out Europe’s start-up scene, we recall our favourite cities and regions bursting with entrepreneurial promise.
As we looked at the start-up ecosystem in Europe over the past 18 months, it became abundantly clear that today’s tech entrepreneur, no matter where they are, starts off with the exact same palette of technologies, from the software to the hardware and the connectivity (good and bad).
What makes each ecosystem different, however, is each entrepreneur and founding team’s unique, imaginative and distinctive take on solving problems, making technological breakthroughs and, in general, removing the frictions from our lives.
Over the past year or more, we have covered more than 60 cities and entrepreneurial hubs worldwide (Zug, for example, is technically a municipality rather than a city). As we enter 2019, our trek will continue to unearth some of the most exciting start-ups in the most exciting cities and ecosystems.
Each region has a unique funding environment and government policy. And, due to the vagaries of start-up life, some of the companies may no longer with us through being acquired or from running the gauntlet of risk. So, consider each list to be a moment in time. We plan to return to these locations again in the future to chronicle new generations of start-ups that will no doubt emerge.
And so, here are our 30 favourite start-up destinations to watch out for in 2019.
Athens
The Parthenon Temple at the Acropolis of Athens, Greece. Image: Sven Hansche/Shutterstock
Athens has been a centre of civilisation for millennia, and now it is at the heart of a tech start-up revolution.
Barcelona
Barcelona city at night. Image: Kanuman/Shutterstock
Barcelona is the jewel of the Mediterranean when it comes to a robust and diverse start-up ecosystem.
Berlin
Berlin skyline. Image: Canadastock/Shutterstock
Berlin is one of Europe’s leading start-up capitals, with a vibrancy and pace that is truly inspirational.
Belfast
Titanic Belfast museum on the site where Titanic was built. Image: James Kennedy NI/Shutterstock
Belfast has its eye on the future and is bubbling with entrepreneurial promise.
Budapest
Hungarian parliament in Budapest at sunset. Image: TTstudio/Shutterstock
The Hungarian capital, Budapest, is buzzing with tech start-ups with a world vision, and products and platforms to match.
Cambridge
Image: © IRstone/Stock.adobe.com
The university city of Cambridge is home to compelling start-ups at the bleeding edge in areas such as big data, life sciences and AI.
Copenhagen
Cyclists outside the Christiansborg Palace, Copenhagen. Image: William Perugini/Shutterstock
Copenhagen is a city that is defiantly carving its own path to tech glory.
Edinburgh
Edinburgh skyline. Image: Evenfh/Shutterstock
When it comes to innovation and entrepreneurship, Scotland’s capital city is a veritable goldmine.
Ghent
Ghent, Belgium. Image: Nattee Chalermtiragool/Shutterstock
Ghent is a glittering prize when it comes to super-focused start-ups intent on changing our world.
Glasgow
Clyde Arc Bridge, Glasgow, Scotland. Image: Yvonne Stewart Henderson/Shutterstock
Glasgow is a hotspot for entrepreneurial activity and its tech start-up community is driving innovation at full throttle.
Helsinki
The Old Port, Helsinki. Image: Scanrail 1/Shutterstock
Finnish capital Helsinki is a hotbed of tech innovation, with start-ups that are making waves internationally.
Kraków
Kraków Main Square. Image: Sopotnicki/Shutterstock
Kraków in southern Poland is becoming an exciting epicentre of tech innovation and entrepreneurship.
Limerick
Aerial view of Limerick. Image: shutterupeire/Shutterstock
Limerick is a tech city and a beacon for the digital ambitions of the mid-west region.
Lisbon
Praça do Comércio in Lisbon, Portugal. Image: TTstudio/Shutterstock
Lisbon has a flourishing and thriving start-up scene.
London
Image: FenlioQ/Shutterstock
London is unquestionably the epicentre of start-up activity in Europe.
Madrid
The Calle de Alcalá is one of the oldest streets in Madrid. Image: Sean Pavone/Shutterstock
Spain’s capital is not just about history and culture, it is also about the future.
Milan
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan. Image: Georgios Tsichlis/Shutterstock
Milan is not only the fashion, financial and industrial capital of Italy, it is also the country’s biggest start-up hub.
Munich
Image: Valentina Photo/Shutterstock
Beloved for its beer, cars and engineering, Munich is also an epicentre of culture and entrepreneurship.
Montpellier
Montpellier. Image: Ross Helen/Shutterstock
The Mediterranean city of Montpellier is the Silicon Valley of the south of France.
Oslo
Norwegian flag. Image: William Perugini/Shutterstock
Norway’s capital city, Oslo, is home to a thriving start-up ecosystem that captures the best of Scandinavian ingenuity and originality.
Porto
The city of Porto. Image: ESB Professional/Shutterstock
Porto is bustling with start-up and scale-up activity, and is rapidly becoming a leading European hub for entrepreneurship.
Prague
Prague, Czech Republic. Image: Nikolay Antonov/Shutterstock
Prague is not only in the centre of Europe, it is playing a central role in the future of technology.
Riga
Riga and the Latvian flag. Image: Ingus Kruklitis/Shutterstock
The Latvian capital of Riga is a powerhouse of digital innovation.
Tallinn
Tallinn, Estonia. Image: Dmitry Tkachenko Photo/Shutterstock
In many ways, Tallinn is one of Europe’s foremost digital cities and a natural home for tech entrepreneurs with flare and ambition.
Toulouse
Toulouse and the Garonne River. Image: Simon Biggar/Shutterstock
Toulouse is flying high when it comes to smart technologies originating from a community of start-ups with a world vision for IoT and more.
Vienna
Belvedere Palace, Vienna. Image: Uhryn Larysa/Shutterstock
In the heart of Europe, Vienna has a beating heart full of innovation that is hard to beat.
Vilnius
Image: MN Studio/Shutterstock
Lithuania’s capital city, Vilnius, is home to a maturing and innovative start-up ecosystem with plenty of variety.
Warsaw
Warsaw’s Old Town. Image: TTStudio/Shutterstock
Warsaw is bursting with ambition when it comes to fostering a thriving ecosystem of innovative tech start-ups.
Zug
Aerial view of Zug, Switzerland. Image: Sam Chadwick/Shutterstock
The Swiss region of Zug is also known as Crypto Valley because it has become an epicentre of fintech, cryptocurrency and blockchain activity.
Zurich
Image: Ross Helen/Shutterstock
Zurich is at the nexus of important innovations in digital, medical and financial technologies. It is also a thriving proving ground for start-ups.
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