Vancouver cracked the Top 10 in a ranking of the world’s best startup ecosystems, a nod that validates the city’s efforts to become a hub for high-tech jobs.
The city placed 9th on Startup Genome’s ranking of the 20 best cities where high-growth technology startups thrive, beating heavy hitters such as Chicago, Paris, Sydney and Singapore.
Released this week, the list is based on extensive analysis of 50,000 startups around the world. It judges cities’ startup scenes on criteria including performance, founder talent, whether businesses set trends and how hard it is to get funding.
Perhaps the biggest feather in Vancouver’s cap is its No. 2 place on “mindset” – outranked only by top dog Silicon Valley – which measures how visionary its founders are.
Home to successful startups such as social media manager Hootsuite and online suit retailer Indochino, Vancouver also did well in talent rankings but fell behind in output and funding.
Toronto and Waterloo also made the list in 8th and 16th place respectively, indicating Canada is on its way to becoming a tech hub.
Canada has long tried to keep its entrepreneurs from slipping across the border to more lucrative jobs in Silicon Valley, but California’s active ecosystem often draws the best and brightest.
Organizations such as The Next 36 and The C100 are trying to change that by providing mentorship and opportunities to startups across the country. In Vancouver, GrowLab finances fledgling businesses.
Top 10 startup ecosystems
- Silicon Valley
- Tel Aviv
- Los Angeles
- Seattle
- New York City
- Boston
- London
- Toronto
- Vancouver
- Chicago
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