Ukrainian Startup Ecosystem Ranks Top 30 Globally

May 29, 2020

StartupBlink has just released its 2020 Startup Ecosystem Rankings Report featuring a steady startup ecosystem growth around the world. As compared to last year, Ukraine jumped two positions to 29th making it to the top 30 ecosystems worldwide, which is uplifting news in these uncertain times.

Kyiv increased by 2 spots to a 32nd place globally, reaching the top 10 ranked European cities at 8th. The Ukrainian ecosystem includes 7 cities ranked in total, among which Lviv, Odesa, Kharkiv, and Ternopil. However, not even one outside Kyiv ranked in the top 300.

“The Ukrainian startup ecosystem is truly inspiring. The country has been going through economic difficulties for several years but still manages to create technology that is scalable and global. Some examples of companies that originated in Ukraine are Grammarly, Gitlab, and Ahrefs, all with a massive member base,” says the report. The reason for the country’s success, according to the survey, is the high quality of Ukrainian developers who are sought after by many foreign companies. 

The US leads the country ranking, with the UK, Israel, and Canada occupying the top 4 positions. Ukraine is ahead of Taiwan (30th) Portugal (31st), and Bulgaria (32nd), but behind Austria (28th), Poland (27th), and Czech Republic (26th).

StartupBlink is the world’s most comprehensive startup ecosystem map and research center, which produces an annual Startup Ecosystem Rankings Report with over 1,000 cities and 100 countries ranked. The report tracks recent changes in major startup hubs and identifies locations with rising startup populations.

The ranking is based on the following criteria: quantity, quality, and business environment of each ecosystem.

This year, StartupBlink added a COVID-19 Innovation Section prepared in cooperation with UNAIDS, which lists more than a thousand innovative companies on a global COVID-19 Innovation Map. COVID-related projects are presented in such categories as diagnostics, prevention, treatments, information, life and business adaptation.