Best startup cities in Brazil in 2027
31 cities in Brazil make our ranking of 1,000 startup cities worldwide. Sao Paulo leads at #20 with a total score of 17.64, followed by Curitiba (#144) and Rio de Janeiro (#148).
For women founders, Florianopolis scores highest in Brazil on the MeanCEO Index with 75/100. Each city page covers funding, company registration, taxes, founder visas, pros and cons, and the ten MeanCEO factors.
Startup cities in Brazil, ranked
| # | City | World rank | Total | Quantity | Quality | Business | MeanCEO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sao Paulo | #20 | 17.64 | 2.63 | 12.72 | 2.29 | 60 |
| 2 | Curitiba | #144 | 4.05 | 0.36 | 1.4 | 2.29 | 58 |
| 3 | Rio de Janeiro | #148 | 4 | 0.6 | 1.12 | 2.29 | 62 |
| 4 | Belo Horizonte | #154 | 3.76 | 0.52 | 0.96 | 2.29 | 57 |
| 5 | Porto Alegre | #188 | 2.54 | 0.33 | 0.45 | 1.77 | 58 |
| 6 | Florianopolis | #270 | 1.16 | 0.23 | 0.12 | 0.81 | 75 |
| 7 | Brasilia | #339 | 0.73 | 0.18 | 0.04 | 0.5 | 61 |
| 8 | Campinas | #377 | 0.62 | 0.12 | 0.07 | 0.43 | 60 |
| 9 | Joinville | #426 | 0.49 | 0.08 | 0.07 | 0.34 | 56 |
| 10 | Fortaleza | #444 | 0.45 | 0.08 | 0.06 | 0.32 | 61 |
| 11 | Recife | #461 | 0.42 | 0.08 | 0.05 | 0.29 | 63 |
| 12 | Ribeirao Preto | #473 | 0.41 | 0.09 | 0.03 | 0.28 | 59 |
| 13 | Sao Jose dos Campos | #517 | 0.35 | 0.07 | 0.04 | 0.24 | 64 |
| 14 | Uberlandia | #582 | 0.29 | 0.06 | 0.03 | 0.2 | 61 |
| 15 | Goiania | #616 | 0.26 | 0.06 | 0.02 | 0.18 | 56 |
| 16 | Salvador | #670 | 0.22 | 0.03 | 0.04 | 0.16 | 63 |
| 17 | Maceio | #689 | 0.22 | 0.03 | 0.04 | 0.15 | 70 |
| 18 | Juiz de Fora | #795 | 0.18 | 0.02 | 0.03 | 0.12 | 54 |
| 19 | Caxias do Sul | #825 | 0.17 | 0.02 | 0.03 | 0.12 | 60 |
| 20 | Londrina | #878 | 0.15 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.1 | 57 |
| 21 | Blumenau | #889 | 0.14 | 0.02 | 0.03 | 0.1 | 57 |
| 22 | Sao Leopoldo | #898 | 0.14 | 0.01 | 0.03 | 0.1 | 58 |
| 23 | Maringá | #908 | 0.14 | 0.01 | 0.03 | 0.09 | 57 |
| 24 | Belem | #930 | 0.12 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.09 | 57 |
| 25 | Campo Grande | #936 | 0.12 | 0.01 | 0.03 | 0.09 | 57 |
| 26 | Bauru | #938 | 0.12 | 0.01 | 0.03 | 0.08 | 57 |
| 27 | Joao Pessoa | #942 | 0.12 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.08 | 66 |
| 28 | Manaus | #943 | 0.12 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.08 | 57 |
| 29 | Natal | #949 | 0.12 | 0.01 | 0.02 | 0.08 | 69 |
| 30 | Vila Velha | #955 | 0.11 | 0.01 | 0.02 | 0.07 | 69 |
| 31 | Santos | #971 | 0.09 | 0.01 | 0.02 | 0.06 | 70 |
Total = quantity (startups, accelerators, coworking spaces) + quality (traction of top startups, unicorns, exits) + business environment (national conditions), from the StartupBlink Global Startup Ecosystem Index (2024 edition). The MeanCEO Index (0 to 100) is our own score of how livable and welcoming a city is for women founders.