Best Startup Cities

Best startup cities in France in 2027

24 cities in France make our ranking of 1,000 startup cities worldwide. Paris leads at #11 with a total score of 25.3, followed by Toulouse (#132) and Marseille (#163).

For women founders, Nice scores highest in France on the MeanCEO Index with 73/100. Each city page covers funding, company registration, taxes, founder visas, pros and cons, and the ten MeanCEO factors.

Startup cities in France, ranked

#CityWorld rankTotalQuantityQualityBusinessMeanCEO
1 Paris #11 25.3 5.27 16.62 3.41 72
2 Toulouse #132 4.48 0.33 0.74 3.41 59
3 Marseille #163 3.31 0.49 0.26 2.56 69
4 Lyon #164 3.3 0.47 0.27 2.56 66
5 Bordeaux #215 1.82 0.27 0.15 1.41 71
6 Nantes #232 1.58 0.23 0.13 1.22 66
7 Lille #233 1.55 0.23 0.12 1.2 67
8 Rennes #243 1.44 0.22 0.1 1.11 61
9 Nice #244 1.43 0.21 0.12 1.11 73
10 Grenoble #247 1.4 0.11 0.21 1.08 69
11 Montpellier #266 1.21 0.19 0.09 0.93 73
12 Strasbourg #361 0.67 0.08 0.07 0.52 66
13 Rouen #445 0.45 0.03 0.08 0.35 56
14 Annecy #537 0.33 0.03 0.04 0.25 58
15 Metz #635 0.25 0.01 0.04 0.19 57
16 Le Bourget-du-Lac #729 0.2 0.01 0.03 0.15 63
17 Reims #746 0.19 0.02 0.02 0.15 61
18 Saint Malo #752 0.19 0.01 0.03 0.15 65
19 Besancon #773 0.18 0.01 0.03 0.14 59
20 Brest #783 0.18 0.01 0.03 0.14 57
21 Biarritz #810 0.17 0.01 0.03 0.13 66
22 Ajaccio #891 0.14 0.01 0.02 0.11 66
23 Tours #901 0.14 0.01 0.02 0.11 57
24 Limoges #911 0.13 0.01 0.02 0.1 53

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.

Other countries in Europe

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