Best Startup Cities

Best startup cities in Germany in 2027

41 cities in Germany make our ranking of 1,000 startup cities worldwide. Berlin leads at #13 with a total score of 23.87, followed by Munich (#38) and Hamburg (#64).

For women founders, Berlin scores highest in Germany on the MeanCEO Index with 78/100. Each city page covers funding, company registration, taxes, founder visas, pros and cons, and the ten MeanCEO factors.

Startup cities in Germany, ranked

#CityWorld rankTotalQuantityQualityBusinessMeanCEO
1 Berlin #13 23.87 4.03 16.35 3.49 78
2 Munich #38 11.77 1.8 6.47 3.49 66
3 Hamburg #64 6.9 1.19 2.22 3.49 70
4 Frankfurt #97 5.44 0.65 1.3 3.49 60
5 Stuttgart #108 5.12 0.39 1.23 3.49 59
6 Cologne #127 4.58 0.59 0.5 3.49 56
7 Rhine-Neckar Area #130 4.51 0.2 0.82 3.49 69
8 Bonn #161 3.41 0.11 0.65 2.65 57
9 Leipzig #167 3.23 0.52 0.2 2.51 60
10 Mainz #181 2.69 0.03 0.57 2.09 66
11 Dusseldorf #194 2.29 0.34 0.17 1.78 56
12 Karlsruhe #241 1.47 0.13 0.19 1.14 62
13 Dresden #273 1.14 0.16 0.09 0.89 62
14 Nuremberg #287 1.08 0.16 0.08 0.84 63
15 Darmstadt #295 1 0.15 0.07 0.77 61
16 Chemnitz #329 0.78 0.04 0.13 0.6 57
17 Munster #336 0.73 0.11 0.05 0.57 66
18 Essen #338 0.73 0.12 0.04 0.57 57
19 Aachen #340 0.72 0.08 0.09 0.56 62
20 Hanover #359 0.67 0.08 0.07 0.52 56
21 Dortmund #386 0.58 0.1 0.03 0.45 57
22 Freiburg #401 0.54 0.03 0.09 0.42 69
23 Bremen #434 0.47 0.06 0.04 0.36 65
24 Augsburg #471 0.41 0.02 0.07 0.32 56
25 Saarbrucken #519 0.35 0.03 0.04 0.27 57
26 Jena #533 0.33 0.04 0.03 0.26 57
27 Bielefeld #570 0.3 0.03 0.04 0.23 57
28 Regensburg #574 0.3 0.02 0.04 0.23 61
29 Wurzburg #588 0.29 0.02 0.04 0.22 58
30 Wiesbaden #631 0.25 0.03 0.02 0.19 60
31 Magdeburg #634 0.25 0.02 0.04 0.19 54
32 Kiel #678 0.22 0.01 0.04 0.17 66
33 Gilching #684 0.22 0.01 0.04 0.17 64
34 Rostock #782 0.18 0.02 0.02 0.14 65
35 Herzogenrath #826 0.17 0.01 0.03 0.13 56
36 Oldenburg #828 0.17 0.01 0.03 0.13 60
37 Hennigsdorf #829 0.17 0.01 0.03 0.13 57
38 Konstanz #837 0.16 0.02 0.02 0.13 68
39 Duisburg #888 0.14 0.01 0.02 0.11 55
40 Wesseling #894 0.14 0.01 0.02 0.11 57
41 Kassel #910 0.13 0.01 0.02 0.1 65

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

All countries ยท All 1,000 cities, ranked