Best Startup Cities

Best startup cities in the Netherlands in 2027

22 cities in the Netherlands make our ranking of 1,000 startup cities worldwide. Amsterdam leads at #29 with a total score of 13.58, followed by The Hague (#123) and Utrecht (#131).

For women founders, Hilversum scores highest in the Netherlands 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 the Netherlands, ranked

#CityWorld rankTotalQuantityQualityBusinessMeanCEO
1 Amsterdam #29 13.58 2.46 7.82 3.3 70
2 The Hague #123 4.64 0.46 0.89 3.3 69
3 Utrecht #131 4.5 0.4 0.79 3.3 70
4 Eindhoven #157 3.55 0.58 0.24 2.73 66
5 Rotterdam #172 3.03 0.48 0.22 2.32 71
6 Maastricht #350 0.69 0.07 0.09 0.53 67
7 Groningen #395 0.55 0.1 0.03 0.42 68
8 Enschede #404 0.54 0.08 0.04 0.41 57
9 Nijmegen #433 0.47 0.05 0.06 0.36 60
10 Arnhem #559 0.31 0.03 0.04 0.24 66
11 Breda #584 0.29 0.02 0.05 0.22 66
12 Haarlem #632 0.25 0.03 0.02 0.19 70
13 s-Hertogenbosch #643 0.24 0.02 0.04 0.18 69
14 Amersfoort #653 0.24 0.03 0.02 0.18 65
15 Hilversum #696 0.21 0.02 0.03 0.16 73
16 Ede #731 0.2 0.02 0.02 0.15 60
17 Soest #763 0.19 0.02 0.03 0.14 66
18 Zwolle #769 0.18 0.03 0.02 0.14 60
19 Willemstad #785 0.18 0.02 0.02 0.14 73
20 Dordrecht #831 0.17 0.02 0.02 0.13 63
21 Heerlen #852 0.16 0.01 0.03 0.12 62
22 Tilburg #868 0.15 0.01 0.02 0.12 61

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