Best Startup Cities

Best startup cities in Switzerland in 2027

14 cities in Switzerland make our ranking of 1,000 startup cities worldwide. Zurich leads at #57 with a total score of 7.52, followed by Basel (#93) and Lausanne (#96).

For women founders, Zurich scores highest in Switzerland on the MeanCEO Index with 74/100. Each city page covers funding, company registration, taxes, founder visas, pros and cons, and the ten MeanCEO factors.

Startup cities in Switzerland, ranked

#CityWorld rankTotalQuantityQualityBusinessMeanCEO
1 Zurich #57 7.52 1.54 2.44 3.54 74
2 Basel #93 5.51 0.36 1.61 3.54 66
3 Lausanne #96 5.45 0.45 1.46 3.54 69
4 Geneva #118 4.83 0.5 0.78 3.54 66
5 Zug #166 3.27 0.25 0.47 2.55 70
6 Sankt Gallen #204 2.04 0.03 0.42 1.59 63
7 Bern #224 1.67 0.23 0.14 1.3 60
8 Lucerne #366 0.66 0.06 0.09 0.52 66
9 Lugano #425 0.49 0.05 0.06 0.38 73
10 Neuchatel #573 0.3 0.03 0.04 0.23 66
11 Yverdon-les-Bains #592 0.28 0.02 0.04 0.22 60
12 Sursee #753 0.19 0.01 0.03 0.15 66
13 Fribourg #790 0.18 0.02 0.02 0.14 64
14 Biel Bienne #832 0.16 0.02 0.02 0.13 66

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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