Best Startup Cities

Best startup cities in United Kingdom in 2027

53 cities in United Kingdom make our ranking of 1,000 startup cities worldwide. Cambridge leads at #76 with a total score of 6.37, followed by Bristol (#90) and Edinburgh (#102).

For women founders, Brighton scores highest in United Kingdom 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 United Kingdom, ranked

#CityWorld rankTotalQuantityQualityBusinessMeanCEO
1 Cambridge #76 6.37 0.41 2.4 3.56 73
2 Bristol #90 5.7 0.47 1.52 3.7 69
3 Edinburgh #102 5.27 0.51 1.05 3.7 69
4 Birmingham #114 4.88 0.32 0.86 3.7 61
5 Glasgow #187 2.54 0.35 0.19 2 63
6 Brighton #190 2.45 0.32 0.2 1.93 74
7 Belfast #200 2.11 0.33 0.12 1.66 58
8 Newcastle upon Tyne #207 1.97 0.2 0.22 1.55 60
9 Leeds #212 1.91 0.27 0.13 1.5 60
10 Nottingham #253 1.36 0.18 0.11 1.07 61
11 Cardiff #256 1.26 0.15 0.12 0.99 66
12 Liverpool #271 1.16 0.15 0.09 0.91 66
13 Sheffield #303 0.93 0.14 0.06 0.73 66
14 Southampton #306 0.92 0.1 0.1 0.72 69
15 Bath #310 0.88 0.11 0.07 0.69 57
16 Norwich #320 0.83 0.12 0.06 0.65 60
17 Guildford #330 0.77 0.09 0.07 0.6 66
18 Bournemouth #334 0.74 0.08 0.07 0.58 60
19 Stevenage #344 0.71 0.01 0.14 0.56 56
20 Coventry #423 0.49 0.05 0.06 0.39 57
21 Milton Keynes #478 0.4 0.02 0.06 0.32 66
22 Leicester #500 0.37 0.04 0.04 0.29 57
23 Exeter #522 0.34 0.03 0.04 0.27 66
24 Derby #525 0.34 0.03 0.04 0.27 57
25 Northampton #545 0.32 0.04 0.03 0.25 57
26 Cheltenham #550 0.32 0.04 0.03 0.25 64
27 Chester #551 0.31 0.02 0.05 0.25 61
28 Aberdeen #560 0.31 0.02 0.04 0.24 58
29 Swansea #596 0.28 0.03 0.03 0.22 66
30 Preston #599 0.27 0.03 0.03 0.22 63
31 Portsmouth #617 0.26 0.03 0.02 0.2 66
32 York #622 0.25 0.03 0.03 0.2 58
33 Truro #626 0.25 0.03 0.03 0.2 61
34 Basingstoke #630 0.25 0.02 0.03 0.2 57
35 Andover #638 0.24 0.02 0.04 0.19 54
36 Newport #656 0.24 0.02 0.03 0.19 63
37 Loughborough #657 0.24 0.02 0.03 0.19 57
38 Bradford #681 0.22 0.02 0.03 0.17 57
39 Slough #718 0.2 0.01 0.03 0.16 63
40 Middlesbrough #723 0.2 0.03 0.02 0.16 56
41 Woodbridge #732 0.2 0.01 0.03 0.15 59
42 Frome #735 0.2 0.02 0.02 0.15 67
43 Maidenhead #778 0.18 0.02 0.02 0.14 66
44 Dundee #796 0.18 0.01 0.03 0.14 61
45 Blackpool #813 0.17 0.01 0.03 0.14 66
46 Windsor #830 0.17 0.01 0.02 0.13 57
47 Worcester #848 0.16 0.01 0.02 0.13 57
48 Farnborough #865 0.15 0.01 0.02 0.12 68
49 Sunderland #871 0.15 0.01 0.02 0.12 58
50 Bedford #873 0.15 0.01 0.02 0.12 57
51 Huddersfield #875 0.15 0.01 0.02 0.12 57
52 Lichfield #925 0.13 0.01 0.02 0.1 59
53 Wokingham #935 0.12 0.01 0.02 0.1 63

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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