The Brighton School of Business and Management recently released an infographic that revealed the top 10 places to launch a startup. I recently came across an article where the author interviewed the head of Seedstars, who published the infographic, to understand what makes each of these cities so great for startups.

1. The Top Cities For
Startups
By Adam Kidan

2. Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia
• Much cheaper cost of living than
in neighboring Singapore. !
• There’s a trend for startups to be
incorporated in Singapore and
then be based in Thailand or
Malaysia.!
• There are three different
nationalities present in Malaysia,
making it a good place to test
how a product will do in Chinese,
Malay/Indonesian and Indian
markets.

3. Beijing, China
• Even if Chinese culture doesn’t traditionally foster
entrepreneurship, that’s changing rapidly.!
• China has been focusing on higher-end and more advanced
manufacturing.!
• A tax relief program for startups established by previously
unemployed workers or recent college graduates.

4. Warsaw, Poland
• A large internal market and strong history of entrepreneurship make
Poland more attractive than many of its neighbors in Eastern Europe.!
• Top tech companies, including Google, have become attracted to
Poland, Warsaw in particular.

5. Moscow, Russia
• Russian culture places a great value in
entrepreneurship.!
• There are a number of quality engineers
and hardware companies left over from the
Soviet Union.!
• Unfortunately there’s been a brain drain
from political tension and currency
devaluation.

6. Bangalore, India
• Entrepreneurship is strong throughout India.!
• There’s a huge market and plenty of engineers who graduate every year. !
• Bangalore’s startup scene is traditionally focused on engineering and
tech development.!
• There are at least 10 startup events happening every week in Bangalore
to foster a strong startup culture.

7. Sydney,
Australia • Entrepreneurship
is well-respected,
although most
Australians still
prefer the
comfort of
corporate
employment.!
• Most startups
still focus on the
local market.!
• There are still no
special tax
incentives for
entrepreneurs.

8. Tunis, Tunisia
• The Arab Spring has
served as a turning point
for the entrepreneurial
spirit of Tunis.!
• Startups here use and
create tech products to
mobilize communities,
which often means
engaging them in political
discussions and working
for the collective good.!
• Policy makers have
started to implement new
strategies and programs
to boost incubators,
accelerators and
education programs in an
effort to support the local
entrepreneurship market.

9. London, UK
• A huge amount of venture
capital, combined with
seed enterprise investment
schemes (SEIS), the
British Business Bank,
R&D tax breaks and
government startup loans,
have created a strong
startup culture.!
• Tech is now viewed as the
lifeblood to power Britain’s
economic recovery.

10. Cairo, Egypt
• There’s a mass of
young and
educated
graduates in
Egypt, thanks to
the quality of local
universities that
churn out
exceptional
engineering talent.

11. Sofia, Bulgaria
• Home to one of the lowest income taxes (10%) and
one of the fastest internet speeds in the world. !
• Has taken advantage of EU structural funds to
create three separate funds: LAUNCHub, Eleven
Startup Accelerator and Neveq.