According to the new 2025 Startup Heatmap Europe Report, London retains its position while Paris surges, reshaping Europe’s startup geography.
London and Berlin have dominated the founder preference rankings for nearly a decade. In 2025, London leads with 32.6% of founder votes, slightly ahead of Berlin’s 31.6%. But the real story is Paris’s remarkable climb to 18.9%, up two positions and six percentage points year-over-year, making it the fastest-rising hub in the top 5.
Amsterdam (16.3%) and Munich (16.2%) round out the top five, followed by Barcelona (13.1%), Zurich, and Madrid. Three new cities entered the top 20: Bucharest, Lausanne, and Valencia, each gaining momentum in founder attention.
The complete list of the top 10 most popular startup hubs in 2025 is found inside the report.
Find the report for public download at https://pub.marq.com/268897e7-8d94-45e1-ba7f-9d1a02c93e3c/
The 2025 edition goes beyond city rankings to explore how AI and sustainability trends reshape the startup landscape, offering actionable strategies for cities aiming to become innovation hubs.
Startup Mobility remains high:
69% of founders prefer to start in Europe over the US
52% of startups have employees abroad
40% open their first international branch within the first year
Only 18% maintain strong ties to their hometown ecosystems
Green innovation and AI drive the future:
London leads both in CleanTech and AI, with €239M raised in CleanTech and 41 AI startups accelerated
Berlin, Paris, and Stockholm emerge as sustainability leaders
Germany and France lead in supercomputing infrastructure
Top-performing ecosystems share these traits:
High international connectivity
Thriving acceleration programs
Strong developer and founder pipelines
Inclusive environments welcoming diverse and foreign-born entrepreneurs
The Startup Heatmap Europe Report 2025 is based on the longest-running survey of founder sentiment in Europe, conducted annually since 2015. It asks European founders a simple but powerful question: “Where would you start your company if you had a free choice?” From these responses, combined with data on investment, mobility, diversity, and community strength, the report builds a comprehensive picture of the European startup landscape.
In addition to survey responses, the report incorporates a wide range of primary and secondary data sources, including platform activity on LinkedIn, Meetup, Eventbrite, and Dealroom. It tracks over 100 European cities and more than 150 accelerator programs, analyzing trends in funding, international connections, talent availability, and ecosystem development.
The methodology goes beyond individual company performance to understand the broader dynamics of startup ecosystems, measuring both founder perceptions and tangible performance indicators. It provides city leaders, policymakers, and ecosystem builders with real-time insights into how innovation flows, where founders are heading, and what factors drive startup success across Europe.
The Startup Heatmap Europe report is accompanied by a data platform and a report to download.
Find more information on the data and courses for ecosystem builders on http://www.startupheatmap.com