Startup Heatmap Europe is an interactive platform that shows which cities are the entrepreneurship hotbeds of Europe, how far their reputation travels and why founders would rather move there to startup. Complete with investment data, the Startup Heatmap seeks to provide orientation to startups, investors and researchers interested in discovering the realities of Startup Europe outside the political dressing. “This is the benchmark report on the attractiveness of startup hubs in Europe”, says Thomas Kösters. “We map the perceived quality of startup cities, founder mobility and the interconnectivity between European startup hotspots.”
To design the 2019 edition of the map, Kösters is looking for founders, investors, startup members and other interested people to fill in a survey. Kösters: “For the 4th year in a row, a survey on startup cities and their international brand in Europe’s tech community is carried out. Everyone is invited to share their opinion.”
The reason behind Kösters’ effort is in the debate about where Europe’s hottest startup hubs are evolving. “While each city parades their merits, founders’ perceptions of a specific startup ecosystem will be a decisive factor in cities’ competition for entrepreneurial prowess in Europe. Startup Heatmap Europe analyses the continual evolution of entrepreneurship foci across the continent, through the eyes of the founder. We track, analyse and evaluate the journeys of founders, the progress of startup hubs and how authorities and community builders can make Europe a better place to startup.”
For local ecosystems, this can be relevant as well. Stef Meijers, startup officer of the city of Eindhoven, has seen what being mentioned on the heatmap can do to a city that has the ambition to attract and care for startups. “We scored high on ‘Industry Connections’ and ‘Talent Availability’ in last year’s Startup Heatmap, which helped us in being more visible for the outside world. So we hope that this year again, people will help us by filling in the survey.”
Since 2016, more than 3,000 members of the European tech community have shared their favourite startup hubs in the survey. Kösters: “Over the past 4 years, we have worked with many practitioners, government bodies and NGOs to advance the understanding of how European startup ecosystems work and how to improve them. We have seen how founders’ perceptions change over time, how certain hubs develop a strong position in a vertical and how founders react to significant geopolitical changes like the Brexit.”
Related Posts
