The Startup Ecosystem Awards by StartupBlink recognizes the achievements of startup ecosystems in StartupBlink’s algorithm, acknowledging stakeholders such as government agencies, chambers of commerce, startup support organizations, and international organizations contributing to the development of successful startup ecosystems. Overall, 22 startup ecosystems received awards. What is the StartupBlink Ecosystem Award? The determination of winners for the Startup Ecosystem Awards is a process rooted in the analysis of StartupBlink’s comprehensive ranking algorithm. This algorithm crafted and refined across a spectrum of over 40 parameters, forming the evaluation methodology.To ensure a fair and comprehensive recognition, the awards are thoughtfully distributed across different tiers, taking into account variables such as population size, regional influence, and national dominance. Watch the Startup Ecosystem Awards Ceremony The Startup Ecosystem Awards Winners 2025 The latest edition of the Startup Ecosystem Awards took place on 25 November 2025, celebrating the achievements of ecosystems in 2025. While determining the categories of the awards, we did an analysis on global, regional and national level, as well as on industries and population tier. Here are some of the categories, we will distribute awards on: Special Category AwardsThis category recognizes cities and countries for their performance in specific areas, such as entrepreneurial resilience, cross-continental collaboration, as well as unique parameters of the StartupBlink algorithm such as the community score.Global Breakthrough Ecosystem Award Award Segment: Special CategoryEcosystem: SingaporeReceived by: Enterprise SingaporeRecognizing Singapore’s unprecedented rise to 4th globally, the first nation outside the US, UK, Israel, and Canada to enter the global top four, marking the only movement within the global top five in 2025.Best Total Startup Exit ValueAward Segment: Southern EuropeEcosystem: PortugalReceived by: Startup PortugalRecognizing Portugal for the total value of its startup exits, approximately 39% higher than Spain’s, the next highest in Southern Europe.Leadership AwardsThis category recognizes ecosystems on a global, regional and national scale that are ranked as the top or best ecosystems. Best Startup EcosystemAward Segment: Central AsiaEcosystem: KazakhstanReceived by: Astana HubRecognizing Kazakhstan as Central Asia’s best startup ecosystem, maintaining the region’s top position since the launch of our Index.Best Startup Ecosystem Award Segment: Latin AmericaEcosystem: BrazilReceived by: Confederacao Nacional Da IndustriaRecognizing Brazil as Latin America’s best startup ecosystem, holding regional leadership since 2020 and consistently ranking as the top-performing ecosystem in the region.Top Startup EcosystemAward Segment: Southern EuropeEcosystem: BarcelonaReceived by: ACCIORecognizing Barcelona as Southern Europe’s best startup ecosystem, holding regional leadership since 2020 and consistently ranking as the top-performing ecosystem in the region.Best Small CityAward Segment: CanadaEcosystem: Kingston, Canada Received by: Kingston Economic DevelopmentRecognizing Kingston as the only Canadian city with a population under 500,000 to rank among the nation’s top 10 startup ecosystems, highlighting its strong innovation capacity and outsized impact relative to its size. Ecosystem Growth AwardsThis category recognizes ecosystems on a global, regional and national scale that has demonstrated continuous growth across years.Fastest-Growing Startup Ecosystem Award Segment: among Asian OECD MembersEcosystem: Daejeon, South KoreaReceived by: Daejeon Center for Creative Economy & InnovationRecognizing Daejeon for demonstrating the strongest growth in its startup ecosystem among the Asia OECD Members’ cities. Over the past year, Daejeon had 58% increase in its total ecosystem score and a 63-place improvement in the global rankings.Multi-City Ecosystem Growth AwardAward Segment: Southeast AsiaEcosystem: VietnamReceived by: Vietnam National Innovation CenterRecognizing Vietnam’s performance among Southeast Asian countries as the only nation where every ranked city in the Index recorded a global climb in 2025.Rising Startup Ecosystem Star Award Segment: East AsiaEcosystem: Ulsan, South KoreaReceived by: Ulsan Metropolitan CityRecognizing Ulsan for making the highest debut in the Global Startup Ecosystem Index among the non-Chinese East Asian cities, marking its emergence as a dynamic and rapidly developing hub in the national innovation landscape.Best Global Climb Award Segment: Among the EU CountriesEcosystem: CyprusReceived by: Research & Innovation Foundation Cy