The Artificial Intelligence race is on: Startup ecosystems in the crosshairs of a new era

WHEN I wrote about the 2024 Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER) last year, it felt like the world of startups was holding its breath, hopeful, but cautious. We were all waiting to see what would come next. Now, here we are in 2025, and that moment of pause is well and truly over. The startup world has exhaled and taken off in a full sprint, straight into the AI era.

- BOITSHOKO SHOKE

This year, the newly released GSER 2025, now in its 13th edition, hits a different note entirely. It doesn't just take stock of where we are, it challenges us to rethink where we're going. With insights drawn from over 5 million startups across more than 350 ecosystems, this year's report is, more than anything, a bold invitation to act.

Each ecosystem in the GSER 2025 is evaluated across six key success factors - Performance (total startup and exit valuations), Funding (early and late-stage capital and large exits), Talent & Experience (quality and track record of founders and workforce), Market Reach (local and global customer access), Knowledge (research output and innovation capacity), and, new for 2025, AI-Native Readiness (the ecosystem's transition to Al-driven innovation in startups, funding, and policy).