Singapore takes 4th spot in global startup ecosystem ranking

Singapore climbed to fourth place in a global startup ecosystem ranking in 2025, up from fifth in 2024.

According to the 2025 Global Startup Ecosystem Index by research platform StartupBlink, Singapore ranked behind Israel, Britain, and the US.

The Republic has climbed 12 places since 2020, making it one of the fastest-growing startup ecosystems worldwide, the index noted.

It attributed Singapore’s strong performance to its pro-business environment and well-developed support system for startups.

The country also scored highly on indicators such as investor presence, access to startup opportunities, the concentration of global tech players and corporates, and the depth of local talent.

The index, which assesses the startup ecosystems of 118 countries, also noted that Singapore strategically positioned itself as a leader in deep tech and other strategic industries such as FinTech, FoodTech, artificial intelligence, and advanced manufacturing.

It added that the country’s universities are involved in the startup ecosystem not only by training a highly qualified workforce for the research and development sector, but also by connecting programmes to startups and encouraging entrepreneurship on campuses.

Ms Emily Liew, assistant managing director of innovation at Enterprise Singapore, noted that Singapore’s global startup ecosystem is one that is open to talent and collaboration, and can consistently provide stability, resources for growth, and market access even amid the headwinds in the global startup environment.

“Enterprise Singapore will continue to strengthen the ecosystem and we welcome global startups with strong science-based solutions to leverage Singapore as a launchpad to grow and scale their business in the region and beyond,” she said.

Singapore’s rise in the rankings comes amid a robust year for funding and moves by the Government to boost support for companies here.

According to a report by Enterprise Singapore and research firm PitchBook issued in April 2025, Singapore captured the lion’s share of venture capital in ASEAN, securing nearly 60 per cent of the region’s deal volume, with a total deal value of US$4.8 billion (S$6.25 billion) in 2024.

In October 2024, the Government announced that it will invest another S$440 million to attract more venture capital firms to invest in local deep tech startups. The top-up will go to the Startup SG Equity scheme run by Enterprise Singapore and the Economic Development Board (EDB).

This expands the total amount of government funding under the scheme to more than S$1 billion.

In April 2025, Enterprise Singapore and EDB also established SG Growth Capital, a strategic investment platform that combines the expertise of both agencies to provide greater support in startup financing and venture building.
 

Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.