In the current “Europe's Leading Startup Hubs” ranking 2025, published by the Financial Times and Statista, Munich presents itself as a strong startup location, with the Bavarian capital represented by five startup centers – assuming you count Baystartup as a Munich center (it is listed under the Nuremberg location). At the top again is UnternehmerTUM (1st place), followed by Start2 Group in 3rd place. Baystartup makes it to 11th place, closely behind the SCE (12th place). Also on 106th place is the Plant1 find.
Particularly noteworthy: With the exception of UnternehmerTUM, the other listed Munich startup centers made it into the ranking for the first time. In 2024, the TU Munich's startup center was already able to secure first place, can therefore repeat its success in the 2025 ranking.
The "Europe's Leading Startup Hubs" ranking is a ranking of the best startup hubs with at least one physical location in Europe that offer incubator and/or accelerator programs for founders. A total of 150 such hubs were included in this ranking. For the ranking, the Financial Times, in collaboration with the data company Statista, surveyed graduates of the startup hubs, as well as VCs, entrepreneurs, and researchers. The startups' successes were also analyzed.
“Success for the entire ecosystem”
Regarding the renewed top ranking of his start-up center, Helmut Schönenberger, Co-founder and CEO of UnternehmerTUM and TUM Vice President for Entrepreneurship:
"Receiving the award as Europe's leading startup hub is a success for our entire ecosystem. It shows that research-based tech startups can grow rapidly in Germany and Europe – thanks in part to our strong international network."
Also Carsten Rudolph, Managing Director of Baystartup, is pleased with the success of his institution:
"The recognition at the European level reflects the strength and commitment of our team, as well as the innovative power of our supported startups. We are proud that our ongoing work to strengthen the startup community is being recognized both nationally and internationally."
The European Startup Hub Ranking shows how important the right support and network are for the success of startups and highlights the outstanding startup hubs in Europe – among them a firmly established one: Munich.
