The Startup Ecosystem of Ethiopia

Ethiopia has 1 city in the top 1000 and is one of Eastern Africa's best countries for setting up a startup. Ethiopia's startup scene saw an increase in 2023 and jumped 2 spots from the previous year, outranking Paraguay.

The Global Startup Ecosystem Index ranks Ethiopia in the top 100. The vibrants eed ecosystem of Ethiopia has jumped 5 spots to secure its position in theg lobal top 100 for the first time in the ranking, and completing in the top 100,r anked 100th globally.

According to Startupblink there are several private sector organizations helping entrepreneurs succeed in Ethiopia's business environment. Most notably, and a unique trend in Ethiopia's startup ecosystem, is the role of the Ethiopian diaspora as they return to Ethiopia to push for digitalization and modernization of the economy and are granted special permits by the government to invest and operate in the country.

The startup ecosystem overview with a population of over 122 million people shows Ethiopia as a huge untapped market for entrepreneurs to satisfy, especially as it transitions to a more digital economy. However, to secure and keep its rank for the next year Ethiopia has lot to do.

When ranking the startup ecosystems of cities and countries, startup influencers are an important element. While the presence of successful companies influence a startup ecosystem, so do the actual people who have managed to build and create initiatives with a substantial impact. A city or country where many startup influencers choose to base themselves sends a clear signal of cutting edge growth, startup success, and quality of life.

Currently, StartupBlink’s Global Startup Ecosystem Map has 161 global influencers from all around the world. These leaders range from people that are in charge of giant companies to solo entrepreneurs with ideas that had a positive effect on their startup ecosystem