San Francisco, Zurich and Dubai have been ranked as the top three startup-friendly cities globally, driven by its depth of entrepreneurial activity, strong innovation ecosystem, advanced talent development and high levels of business agility.
The insights are drawn from Multipolitan’s Startup Friendly Cities Index 2026.
Another report by Multipolitan titled: Digital State Project report, indicates that Singapore, Palau, Tuvalu, Ukraine, and Estonia are emerging as agentic states, signalling a significant shift in global migration patterns. These jurisdictions are increasingly offering digital residency and advanced e-governance frameworks, effectively becoming “cities you can log into” rather than solely physical destinations.
An examination of the Startup Friendly Cities Index shows that the cities most likely to emerge as global centres of innovation are those where it is easiest to start a business, live, and scale sustainably.
For Nigerian startup founders and investors seeking to establish operations in these cities, can consider leveraging on the digital residency and e-governance programs of Singapore, Estonia, and Dubai which offers digital residency and AI-enabled civic services, allowing founders to register companies, access public infrastructure, and interact with regulatory systems remotely.
They can also align with global talent and networking hubs, like San Francisco, Zurich, Singapore which have robust talent pools and startup ecosystems that enables them tap into mentorship, partnerships, and access to skilled professionals.
These cities attract and retain founders by offering frictionless access to capital, advanced digital networks, deep talent pools and a quality of life that supports long-term creativity and productivity.
Beyond the top-ranked cities, the index also lists Singapore, New York City, Los Angeles, Seoul, London, Hong Kong, Paris, Toronto, Stockholm, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Melbourne, Shanghai, Oslo, Beijing, Warsaw, Madrid, Dublin, Tel Aviv, Cape Town, São Paulo, Bengaluru, Kyiv, Mexico City and Jakarta among the world’s most startup-friendly urban ecosystems.
According to Nirbhay Handa, CEO & co-founder of Multipolitan, “Cities are the new nation states. Wealth, talent and innovation concentrate within cities. They are the real frontiers of innovation. Within a country, cities can each hold their own, such as San Francisco and LA or Yaba in Lagos. Nowadays, cities are able to make independent decisions on public infrastructure, civic amenities, and even taxes, particularly in the US and UAE.”
“Also, startup founders are nation builders. Countries that want to thrive in the future need to attract many startup founders. Cities are the new products, and founders are the customers. Cities that treat founders like customers will always have an edge over cities that treat founders like applicants.”
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What sets these leading startup cities apart
San Francisco (#1) continues to set the global benchmark as the most startup-friendly city, due to its deep venture capital pools, dense concentration of startups, and a mature innovation ecosystem supported by robust digital infrastructure and a strong talent base.
Zurich (#2) ranks high due to its exceptional educational standards, high quality of life, and advanced digital readiness, which offset its comparatively smaller scale of venture activity.
Dubai stands out for its regulatory efficiency and digital ambition, with a rapid ascent reflecting an economy deliberately designed for founders, that is fast to incorporate, easy to operate, and well connected to global markets.
Singapore is distinguished by its clarity in regulation, taxation, and digital infrastructure, continuing to set the standard for business agility in Asia and serving as a global benchmark for founder mobility and cross-border scalability.
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How Lagos can position itself as a global startup-friendly city
Chee Okebalama, executive partner for Africa at Multipolitan, says Lagos must be positioned as a launchpad as it already has the foundation of a global startup city, but must now align infrastructure, policy and storytelling to ensure founders can build locally while competing globally.
According to her, Nigeria has moved beyond the stage of potential and is now producing companies that can compete across borders. “Lagos should not be seen as a boundary but as a launch platform,” Okebalama said, pointing to firms such as Interswitch, Flutterwave, Opay and Moniepoint as evidence that Nigerian startups are already building products for regional and global markets.
She added that the strength of Lagos lies not only in its companies but in its people. “Lagos produces globally competitive talent in technology, media, music, fashion and services,” she said, noting that this diversity of skills positions the city as a viable base for founders looking to scale beyond Nigeria.
However, Okebalama stressed that global competitiveness requires intentional structuring. She argued that the next phase of growth for Nigerian startups is not simply expansion, but strategic positioning. “The next step is packaging Nigerian capability for global markets through global pricing, delivery and distribution,” she said.
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She notes that founders grow faster when they combine local execution with international access. “Founders scale faster when they can plug into global ecosystems while building locally,” she explained, citing cities such as Dubai as examples of how this can be done effectively. “Dubai works because of efficiency, infrastructure readiness and speed of incorporation,” she said.
Okebalama outlined a hybrid growth model in which Lagos remains the operational base while global hubs provide access to capital and markets. “The strategy is to build in Lagos and connect to global hubs where capital, distribution and access are easier,” she said.
She also warned that keeping founders in Lagos will depend on more than talent alone. According to her, “Founder retention depends on business agility, digital infrastructure, security, quality of life and ease of company setup.”
Beyond policy and infrastructure, she emphasised the importance of global perception. “Narrative building matters. Lagos must position itself internationally as a place to build and scale. The UAE has successfully attracted founders through clear messaging and founder-friendly visas.”
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Digital State Project report
As earlier mentioned, Multipolitan’s Digital State Project identifies Singapore, Palau, Tuvalu, Ukraine, and Estonia as emerging agentic states that offer digital residency, effectively becoming “cities you can log into.”
Notable examples include Singapore’s Singpass, Palau’s digital residency, Tuvalu’s digital nationhood initiative, Ukraine’s AI-enabled governance, Estonia’s X-Road, and Ukraine’s Diia platform.
This reveals a major shift in global migration, moving towards on-chain citizenship, e-governance protocols, agentic nation states, orbital infrastructure, space sovereignty, and the metaverse as a medium for human connection.
Handa explains, “Residency passes like UAE Pass or Estonia’s e-governance allow access to civic amenities without being physically present. It’s less about mobility and more about accessing public infrastructure seamlessly”.
