Europe may not have as many tech giants as the US, but its power doesn't lie here.
New Global Technology Ecosystem Index_._ says density is the area where the old continent is performing really well
According to the research of Dealroom.co’, a global intelligence platform for Startup’s and technology ecosystems, Europe is home to more of the world's highest-performing technology ecosystems than any other region by population size.
Belgium’'s city of Ghent ranks second in the European ’ after Cambridge’ among the cities with a population of less than half a million.
According to dealroom.co’, this is because of the notable enterprise value per capita led by Argenx’in, a biotech company valued at €41 billion, as well as the deep technology and life sciences production line that continues to increase the overall value of the “ ecosystem, which matches the high percentage of founders from ” and most from Ghent University, ’.
At the same time, the city of Belgium, home to less than 300,000 ’ people, is building a new software sector; Aikido Security is an up-to-date example of this.
‘Rekor AI investment’ LondonRaises ’ to 4th place worldwide
There are less surprises in the overall ranking, which ranks the most successful ecosystems through venture capital investments, corporate value, momentum, unicorns (private venture companies worth $1 billion or more), and the university network.
The U.S. still dominates East Coast ’na from West ’; The Bay Area is in first place, New York is in second place, and Boston is in the top three.
But Europe is not far behind.
London, ranked fourth worldwide, surpassed Paris’i in 2026’ and regained its position as ’'s leading technology ecosystem ahead of Los Angeles, Austin and Tel Aviv’ in the global rankings.
The city remains one of the world's leading centers for artificial intelligence, fintech and deep technology innovation, and is currently driven by a record-breaking investment in artificial intelligence – 2024, from $3.9 billion in ’ to €6 billion in 2025’; provides consistent unicorn creation.
Dealroom.co researchers Europe in Motion’a said: “Last year, London technology companies 2024According to ’e %Collected €15.3 billion with an increase of 45; The city is currently home to 138 unicorns, including Wayve, Granola, OLIX and ElevenLabs.”
At the same time, Paris continues to show its strength, especially in the field of artificial intelligence.
It has raised €4.3 billion from venture capital (VC) financing and continues to host leading companies such as Mistral, AMI Labs and Mirakl. Dealroom.co reports that artificial intelligence is currently investing approximately %’ says it has made up its 30“, underlining that the ”region is focused on next-generation technologies.
Stockholm (19th) is the only other European city to enter the world's first 20’.
The rapid rise: A look at the Rising Stars of the Index
Istanbul, IndiaAfter ’'s Mumbai’si (1’th) and China’in Hefei’si (2’th), it is the third rising star on the global technology scene.
At the same time, Kiev is in eighth place, losing several places compared to 2025’ due to moderate growth (4.3 times) in the electric vehicle market since 2019’, while other cities such as Athens (6.7 times) or Zagreb (14 times) show higher rates.
As Europe approaches ’, Zagreb is the city to watch right now. It is currently AB’'s fastest-growing technology center and ranked 11th worldwide.
More generally, Eastern Europe seems to be gaining momentum; Athens (2nd), Sofia (3rd), Prague (4th) and Vilnius (5th) are at the top of the EU bloc.
But Dealroom.co says that the Rising Stars ranking is designed for emerging ecosystems from a less established base, so seeing the rise of “central European cities here rather than a shift in where global innovation is concentrated reflects ecosystem acceleration.
