Vancouver startup ecosystem holds ground in global rankings

Vancouver’s startup ecosystem is staying the course in a turbulent year for global tech. 

In the 2025 Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER), released today by Startup Genome, the city is ranked 36th in the world. That’s the same position it held last year, which may not sound dramatic, but in the context of a global pullback, holding steady is a sign of relative strength.

This year’s report offers a sharp reminder of how much has changed in a short time. 

The average global ecosystem value dropped by 14%, and total value across all ecosystems declined by more than 31%. In North America, the drop was 18%. 

While many cities fell in the rankings as investor appetite cooled and exit activity slowed, Vancouver did not. 

While the city isn’t climbing the global rankings just yet, it is riding on a base that remains attractive to founders, especially those focused on technical talent and early-stage growth. It is also Canada’s second-highest ranked startup ecosystem, behind Toronto-Waterloo.

One of Vancouver’s most significant advantages is its access to talent. The GSER gives the city a perfect score of 10 in STEM access, recognizing the depth of graduates and technical workers emerging from local institutions. 

At the same time, it earns a 5 for cost in the Talent and Experience category, with the average software engineer salary at $68,000. That affordability gives early-stage startups a cost advantage, but the ecosystem’s ability to support scale-stage growth remains limited.

Vancouver’s overall Talent and Experience score is 2 out of 10. This includes a perfect 10 in STEM Access and a mid-range score of 5 for tech talent cost, pointing to strong access to affordable, early-stage technical talent. 

However, lower scores in Tech Talent Quality and Access (4), Scaling Experience (2), and Startup Experience (2) suggest that the ecosystem faces challenges in producing experienced founders, generating large exits, and consistently advancing startups beyond their early stages.

See how Vancouver ranks relative to other Canadian cities, and learn more about the ecosystem in this podcast. This podcast summary is entirely generated and voiced by AI.

Funding remains the city’s biggest challenge. 

Vancouver scores only 1 out of 10 in this category, reflecting the limited volume of venture capital and fewer active local investors compared to larger hubs. The Performance score, also 2, points to fewer high-value exits. 

Still, the city is home to one active unicorn, a signal that companies can and do scale successfully from this market.

The report also tracks Vancouver’s transition toward AI-driven startup activity. The city scores a 4 in the AI-Native Transition category. That may not seem high, but it places Vancouver alongside many international peers that are still building capacity in this fast-moving space. 

As AI continues to attract more than 40% of global venture capital, cities that develop early capabilities will be well positioned.

Vancouver’s combination of talent, AI momentum, and relatively competitive tech labour costs positions it for long-term relevance, even if it hasn’t yet translated into scale-stage growth.

Market Reach is another area showing early promise. Vancouver scores a 4, indicating that while global connections and scaleup production are not yet dominant strengths, the ecosystem is not isolated. There is a foundation to build on, particularly as more founders take aim at global customers from day one.

If there is a throughline in Vancouver’s 2025 GSER profile, it’s quiet progress — something we’ve seen in many Canadian cities in this report. The ecosystem has not made a leap forward, but it’s not lost ground either. 

That matters in a year when many ecosystems are seeing their value decline, their rankings fall, or their talent leave for more affordable markets. 

Vancouver has held its position, but now faces pressure to deliver more outcomes from its early-stage strengths. Unlocking capital, converting technical talent into global-facing companies, and deepening founder experience will be key to shaping its next chapter.