Some of the world’s best startup capitals, that aren’t Silicon Valley

Posted on August 27th, 2014
Tech

Some of the world's best startup capitals, that aren't Silicon ValleySo you have a brilliant idea for a startup and think you need to move to Silicon Valley to make it big, right? Wrong! Silicon Valley might be well-known for  producing successful tech startups. However, what many people are forgetting is the Valley’s high living costs, scare housing, and more importantly, the competition among startups is fierce, not forgetting the presence of tech giants like Google, Apple and Facebook.

Our very own Cape Town is often regarded as South Africa’s version of Silicon Valley. Silicon Cape, which is situated in the city is now home to many startups, making the Mother City the country’s go-to startup mecca. Silicon Cape is community of tech entrepreneurs, developers, creatives and angel investors who are driving entrepreneurship.

“Probably one of the most overlooked startup cities is Santiago, Chile”

The idea is, if you’ve got all the right principles and have the foundation for your startup, you should be able to launch it anywhere, including for instance Bangalore, India. The city boasts a population of over 10 million people all with diverse skills and tech startups in that city are thriving; the fact that you can get a delicious curry on any street doesn’t hurt.

London’s startup scene varies, from tech and finance to advertising and even design firm. Many tech giants like Facebook are reported to be looking to expand into London.

Probably one of the most overlooked startup cities is Santiago, Chile, whose government efforts include a funding initiative called Start-up Chile, and offers $40 000 grants and visas.