Kickstart Innovation Recognized in the Financial Times’ Europe’s Leading Start-up Hubs 2026
- Mar 2
- 2 min read
We are proud to share that Kickstart Innovation has been recognized in the Financial Times ranking of Europe’s Leading Start-up Hubs 2026, developed in collaboration with Statista and Sifted. The 2026 edition highlights 180 start-up hubs across 25 European countries and was published in February 2026.
For us, this recognition is meaningful because it reflects the work that often happens behind the scenes: building connections between startups, corporates, institutions, investors, and innovation partners that can lead to real collaboration. It is a reminder that strong innovation ecosystems are not built by individual organizations alone, but by the quality of the relationships, trust, and opportunities created across the wider network.
It is also a reflection of the strength of the Swiss innovation ecosystem and of the many people and organizations contributing every day to turn ideas into real projects, partnerships, and scalable solutions. Switzerland is represented by multiple hubs in the 2026 ranking, underlining the country’s continued relevance in the European innovation landscape.
The ranking itself is based on a multi-step methodology combining alumni feedback, recommendations from investors and entrepreneurs, and the track record of hub-associated startups. According to the Financial Times, data for the 2026 edition was collected between May and October 2025, with eligibility limited to organizations operating since at least 2021 and with a physical location in Europe.
We would like to sincerely thank the startups, partners, mentors, and supporters who have been part of this journey. Their trust, collaboration, and willingness to build together are what make this work possible.
We also want to congratulate the other Swiss hubs included in the ranking. Being part of such a dynamic ecosystem motivates us to keep learning, improving, and contributing where we can.
You can explore the full ranking here: Financial Times – Europe’s Leading Start-up Hubs 2026. For more on the wider editorial project, see the Financial Times special report on Europe’s Leading Start-up Hubs 2026 and Sifted.
