Europe’s startup and scaleup ecosystem is growing, but unevenly. This first edition of the European Startup and Scaleup Scoreboard (ESSS) maps all national startup and scaleup ecosystems in the 27 EU Member States, revealing where the EU excels, where it lags, and what it will take to close the gap with global leaders. This report presents the first edition of the ESSS, developed as a pilot exercise to provide a comprehensive and comparable overview of startup and scaleup ecosystems across the EU. As a first iteration, the scoreboard builds on currently available data and definitions, with the objective of establishing a robust and scalable framework for future monitoring. The ESSS is designed to inform policymaking by providing a structured evidence base for benchmarking performance across Member States, identifying strengths and bottlenecks, and supporting the development of targeted policy measures. It also enables users to compare ecosystems across countries and dimensions, offering insights into relative performance. At the same time, the scoreboard provides a high-level perspective and does not fully capture country- specific nuances, which are explored in more detail in the accompanying country reports. While limitations remain, particularly regarding data availability and harmonisation, the ESSS represents an important step towards a more consistent, evidence-based understanding of Europe’s startup and scaleup landscape.
