Kuala Lumpur’s entrepreneurial ecosystem is highlighed in the Global Startup Ecosystem Report:

• Ranking within the #21-30 Emerging Ecosystems

• The ecosystem created $47 billion in Ecosystem Value from Jul 01, 2021 to Dec 31, 2023. Ecosystem Value is a measure of economic impact, calculated as the value of exits and startup valuations.

• Top 15 Asia Ecosystem in Funding — measures innovation through early-stage funding and investor’s activity

• Top 20 Asia Ecosystem in Performance — measures the size and performance of an ecosystem based on the accumulated tech startup value created from exits and funding

• Top 20 Asia Ecosystem in Talent & Experience — measures long-term trends over the most significant performance factors

• Top 25 Asia Ecosystem in Affordable Talent — measures the ability to hire tech talent

• Top 30 Asia Ecosystem in Bang for Buck — measures the amount of runway tech startups acquire, on average, from a VC round

• Educated talent and ease of doing business are cited as reasons a startup should move to the ecosystem

Kuala Lumpur’s ecosystem excels in the Fintech, AI, Big Data, & Analytics and Sustainability & Environment sectors. Notable funding rounds in 2023 for Fintech players like Policy Street, Soft Space, and Beldex highlight the city's Fintech prowess, while global leaders like Microsoft and AWS investing in AI and big data showcase Malaysia's digital potential. Sustainability initiatives by Petronas and Khazanah Nasional Berhad underscore Kuala Lumpur's commitment to environmental responsibility. With support from government initiatives like Cradle and MYStartup, Kuala Lumpur offers a thriving environment for startups to innovate.

"With Kuala Lumpur ranked as the #21-30 Emerging Ecosystem this year, our partnership with Cradle to bolster local startup success stories fills us with pride. The Malaysian ecosystem is poised for future growth, especially as it develops a more significant segment of scale-up companies and starts to develop increasing strength in Deep Tech. Kuala Lumpur's integration into our global network of innovators propels further success by facilitating the exchange of crucial insights and best practices," shares Stephan Kuester, Managing Partner at Startup Genome.

For more insights and an overview of Kuala Lumpur’s startup landscape, visit the Kuala Lumpur ecosystem page.