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As originally posted on the  - June 16, 2021

Kingston's startup ecosystem ranked top ten in Canada and moves up three spots globally.

Kingston, Ontario – June 16, 2021 – StartupBlink released their 2021 global startup ecosystem rankings of 100 countries and 1,000 cities at a virtual conference in London, UK.  Kingston advanced to #6 globally for cities with 100,000-300,000 population.

Kingston ranks 141st in the 2021 Global Ecosystem Index Report, 3 spots up from its 2020 rank of 144th globally. Kingston is the 9th highest ranked city in Canada.

“It’s so great to see Kingston continue rise in the rankings for startup ecosystems this year placing #6 globally for cities with a population between 100,000-300,000. We were even noted as ‘punching above our weight’ which is an incredible endorsement for our city,” says Mayor Paterson. “This ranking is the result of continued partnerships, strategic investments, and a commitment to initiatives and programs meant to foster innovation in our community. A big thank you to everyone who continues to push forward this vision for Kingston.”  

StartupBlink is the world’s most comprehensive startup ecosystem map and research centre with a goal to promote startup ecosystem growth around the world by featuring smaller ecosystems that are usually not covered by the press and other research organizations. Once a year, StartupBlink releases the world’s most comprehensive Startup Ecosystem Rankings Report with over 1,000 cities and 100 countries ranked by data points in an index ranking. The reports have been downloaded by tens of thousands of decision-makers around the world and receives hundreds of mentions in the global and national press.

“The StartupBlink ranking provides inspiration and positively acknowledges Kingston’s efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ensuring Kingston startups are connected to global audiences is important for their sustainable growth,” says Donna Gillespie, CEO, Kingston Economic Development Corporation. “Kingston is well-positioned for startups to tap into the growing opportunities in North America.”

StartupBlink noted that Kingston overperforms primarily in Energy, FoodTech, and Health Technology. StartupBlink acknowledge that there are over 150 startups in Kingston and highlighted three notable ventures:

Originally developed at Queen’s, Elentra is now used around the world. Elentra is a cloud-based teaching aid, scheduling system, and assessment tool all-in-one.

King’s Distributed Systems is a Kingston-based tech start-up developing a JavaScript and Web Assembly based distributed compute platform to accelerate Canadian science, innovation and discovery.

Kinarm Lab gives clinician-scientists a window into brain function that is both objective and quantitative, allowing them to study the sensory, motor, and cognitive impacts of a wide range of injuries and disease and to measure the benefits of new therapies.

“The Kingston startup ecosystem has continually gotten better and better, thanks to all the ecosystem partners who are introducing programs and collaborative opportunities to make sure we are not falling behind," says Norman Musengimana, Small Business & Entrepreneurship Centre Manager at Kingston Economic Development. “Our startups enjoy world-class entrepreneurial development services and programs while venturing in the international business environment. If we keep this momentum, we will soon be a global startup ecosystem that has the potential to attract some of the best entrepreneurs from all around the world.”

Media Contact

Nour Mazloum
Communications & Events Officer
Kingston Economic Development Corporation
613-329-9270
mazloum@kingstoncanada.com