Dell released its list of top global cities for women entrepreneurs on 22 June in its annual WE cities (women entrepreneurs cities) index. New York has emerged as the top city for female entrepreneurship, followed by San Francisco Bay Area, London, Stockholm and Singapore. New Delhi was ranked 22 in the list of the 25 best WE cities. The WE index is the only global gender-specific index that looks at a city’s feasibility and favourability to women-owned/operated businesses and enterprises.
The index looks at the operating environment and enabling environment (through five categories, namely, culture, capital, markets, technology and talent). The study’s research focuses on factors such as availability and access to resources, funding, certifications, mentorship programmes and governmental aid to women-led businesses. New York City fares the best in the markets sector as well because of its multiple policies and programmes for high potential women entrepreneurs. While Toronto did best in the category of culture, Stockholm was first in technology.
The report’s findings serve as a starting point for the Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network Summit (DWEN) and was announced at the Global Entrepreneur Summit at the White House. The list of the best cities provides a platform for lawmakers to help emulate their characteristics in their policies to make cities viable for women entrepreneurs.
Here are the Top 25 Global Cities for Women Entrepreneurs:
- New York
- Bay Area
- London
- Stockholm
- Singapore
- Toronto
- Washington, DC
- Sydney
- Paris
- Seattle
- Munich
- Austin
- Beijing
- Hong Kong
- Taipei
- Shanghai
- Tokyo
- Mexico City
- Sao Paulo
- Seoul
- Milan
- Delhi
- Johannesburg
- Jakarta
- Istanbul
“Innovation and job creation by women entrepreneurs is critical for a thriving global economy, yet our research shows some cities and countries are doing far more than others to encourage and support this important subset of the startup community. Our index provides insights to move the conversation with policymakers and city leaders from awareness to action and, in turn, to empower women entrepreneurs to have the greatest economic impact on the world.”, said Karen Quintos, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Dell.
