BizWorld Updates Monthly Draper Innovation Index Global
Nations Compete to Land in Top Ten of Best Places Globally
to Launch a Startup

Canada Passes Switzerland in the DII Global Top 10
Singapore Overtakes Finland
El Salvador and Paraguay See Healthy Gains
China Slips Again, Russia Remains Near Bottom
Moldova, Kuwait, and Ecuador Post Largest Declines
Dominica, St. Vincent, Montenegro, Bermuda, and Mongolia Rise

Oakland, California – BizWorld announces its October 2025 update to the Draper Innovation Index Global (DII Global), which evaluates each nation’s ability to develop, support, and retain entrepreneurs, innovators, startups, and investors. First published in 2021, the DII Global provides the most well-rounded and up-to-date look at entrepreneurial environments across the globe. This month’s rankings include updates to annual metrics including DII’s proprietary Venture Capital Momentum indicator and Pitchbook’s estimate of the number of startups by country.

“This month’s DII Global demonstrates a clear divergence in nurturing the crypto economy between Singapore and Finland,” said BizWorld Founder Tim Draper. “Singapore is actively engineering a robust ecosystem for Bitcoin and other digital assets through regulatory clarity and high adoption rates, propelling it up our rankings. In contrast, while Finland remains a strong innovator, its more conventional approach has led to a dip in its crypto-friendliness score. Singapore’s trajectory underscores our core belief: embracing and regulating emerging technologies like Bitcoin is a powerful catalyst for national innovation and economic vitality in the 21st century.”

Top Takeaways from the DII Global October 2025 Update

• Canada overtook Switzerland for 3rd place due to its higher new startup trends and stronger venture capital momentum.
• The DII Global Top 10 also saw Singapore overtake Finland for 8th place due to stronger new startup trends and improved currency performance.
• El Salvador rose to 115th due to a significant improvement in venture capital momentum.
• Paraguay also rose strongly to 81st due to a combination of strong venture capital momentum and improved currency performance.
• China fell from 71st to 72nd as weakness in venture capital momentum offset small gains in AI/Machine Learning investment growth.
• Russia remained near the bottom of the DII Global rankings at 217th. Small improvements in venture capital momentum were more than offset by declines in the number of startups.
• Moldova saw the largest monthly decline; it fell from 57th place to 76th due to declining venture capital momentum.
• Kuwait fell to 86th due both to a decline in new startups and a deteriorating World Uncertainty Index score.
• Ecuador fell to 138th due to minimal growth in new startups and decreasing venture capital momentum.
• Dominica exploded higher, moving from 101st to 71st, an improvement of 30 places, supported by a significant improvement in the country’s venture capital momentum.
• Both St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Montenegro saw considerable venture capital momentum improvement, with Montenegro also benefitting from strong AI/Machine Learning venture capital investment growth. St. Vincent rose from 89th to 61st and Montenegro rose from 75th to 49th in the DII Global.
• Bermuda rose from 56th to 37th as increasing numbers of new startups and venture capital momentum offset a comparative weak currency.
• Mongolia benefitted from rising AI/Machine Learning venture capital investments combined with improving venture capital momentum, helping it rise from 113th to 94th.

“Paraguay, El Salvador, and Bermuda rose in the DII Global this month, in large part due to increasing venture capital momentum,” said BizWorld Chief Economic Advisor Dr. Wallace Walrod. “Moldova, on the other hand, saw the month’s largest drop down the DII Global ladder due to negative venture capital momentum, and Ecuador dropped for the same reason. While the global economy is changing in many ways, venture capital remains the engine room of entrepreneurship and countries should prioritize building vibrant, robust venture capital ecosystems as a key economic growth strategy.”

The DII Global will release monthly updates to continually reflect the latest developments in global innovation and entrepreneurship, available here.

About BizWorld

BizWorld.org is a global non-profit organization based in Oakland, CA, whose mission is to enable youth from all backgrounds to unlock the power of entrepreneurship to create career opportunities, inspire self-reliance, and build confidence that drives economic prosperity globally.     Founded over 25 years ago by Silicon Valley venture capitalist Tim Draper, BizWorld.org programs teach students real-world 21st century skills and leadership that encourage them to become responsible leaders and entrepreneurs of tomorrow. More than 850,000 students in more than 100 countries have participated in BizWorld programs. https://www.bizworld.org/