Dealroom’s new Global Tech Ecosystem Index report also ranks Miami No. 2 in the US among the fastest-growing ecosystems
This just in: Miami is a top 20 startup ecosystem in the world.
That’s according to a new report by Dealroom, a data platform that maps the world’s tech ecosystems. Dealroom analyzed data from 325 qualifying cities and metro areas across more than 77 countries to come up with its ranking.
In Dealroom’s ranking for its Global Tech Ecosystem Index 2026 released today, the Miami metro area (Miami-Dade through Palm Beach County) currently ranks #20 in the world in the Global Champions category based on 2025 data and growth.
The Global Champions category, which measures scale, ranks the world’s biggest and most established ecosystems by absolute metrics: VC investment, enterprise value, unicorn count, and university linkages, and that’s the category that makes the most sense for Miami, said Aoife Morrin, Dealroom’s Head of Ecosystem Growth, who shared some insights with Refresh Miami. These are hubs with the depth to support startups from seed to IPO and that often shape global tech trends, he said. The ranking shows that Miami metro is stronger than 94% of the hubs.
Miami also ranked 10th in the United States in the Global Champions category.
Behind the numbers
How is Miami performing against its peers? The trajectory is quite positive and Palantir and OpenEvidence’s relocations helped lift the lastest ranking. Morrin says Miami’s strength is the concentration of large, mature, VC-backed companies headquartered in or relocated to the metro: Palantir anchors the ecosystem, alongside Monolithic Power Systems, Citadel Securities, Chewy and Ultimate Software, according to Dealroom’s research. Recent activity is also healthy: Alongside Palntir, 2025 brought Miami a new unicorn: OpenEvidence.
“Miami’s post-pandemic capital-and-talent influx is continuing to compound into real company formation. The headline enterprise value is heavily concentrated in Palantir, so the underlying ecosystem is smaller than the #11 global EV rank implies, but the breadth of mid-cap activity and the pace of new unicorn creation point to continued upward pressure on Miami’s position in subsequent editions,” Morrin said.
A persistent weakness, Dealroom’s analysis found, is the alumni-founder pipeline, where Miami ranks #74–92 globally versus Chicago at #8–9 and Toronto-Waterloo at #12–13. “That’s a structural reflection of Miami being a destination ecosystem rather than a university-driven one,” Morrin said.
The Bay Area, New York City, and Boston remain the top tech hubs globally, according to Dealroom’s ranking of Global Champions. Other top 10 global champions (from No. 4 to 10) are: London, LA, Austin, Tel Aviv, Paris, Beijing, and Seoul.
Miami’s rankings in two other categories
The other two categories Dealroom ranked are for watching the progress of smaller ecosystems that are, on a per capita basis, punching way above their weight in a particular sector (Density Leaders) and fast-growing ecosystems among emerging markets (Rising Stars).
In the Density Leaders category, which ranks ecosystems relative to their size, rewarding cities that punch above their economic weight on startup activity and university linkages, Miami ranks 48th of 325, stronger than 86% of the hubs.
Rising Stars identifies the fastest-growing ecosystems through growth in enterprise value and unicorn creation over time, adjusted for economic conditions. These are often under-the-radar hubs signaling the next wave of global innovation.Miami ranks #67 of 325, climbing 29 spots and landing at a stronger ranking stronger than 80% of the hubs, Dealroom.
In the US though, Miami took the No. 2 spot among Rising Stars, only following Austin..
“Breaking into the top 20 tech ecosystems globally — a list that includes the cities that have defined the startup world — is a real milestone for Miami. And climbing 29 spots among the fastest-growing ecosystems tells you the trajectory is only getting stronger. Behind those numbers is a real shift: talented, ambitious founders, investors and tech talent are committing to Miami for the long term. Not passing through. Building here,” said Refresh Miami CEO Maria Derchi Russo, about the report’s release.
Notably, this is the second global ecosystem ranking this year that Miami has ranked high. In early May, StartupBlink’s report ranked our metro area No. 22.
Sector watch
One of the aims of the report new report and Dealroom’s release of the data is to make it very open so every ecosystem can understand where their strengths lie so they can lean into them and also where there are some gaps in their ecosystems that they could address, said Dealroom’s Head of Insights Orla Browne said in a Dealroom video conference about the report’s findings this morning.
The report said that Miami came up 14th in the Global Champions category for Defense sector (9th in the US). On its accompanying dashboard for the Global Champions, Miami currently ranks #12 globally in Blockchain; 13th in Health and Medicine; 14th inr Gaming; 15th in both Fintech and Cybersecurity; and 22nd for AI.
Comparing Miami’s rankings to No. 6 Austin, shows that both Miami and Austin are very close on the strength of early stage venture capital, said Browne. But Austin attracted more about 40% capital in $15 million to $100 million rounds, and double the amount in late stage rounds of over $100 million.
As a reminder, Refresh Miami has featured Dealroom’s Miami data and insights on its platform since October 2023. You can find our free ecosystem dashboard powered by Dealroom here. In the ecosystem dashboard on Refresh Miami, you can find sections such as the investment heatmap that show the strength of sectors for VC as well as fundings, exits and other venture data in real time, lists of Miami area startups and investors, and much more.
Download the 2026 Dealroom report here.
READ MORE IN REFRESH MIAMI:
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- How Miami became a launchpad for cross-border payment startups
- As tokenization grows up, here’s how Miami builders are turning blockchain into market infrastructure
- #MiamiTech in 2025: Growing up without slowing down
- Miami cracks into the top 20 global ecosystems in new ranking – May 28, 2026
- With Cathie Wood, Palantir and founders, Big Ideas Summit celebrates AI, convergence and ‘massive opportunities’ ahead – May 22, 2026
- Miami startup CVRD Health lands $5M seed round to streamline federal contractor benefits – May 22, 2026
