Financial Times Names EIT Community Among Europe's Leading Start-up Hubs for 2025

The Financial Times (FT) listed three EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) on its Europe's Leading Start-up Hubs 2025 ranking.

Developed in collaboration with the international data and research company Statista, as well as Sifted, the FT-backed leading media brand for the European start-up community, this recognition follows the EIT's acknowledgment as the best European investor in Sifted's 2024 ranking and its inclusion among Europe’s top five investors in the European Patent Office’s 2025 ‘Mapping Europe's Investors’ report. It highlights the EIT community's key role in driving entrepreneurship, accelerating startups, and strengthening Europe's innovation ecosystem.

Out of 150 listed start-up hubs, the Financial Times ranked:

• EIT Climate-KIC at #61 - EIT Climate-KIC works to make Europe's climate commitments reality by spurring innovation that helps societies mitigate and adapt to climate change.
• EIT Food at #108 - EIT Food uses inclusive systems innovation so that all people can participate in transforming Europe's food system for the better.
• EIT Urban Mobility at #138 - EIT Urban Mobility makes cities more liveable, engaging citizens in innovating how they can move around more effectively, sustainably and inclusively.

The Financial Times' overall scoring included consideration of the hubs' founding year, mentoring, alumni, and networking. 

 Read the full list

Special congratulations to EIT Community partners that made the list.

We celebrate the members of our community that regularly show their ingenuity by making lists such as these. The EIT model is all about building up and bringing our partners together, elevating them to elevate European innovation at the global scale! 

Partners who join our KICs join lifelong networks composed of all stakeholders across Europe's innovation ecosystem.

Learn more about our unique model

Our KICs use innovation to take on global challenges. They are designed to steer the power of entrepreneurship and innovation to take on specific critical challenges Europe and the planet are facing, from the climate crisis to how we use AI or diagnose life-threatening diseases. Our EIT Community works together to make sure Europe has the competitive talent, ventures, and innovation projects to keep Europe at the forefront of sustainable solutions.

Explore how we're addressing these challenges