Welcome to ‘The Startup State’ - a weekly bulletin from the GEN Policy and Research team highlighting key entrepreneurship news, reports, commentary and features from around the world.
News
- Ghana is holding nationwide workshops to validate its draft Innovation & Start-Up Bill. The bill follows in the footsteps of many other startup acts and aims to create a legal and regulatory framework for startups. This includes launching a Ghana Innovation and Startup Agency and the provision of tax incentives and funding programs (ecofin agency)
- Egypt's startups have raised $2.2 billion in investments since 2020. This was the headline statistic at 'Egypt Innovation Week', in which the government also announced a soon-to-launch 'Startup Charter' - a guide that will streamline government services for entrepreneurs (Finance Middle East)
- Ukraine's deputy prime minister Mykhailo Federov has launched the 'Ukraine Phoenix Tech Fund', a $59 million early-stage venture capital fund, backed by the European Investment Bank and Bpifrance, among others (EIB)
Research and resources
- Launchbase: The platform for entrepreneurs and support structures (in French)
France Digitale and The Machinery have created 'Launchbase', a new directory of over 500 incubators, accelerators, and other programs throughout France, to help entrepreneurs identify the right support structure. - The Egyptian Entrepreneurship Sector Diagnostics Report 2025
This Entlaq report provides a comprehensive analysis of Egypt's startup ecosystem and provides actionable recommendations to streamline regulations, strengthen public-private partnerships, and expand financing pathways.
Comment and analysis
- Ending gracefully (TNW founder Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten writes about the impending closure of TheNextWeb)
- Single market for startups: Europe's historic choice (Maxime Paradis, co-founder, European Tech Sovereignty Summit - in French)
- Creating the next Silicon Valley: An update on the Tech Hubs program (Nathan Lindfors, policy director, Engine)
- Why exactly is entrepreneurship important? (Christopher Wink, CEO, Technical.ly draws on GEC 2025 and the EIG Index of State Dynamism to reflect on the importance of entrepreneurship)
- K-Content funds leave billions unused, exposing Korea's IP investment gap (Chloe Kim, journalist, Korea Tech Desk)
- The UK has a regional inequality problem - levelling the playing field for entrepreneurs could help (Colin Mason, University of Glasgow and Michaela Hruskova, University of Stirling)
- A critical review of the Nigeria Startup Act 2022: Strengths and weaknesses (Majoyeogbe Boluwatife Ebenezer, Obafemi Awolowo University)
Features
- Boost Africa Initiative: Catalysing innovation and enterprise across the continent (African Business)
- The UAE's university of AI is a pipeline for top tech talent (Rest of World)
- Egypt's venture capital scene is no longer a closed club. The public is now invited (Launch Base Africa)
- Innovation hubs cultivate digital entrepreneurship in Vietnam (Nhan Dan)
GEN community news
- The Global Entrepreneurship Network and Alibaba.com have joined forces for CoCreate Pitch, the world's leading product-driven startup competition. Applications remain open for the European event (taking place in London on November 14) until mid-October. Learn more and apply | View the digital media toolkit and create co-branded promotional graphics
- Global Entrepreneurship Week is almost here! This year's theme is "Together We Build" - shining a spotlight on the collective power of community, collaboration, and shared ambition. Explore the ideas bank | Promotional toolkit | Add your event to the GEW calendar
- Global events in October: Egypt Innovation Week (3-5); San Francisco Tech Week (6-12); Elevate Festival (7-9); Tech Week Singapore (8-9); Sifted Summit London (9); Expand North Star (12-15); AfriLabs Annual Gathering (13-15); GITEX Global (13-17); Los Angeles Tech Week (13-19); Luxembourg Venture Days (16-17); African Business Angels Network Annual Congress (17-18); Auckland Startup Week (20-24); UNCTAD16 (20-23); VDS (20-23); Start-Up Festival Malta (23-24); Social Enterprise World Forum (27-31); FII (27-30)
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The opinions expressed in the articles above are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Global Entrepreneurship Network.