London
Overall Score: 58.2 out of 100 | Overall Rank: 1 out of 55

Momentum Rank

19London
55 City medianOverall Cityscore
8060
TechnologyMarkets
40
200Culture

TalentCapital

Basic Facts:• Population: 14.4 million (2021)• GMP (Gross Metro Production): $764.8 billion(2021)• Top Industries by Employment (2019):
1) Professional, scientific & technical2) Business administrative & support
services
3) HealthOverall Rank

1

Operating Environment

1Markets

3

Size

13

Cost

31

Access1

Notable Strengths:
Since the inception of the WE Cities index, London has
consistently been ranked one of the top three cities in its
ability to attract and support high potential women
entrepreneurs. London, New York, and San Francisco
have been the golden tier for women entrepreneurshipsince the index was created and this year London took thetop spot on the podium. London’s rise to the top was
driven by a leading ranking in the operating environment,
leading in the Talent pillar and third in both the Markets
and Capital pillars. It is also in the top 10 ranking in theCulture pillar.

Policy10Talent

1

Women's Skill & Experience

4Access to Qualified Personnel

1

Capital3

Number/Value

4

Gender Proportion

12

Women's Capital Base1

London is known as a center of excellence when it comesto talent. According to the Global Power City Index(GPCI), the city ranks first in “magnetism” for its power toattract people, capital, and enterprises from around theworld. The BCG Global Talent Survey found that London
ranks the most appealing destination for global workers.

Enabling Environment

10

Culture7

Access to Mentors & Role Models

3

Attitudes & Expectations

43

Policy8Technology

24

Connected

48

Cost22Policy

6Equality17

In the WE Cities Index, London displaced Boston for thetop spot in the Talent pillar this year. For access toqualified personnel, London excels. According to US
News & World Report 2022 Best Global Universities
Rankings, London has 22 universities ranked, with its

highest being University College London in the 12th spot.1 London is tied with Beijing for number of universities on
the list with only Tokyo having more. Furthermore, when just looking at business schools, The Financial Time MBA2022 rankings has 5 programs based in London ranked in the top 100. The London Business School is in the top 10
in the 8th spot.2 Having a highly skilled talent pool to draw from is important for all entrepreneurs. Having an
educated female talent pool, further strengthens the environment for women entrepreneurs to start and scale abusiness.
London’s high marks in the Market and Capital pillar also helped it earn the top spot. The city ranks highly inindicators related to projects on crowdfunding sites. London has the third highest number of projects and fifth
highest dollars raised out of the 55 cities in the index. Crowdfunding can be an important source of funds for women
entrepreneurs who still face many barriers when it comes to VC funding. Access to accelerators highlight the overall
opportunity for entrepreneurs in London. Accelerators like Startupbootcamp and Pi Labs provide capital, mentors,
and partners to entrepreneurs and businesses in early stages. In addition to raising funds on crowdfunding sites,
female founders are raising money through more traditional venture capital funds. S&P Global CapIQ data showsthat London ranks in the top 10 in the number of female founders that reached the second round of funding fromventure capital funds. Furthermore, the data showed that the city ranks in the top 5 for the value of venture capitalspend given to a business with at least 25% female executives.
Culture plays an important role in nurturing an environment that allows women to pursue their business dreams.
London’s top 10 ranking in the culture pillar, led by its ranking in access to mentors & role models, show how thecity’s vibrant entrepreneurial culture is enabling women to dream big. London ranks 2nd for both the number of citylevel organizations for women entrepreneurs and number of female leaders of major city business associations.
Access to organizations like The Women’s Organisation and the Women’s Resource Centre provide targetedresources for women starting out in business. Female leadership in business associations like London Chamber ofCommerce and Industry and British Chamber of Commerce shows the broader diverse business environment andthe access to women role models women entrepreneurs have in London.
Areas for Improvement:
While London has a top 10 ranking in the culture pillar, it still has room to improve in indicators related to attitudes
and expectations towards women. London has low rankings on the crime index (37th) and in respondents feelingworried about being attacked (40th). In both categories, London is the third lowest out of all the European cities in
the WE Cities index. Compared with the entire UK, London’s crime rate is 9% worse than the UK average. 3
While London has a reputation as one of the leading global cities for technology startups and scaleups, for women
entrepreneurs the 2023 WE Cities index reveals that it struggles in the technology pillar. In sub-pillars Connectedand Cost, that measure the city’s connectivity via the internet and the affordability of access to the internet, London
ranks in the bottom half of the index. One area to improve is the city’s upload and download speed. London ranks
49th and 37th respectively in those indicators, behind similar European cities like Paris and Berlin. For London to holdits leading ranking in future iterations of the index, it must improve its technology pillar. It’s strength in the policy subpillar shows that it is putting the right pieces in place, and London is poised to continue its strong momentum where
it currently ranks in the top half since the start of the index in 2017.

1 2022-2023 Best Global Universities Rankings. (n.d.). Retrieved from US News: https://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/rankings?int=a27a09
2 MBA 2022. (2022, February 13). Retrieved from Financial Times: https://rankings.ft.com/rankings/2866/mba-2022
3 Greater London Crime Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved from CrimeRate:

https://crimerate.co.uk/london#:~:text=Compared%20with%20the%20UK%20as%20a%20whole%2C%20London%E2%80%99s,and%
20Camden%20comes%20in%20as%20third%20most%20dangerous.