Yesterday marked the launch of one of the most important reports of the year for Albania’s innovation economy. The country’s first comprehensive Startup Ecosystem Report, developed by Startup Genome, analyzes Albania in comparison with ecosystems at a similar activation stage, such as: Nur Sultan, Estonia, Malta, Kazakhstan, Belgrade, and Luxembourg.
The findings are generally positive for Albania, revealing an emerging but rapidly growing ecosystem—developing faster than many of its comparison peers.
The launch event opened with remarks from Delina Ibrahimaj, Minister of State for Economy and Innovation, who underlined the importance of the report as a strategic instrument for Albania’s innovation development. She emphasized that it comes at a critical moment when new policies, investments in technology, and support for entrepreneurship are creating the conditions for sustainable economic transformation.
Following her speech, Stephan Kuester, Partner at Startup Genome, presented the key insights of the analysis, stressing that Albania is at a favorable point to increase its global innovation footprint—powered by a young population, competitive technical talent, and a fast-consolidating startup environment.
1. A Youth-Driven Innovation Ecosystem
Albania is shaping a startup ecosystem strongly led by young founders. According to the report, the average age of Albanian founders is 33, one of the lowest compared to the benchmark ecosystems—placing Albania among “youth-driven innovation hubs.”
Today, Albania counts around 420 active startups, while 68% of founders are above 30, creating a powerful blend of youthful energy and experienced professionals. This mix is identified as one of the ecosystem’s strongest assets—fueling fast, bold, and expertise-driven growth.
2. High Representation of Female Founders – 37%
Albania stands out as one of the most gender-balanced ecosystems in the region. According to the report, 37% of startups have at least one female founder—a significantly higher percentage than the global average and higher than almost all peer ecosystems.
This reflects the impact of empowerment programs, inclusive culture, and strong women-led innovation communities. High female representation shows that diversity is not only an aspiration, but a measurable reality driving tangible results.
3. Albanian Startups Have Smaller Founding Teams
Another unique characteristic is the compact size of founding teams. The average number of founders per startup is 1.9, notably lower than other ecosystems. Only 41% of startups have two or three co-founders, compared to 58–67% in other countries.
This suggests a strong “solo founder” culture—entrepreneurs who begin and manage a large part of the journey alone. However, the data also highlights the need for more balanced co-founding models to bring diverse skills, technical depth, and managerial capacity—crucial for long-term stability and growth.
4. Competitive Access to Technical Talent
Albania shows a strong competitive advantage in technical talent. According to the report:
- 51% of founders say they have access to experienced engineers
- 75% say they can secure business-growth-oriented talent
These are higher than in many mature ecosystems, positioning Albania well for developing high-quality tech products and competing in larger markets.
5. Competitive Salaries Extend the Startup “Runway”
Although software engineering salaries in Albania are lower than in other benchmark countries, this becomes a strategic advantage. Lower labor costs allow startups to:
- Build tech products with more sustainable budgets
- Expand teams without the financial pressures faced in high-cost ecosystems like Malta, Belgrade, or Nur Sultan
However, this advantage is not matched by similar levels of funding. The capital raised by Albanian startups provides an average runway of only 3.9 months, compared to 19.3 months in Serbia, where funding volumes are significantly higher.
Message:
Low costs → advantage in product development → but lack of large investments remains the main barrier to rapid scale.
6. Strong Early-Stage Funding Funnel, Weak Follow-On Rounds
The report notes that Albania performs well in early-stage funding (pre-seed and seed rounds), with activity comparable to regional peers. This shows that the ecosystem is developing solid activation mechanisms.
But Albania struggles significantly in Series A and Series B rounds. This is a regional challenge, but more pronounced in Albania. The gap between early support and growth-stage capital limits startups’ ability to scale and pushes many to seek investors abroad—reducing the local ecosystem’s capacity to generate global success stories.
7. ESO Programs: Good Support, Strong Demand for Mentorship
Ecosystem Support Organizations—incubators, accelerators, and community programs—receive positive feedback from founders, with more than half expressing satisfaction.
However, satisfaction does not equal sufficiency.
Founders identify specialized mentorship as the most urgent need. There is a lack of experts with real experience in:
- Product development
- Technical scaling
- International growth
While many programs offer general training, founders seek deeper, more specialized support. This indicates that despite a functioning support infrastructure, Albania needs stronger professionalization and advanced expertise.
8. Albanian Startups Focus on Local and Regional Markets
The majority of Albanian startups target the local and regional markets, with few pursuing markets outside Europe in a serious way.
This market-first approach is practical in early stages but limits fast growth and reduces the appeal for major international investors. Albania currently operates as a “market-first, global-later” ecosystem—producing competitive regional products but few global leaders.
Sector Strengths: FinTech, AI/DeepTech, Cybersecurity, Gaming, Cleantech
One of the most interesting parts of the report highlights the sectors where Albania is showing the strongest potential. These align with global high-growth trends:
- FinTech
- AI / DeepTech
- Cybersecurity
- Gaming
- Cleantech
Meanwhile, other sectors such as Digital Media, EdTech, and Blue Economy remain active but grow at a more moderate pace.
The message: Albania is shifting from building routine products to developing technology solutions for high-value global markets.
The Development Pyramid: Strengthen the Base Before Scaling
The report emphasizes the importance of setting clear development objectives. Albania remains in the Activation stage of ecosystem maturity.
The priorities are:
- Strengthen the fundamentals
- Supportive public policy
- Strong communities
- Talent networks
- Infrastructure for new venture creation
- Increase the number and quality of startups
- Particularly the technological sophistication of products
- Expand early-stage funding
- Angel investments
- Venture capital
- Growth capital mechanisms
Only after these pillars are strengthened can Albania enter the stage of sector specialization, focusing on areas with comparative advantage and export potential.
Vision 2030: 1,600 New Startups and a Doubled Ecosystem
The presentation concluded with an ambitious yet realistic vision for 2030:
- ~1,600 new startups created
- Ecosystem doubled, reaching 825 active startups
- 400+ seed rounds closed
- 20+ Series A rounds
- Thousands of specialized tech jobs
- Sustainable angel and VC investment flow
- Strong positioning on the regional and European innovation map
The vision is supported by data and Startup Genome benchmarks, creating a clear narrative:
Albania is not just growing — it is executing a structured transformation toward building global-potential technology sectors.
The launch of the report was not merely a presentation; it was a declaration of ambition, positioning Albania’s innovation ecosystem as a fast-emerging player in Southeast Europe’s technology landscape.
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