Thanks to schools like the Royal Institute of Technology, tech talent now makes up 20% of the workforce.
Biggest Swedish success stories: Spotify, Skype, SoundCloud
Buenos Aires, Argentina
The city has affordable tech talent, one of the best engineering schools in Latin America, and rising levels of VC funding.
Biggest success stories: Mercadolibre, Zupcat
Nairobi, Kenya
Nairobi has high mobile and Internet penetration and a robust mobile banking system that's key for digital startups.
Biggest success story: M-Farm, a startup that gives farmers crop prices via
São Paulo, Brazil
São Paulo ranks as the No. 12 startup ecosystem worldwide, which is why Silicon Valley VC firms, including Redpoint Ventures, are investing locally.
Biggest success stories: EasyTaxi, Dafititext iggest success stories: Mercadolibre, Zupcat
Bangalore, India
Bangalore has a huge, mobile-savvy population and attracted $2.3 billion in VC money last year.
Biggest success stories: Flipkart, FreshMenu
Columbus, Ohio
Venture capital is on the rise: In the first half of 2015, the city's startups attracted $32.8 million, up from $16.3 in 2011.
Biggest success story: Fast-growing health care startups like CoverMyMedsiggest success stories: Flipkart, FreshMenu
Reykjavik, Iceland
The city of just 200,000 is home to VC firms like Bru Venture Capital, and incubators including Innovation Iceland and Startup Reykjavik.
Biggest success stories: Audur Capital, Modio
Montréal, Quebec
The city boasts favorable tax policies, comparatively low rents, and a strong video gaming industry. Bilingual resources abound, including Prêt à Entreprendre and Startup Canada.
Biggest success story: PasswordBox
Alpharetta, Georgia
It's a hub for payments startups that benefit from resources like the Alpharetta Technology Commission, and a robust fiber-optic network.
Biggest success story: Priority Payment Systems
Lagos, Nigeria
Internet penetration is on the rise, opening up opportunity for e-commerce ventures. Lagos hosts the annual African DEMO conference, and the Wennovation Hub incubator.
Biggest success stories: Hotels.ng, Konga