Innovation Cultures

From Kigali to Kampala, Dar es Salaam to Dakar, new start-up hubs are emerging as beacons for the hi-tech hopes and dreams of the continent.

Saudi Arabia is awash with money from its vast oil reserves. But one day the petroleum dollars will stop. Can start-ups help transform and sustain its economy?

Recife’s tech hub tried to take on Brazil’s biggest players. What happened next is a cautionary tale for digital start-ups with giant ambitions.

New York once struggled in Silicon Valley’s shadow. Now start-ups like Kickstarter and Etsy are ditching old ways and aiming for success on their own terms.

Two decades ago, Gurgaon, near Delhi, was just farmland. Since then, it’s become the centre of India’s outsourcing goldrush. Now its ambitions are even higher.

Since 2011, Egyptians have had to deal with unrest and political disorder. But it has also spurred a new wave of tech start-ups eager to restore social order.

It may be a manufacturing powerhouse and the centre of the world’s laptop production, but Taiwan has proved to be less successful at launching start-ups. Why?

Tel Aviv stands apart as a hub for tech innovation thanks to one single overriding influence: the Israeli armed forces.