Researchers at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), working through the Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation, have introduced a new global data platform to understand the world’s start-up economy better. Developed by OECD researchers Marius Berger, Sara Calligaris, Antoine Dechezleprêtre, Hélène Dernis, Andrea Greppi, Dmitri Kirpichev and Alfonso Muñoz Alvarado, the OECD Start-ups Database brings together information on millions of companies, investors and innovation activities. The project combines data from multiple research and industry sources to build one of the most detailed global pictures of entrepreneurial ecosystems available today.
The initiative is intended to help researchers and policymakers study how start-ups emerge, grow and contribute to economic development. Start-ups often drive innovation, create new jobs and introduce disruptive technologies, but their activity is difficult to measure because these firms are usually small, privately owned and sometimes short-lived. By collecting and connecting information from different databases, the OECD aims to fill this long-standing gap in global entrepreneurship data.
Why Start-ups Are Hard to Track
Despite their importance to modern economies, start-ups are surprisingly difficult to study. Traditional data sources capture only parts of the entrepreneurial landscape. Venture capital databases, for example, focus on companies that receive funding from investors, leaving out thousands of smaller firms that rely on grants, loans or personal savings. Administrative records collected by governments track company registration and employment but often contain little information about innovation, technology or funding sources.
Surveys can provide detailed insights into founders and business strategies, but they usually cover limited samples and are not always comparable across countries. As a result, researchers often work with fragmented data that cannot fully explain how start-up ecosystems operate globally. The OECD database was created to bring these scattered pieces together into a single, more complete dataset.
Building a Global Start-up Database
The foundation of the new database comes from two widely used platforms that track start-up activity worldwide. Crunchbase provides extensive global data, particularly on companies in the United States, while Dealroom offers strong coverage of European start-ups and early-stage investment deals. By combining these two datasets, the OECD created a broader and more balanced picture of the global start-up environment.
The database also connects start-up information with several additional sources. Patent records help identify companies involved in technological innovation, while trademark data reveal activity related to products and branding. Financial information from global company registries allows researchers to examine company performance, including employment growth and financial indicators. Data on mergers, acquisitions and stock market listings help track how start-ups exit through acquisitions or public offerings.
The system also includes specialised information on corporate venture capital funds and government-backed investment programmes. This helps researchers understand how public institutions and large companies contribute to supporting innovation and entrepreneurship.
What the Data Reveals About Global Start-ups
The OECD Start-ups Database contains information on more than six million entities around the world, including start-ups, investors and organisations involved in entrepreneurial ecosystems. Most companies in the dataset were founded after 2000, reflecting the rapid expansion of technology-driven businesses during the digital era.
North America and Europe currently host a large share of start-up activity, but the database also shows strong growth in entrepreneurial ecosystems across Asia and other emerging regions. This trend highlights how innovation is becoming more geographically diverse.
The data also reveal that only a small percentage of companies receive external investment. Venture capital remains the most visible source of funding for high-growth start-ups, but other forms of financing are also important. Public grants, angel investors and corporate venture capital funds play a significant role in supporting early-stage companies, especially in regions where venture capital markets are still developing.
Innovation and Investment Trends
One of the strengths of the database is its ability to connect start-ups with innovation indicators such as patents. Only a minority of companies have filed patents, but those that do are often concentrated in technology-intensive sectors like information technology, electronics and advanced manufacturing.
Over time, the data show a shift toward digital innovation. A growing share of patents linked to start-ups is related to software, telecommunications and digital services. This reflects the broader transformation of the global economy toward data-driven technologies and online platforms.
The database also highlights strong regional investment patterns. Many investors fund companies located within the same geographic region, reflecting the importance of local networks and knowledge sharing. However, cross-border investment is also common, especially for larger deals. Venture capital firms in North America, for example, frequently invest in start-ups based in Europe, Asia and emerging markets.
A Tool for Better Policy and Research
By combining multiple sources of information into a single global dataset, the OECD Start-ups Database offers a new way to study how entrepreneurial ecosystems function. Researchers can use the data to analyse start-up formation, funding patterns, innovation activity and the role of investors across countries.
For policymakers, the database provides valuable evidence that can support better innovation and entrepreneurship policies. Understanding how start-ups grow and how they access financing can help governments design programmes that encourage new businesses, support technological innovation and strengthen economic growth.
As global innovation competition intensifies, tools like the OECD Start-ups Database are expected to play an important role in helping countries understand and nurture their entrepreneurial ecosystems.
