The Startup Ecosystem of Namibia
Namibia has 1 city in the top 1000 and is one of Southern Africa’s best countries for setting up a startup.
COUNTRY RANKING
Namibia’s startup scene saw an increase in 2024 and jumped 1 spot from the previous year, outranking Ghana.
Population
Million
Regional Ranking
In Southern Africa
Global Ranking
Worldwide
Ecosystem
Startup Ecosystem Overview
The Namibian startup ecosystem provides local entrepreneurs with a secure and stable environment that fosters entrepreneurship and innovation in the region. Despite facing challenges such as a lack of physical infrastructure, heavy bureaucracy, low access-to-market, and limited funding for startups, there is progress being made in developing entrepreneurial talent in Namibia, particularly considering the country’s small population. A significant achievement was reached in 2022 when YC-backed Jabu became the first startup in Namibia to secure Series A investment.
Several organizations play a crucial role in the success stories and advancement of the Namibian startup ecosystem. The Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB) collaborates with partners like Sanlam to support entrepreneurs and promote entrepreneurship in Namibia. Startup Namibia focuses on enhancing conditions for startups in selected regions, operates Basecamp incubation and innovation center, and collaborates with the Digital Transformation Center to address challenges faced by digital startups and improve digital skills. The Namibia Investment Center provides assistance and information to foreign investors, contributing to the growth of the ecosystem. Impact Tank, Namibia’s first social impact venture builder, encourages social entrepreneurship to drive sustainable impact.
While these organizations are pivotal in developing the startup ecosystem in Namibia, it is still in its early stages. However, the seed activity is promising, and with more success stories and a robust entrepreneurship network, Namibia has the potential to become a regional innovation hub in the future.
Startups
Namibia Top Startup Industries
Ecosystem HealthCheck
Namibia Ecosystem Health Check
The health check tables allow you to look at the performance Namibia has in each of the parameters that are part of StartupBlink's ranking algorithm. There are five tables, corresponding to the three subscores, the subscore analysis and industry ana...
- Overperformance
- Performance equal to global ranking
- Underperformance
ECOSYSTEM
Browse the startup ecosystem database of Namibia
Become our Namibia Ecosystem Partner
Startup Ecosystem Charts
Startup Funding in Namibia2017 - 2024
Startup Funding in Namibia 2017 - 2024
From 2022 to 2023, startup funding in Namibia has decreased by 99.97%. During this period, the number of deals in Namibia has remained stable%. Since 2017, total startup funding in Namibia exceeded US$ $18.46M.
Average Funding in 2023
$5.00K
Funding in 2023
$5.00K
Deals in 2023
1
USD
Amount of Funding (USD)
Number of Deals
Ecosystem
The Startup Ecosystem in Namibia
Global Rank
Namibia is ranked within the top 100 startup ecosystems globally.
Top Industries
Namibia’s startup scene is best represented in Ecommerce & Retail, Energy & Environment, and in Fintech.
Top Cities for Startups in Namibia - Ranked by StartupBlink
2024 National Rank  | City | Global Rank |  | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st 0 | 616th + 35 | 0.312 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 |
BLOG
Recent Posts
Mon Apr 14 2025
From Service-Based to Product-Based Economy – Lessons from North Macedonia
In this special episode of the Startup Ecosystem Podcast, we revisit a conversation from two years ago, recorded during a visit to North Macedonia. Eli David Rokah, CEO of StartupBlink, sits down with Igor Madjov, founder of Startup Macedonia, to explore how Skopje is evolving from a service-based IT outsourcing city into a product-driven startup […]
Wed Apr 02 2025
Corporate Startup Activity Index 2025
For the first time ever, 372 corporations across 30 countries, 11 major industries, and 10 sub-industries have been ranked based on how actively they engage with startups. StartupBlink’s Corporate Startup Activity Index is the world’s first benchmark for corporate startup engagement — powered by real data, global partnerships with top corporations, governments and data sources, […]
Thu Mar 06 2025
The Impact of Government Support on Startups
A robust startup ecosystem creates a sense of community that brings entrepreneurs together and helps them feel less isolated. It gives them access to mentors, advisors, fellow entrepreneurs, and talents. The foundation of such an ecosystem largely relies on government support. Good policies create a fair and supportive environment that helps startups grow. Bad policies […]