Our story
Startup Guide is a publishing and media company that produces guidebooks and content to help entrepreneurs navigate and connect with different startup scenes worldwide. As cities require more innovation, our mission is to guide, empower and inspire people to start their own businesses anywhere.
Founded by Sissel Hansen in 2014, Startup Guide has created books for over 60 cities and regions in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Latin America and the US, including Copenhagen, London, Tel Aviv, Cairo, Tokyo and New York.
Between 2017-2020 Startup Guide opened three physical Startup Guide stores in Lisbon, Berlin and Copenhagen solidifying our belief that there’s nothing like real-life experiences and feeling actual products in person. The stores, which also functioned as offices for the team until 2021, promoted products by startups and showcased Startup Guide Books.
How it all started
In 2012, Sissel moved from Copenhagen to Berlin for its open, vibrant and DIY spirit. She wanted to start a business and soon discovered this process was complex in the German capital.
As she began researching and collecting helpful info and local advice, she thought, "Why not make this info accessible to other founders and aspiring entrepreneurs in the city?" What began as a document with key contacts and info evolved into a full-fledged print book idea.
She eventually bootstrapped the project after being rejected by multiple investors. Then, in 2014, Sissel launched the first Startup Guide book in Berlin. The edition sold out in less than 48 hours.
Since then, she has published over 40 books with Startup Guide and is now developing Startup Guide Summit and a pocketbook series of guides called "The Explorer Series".
About our Guides
Based on traditional guidebooks and stocked with information you might need to know about starting your next business adventure, the Startup Guides help you navigate and connect with different startup scenes across the globe.
Each book contains exciting entrepreneur stories, insightful interviews with local experts and other valuable tips and tricks.
In 2023 Startup Guide launched a new publication series called The Explorer Series, which is the ideal pocket companion for entrepreneurs, startup talent and digital nomads exploring diverse startup ecosystems worldwide.
With curated insights and personal recommendations from local founders, the Explorer Series offers an insider's look at exciting places and inspiring people, bringing together business and leisure in one practical guide.
How the Guides are made
To ensure that each guide is accurate and trustworthy, we team up with a city partner established in the local startup scene. Then, we ask the local community to nominate startups, founders, spaces, programs, investors, and schools to be featured through an online submission form.
The nominations are narrowed down before a local advisory board – selected by our city partner and consisting of key players in the local startup community – votes on the final selection. This process ensures a balanced representation of industries and startup stories in each guide.
The city partner collaborates closely with our editorial and design team to help research, organize interviews with journalists and arrange photoshoots. Finally, the Startup Guide team reviews and edits the content, designs the book and sends it to be printed in Berlin.
Beyond the Guides
After 10 years of mapping innovation ecosystems worldwide, it was time to step up as a media and publishing company to find new ways Startup Guide could use our knowledge and global network to create valuable projects and services for partners, readers, and cities.
Local innovation plays a crucial role in solving some of the most complex issues of our time. Since 2019, we've focused on impact solutions, helping entrepreneurs and cities discover faster and more sustainable ways to implement and scale innovative solutions, products, and services that improve our lives and lessen the impact on the planet.
Our work beyond the guides also involves:
Impact Index: a data and storytelling platform that aims to assess and showcase the most impactful startups and connect them with the right investors and partners.
Connect: a consultancy where we apply the experience we have gained in over 60 ecosystems. Our offering includes learning journeys, strategic reports, workshops, and creative productions that can be customized to meet the needs of our clients.
Conferences: our annual conferences, Impact the Future and Global Summit, bring together public and private players worldwide to find solutions for local and global challenges through entrepreneurship, innovation, and technology.
Our impact
In June 2020, we released our first impact report, which looks back at our accomplishments to date and outlines our mission and values. Take a look at Impact Report 2020 to see how far we’ve come, learn about our commitment to purpose-driven initiatives and discover details about our future plans.
[ Read the Impact Report 2020 here ]