Are unparalleled commute times helping to drive Vienna’s startup success?
Vienna is known for a lot of things, but research for PeoplePerHour’s Global Destinations for Startups Index has revealed an unexpected new claim to fame for the city. It can now boast the best commute time of the top 25 Global Destinations for Startups. The Index, which was collated to help cities to identify the ways in which they could potentially improve their infrastructure to better support new business growth, placed Vienna top overall, with the Austrian capital excelling in a number of categories. But with an average commute time of just 26.19 minutes Vienna definitely has something to brag about when it comes to transport infrastructure.
The next two best-performing cities in this area are Frankfurt (ranking 23rd place in the complete startup Index), with a commute time of 27.62 minutes. And Amsterdam (19th place in the complete startup Index) is coming in just minutes slower at 30.46 minutes. Workers in all three of these cities are making it door-to-door just under 20 minutes ahead of the final top 25 commute placeholder, LA, which has a typical commute time of 50.33 minutes. LA holds the 13th place for startups when all other category information is taken into account.
British commuters will be interested to know – if not surprised by the fact – that no UK cities made it into the top 20 of the commuter experience Startup Index category. London, which ranked 16th place overall for startup suitability, came in at number 23 for commuting and had an average commute time of 46.25 minutes.
Xenios Thrasyvoulou, founder and CEO of PeoplePerHour, comments: ‘Commute time is probably fairly low on the agenda for most people when starting up a new business venture. But it can play a surprisingly significant role for startups. Of course, it adds to what will usually already be a long working day for those behind the business. And that, in turn, can increase expenses. But it also reduces the chances of being able to attract talent. And if you can’t find the right people to work with or for you at a reasonable wage, then it’s unlikely that your business will be able to grow or reach its full potential.
‘Austria has invested in its transport infrastructure significantly. During the last few years, the country as a whole has become one of the best rail and road providers in the EU*. Vienna has stepped that up even further, achieving outstanding public transport provision and a high-quality road network. Of course, there are more things to consider when it comes to starting a new business, but an excellent commute experience certainly helps.’
Link to research microsite: https://www.peopleperhour.com/startup-cities/index.html
