Deep Tech Index 2025

Over the past year, we’ve worked on a few projects that examine the emergence of deep tech, a newish term that refers to firms and industries that are tackling major scientific and technological innovations that require more extensive resources and science/engineering expertise than the prototypical software or IT startup.  Think clean tech, space exploration, life sciences, quantum, and robotics, i.e. industries operating at the technological frontiers.

Many regions are actively embracing deep tech as a industry focus area, and reconfiguring how they support new companies to reflect the added money, technology, and specialized expertise required to support deep tech firms as they move from concept to market. An interesting new Deep Tech Index 2025, from Nordic Capital and the European Center for Entrepreneurship and Policy Reform (ECEPR) assesses how countries and regions are faring when it comes to supporting deep tech.  The Index finds that American locations, namely Silicon Valley, Boston, and New York, continue to dominate as thriving deep tech hubs.  Meanwhile, European locations, such as London, Zurich, and Eindhoven, are developing new capabilities in sectors such as clean tech and photonics. In Asia, places like New Delhi, Mumbai, and Singapore rank highly as deep tech hubs.

The Index finds that deep tech capabilities are spreading around the world, and that leading centers, such as Silicon Valley, remain important but are less dominant than in the past.   The policy mix that seems to be associated with deep tech success should come as no surprise.  Places that enjoy strong deep tech capacities also host world-class universities, maintain more business-friendly tax and regulatory regimes, and focus on strong school performance as means to develop and nurture talent.