Where to launch: the best UK cities to start a business

When it comes to starting a business, having a profitable idea and building it is one thing, but where you bring it all together can be just as important. We analysed 46 UK cities across four key metrics: business survival rates, closures, broadband speed, and annual disposable income to uncover where the most promising startup locations are, and where you should potentially rethink starting a business.

So, if you want to set yourself up for business success, where should you consider relocating to? Well, Belfast tops the list with a near-perfect score of 34 out of an overall 40. It scored a perfect 10 on number of business closures, which was calculated based on how many business closures there are per 100 active businesses in the area. This gives an indication of how businesses flourish or otherwise in this area. So, businesses in Belfast are not only getting over the dreaded one-year failure, which 20% of businesses can't do, but they're making it to year five and still trading  scoring an impressive 8.8 on our index. No-one wants their hard work to be for nothing, and longevity of a new business is an important consideration when taking the leap and starting out. Belfast did just as well on the gigabit broadband score with 8.8. As the world becomes even more digitally led, having good connectivity is a must for new businesses and superfast connectivity can give most businesses a crucial edge. And finally, when you start a business, you need to know whether the Gross Disposable Household Income of your customers is growing or in decline as it will impact your success. In this instance, Belfast held steady with a solid score of 6.4. So, it's clear that this city offers the kind of infrastructure and resilience that founders desperately need, all of which come at a far lower cost than in London.

Coming in a close second place and narrowly missing out on top spot is Cambridge, with an overall score of 33.8. This historic city scored highly for business survival and top-notch broadband access. It's not surprising, as its strong academic roots and access to talent from the university makes it a natural launchpad for startups. This was reinforced by the fact that 7.7% of the university alumni have become founders of their own business. Finally, in third place is Exeter. This city boasts the highest 5-year business survival rate on the index and is paired with strong income growth  a great sign of local spending power.