Best Countries for Exploring Founders
Pre-revenuePre-revenue founders researching where to incorporate
At the exploration stage, tax structure and incorporation costs dominate the decision. Corporate tax rates and personal tax residency rules determine how much of future revenue you keep, while startup visa programs and residency pathways determine whether you can actually live in the jurisdiction you choose. Practical concerns like banking and company formation come later - at this stage, the goal is identifying the highest-potential jurisdiction before you commit.
How this stage is scored
The Exploring score re-weights all 9 base dimensions to reflect what matters most at this stage. Dimensions with higher weight have more impact on the final ranking.
All Countries Ranked
25 jurisdictions - sorted by exploring score
Other Founder Stages
Compare any two countries side by side, or filter all 25+ jurisdictions by region and score.