Universities That Have Produced the Most Startup Founders
The right university can provide a significant advantage for aspiring startup founders. A university with a strong reputation, high-quality education, and influential connections can help shape the future success of its students. This article visualizes the top 10 undergraduate and graduate schools, ranked by the number of alumni who have gone on to found their own startups.
The ranking is based on data from PitchBook, which annually ranks universities worldwide by the number of alumni entrepreneurs who have raised venture capital in the last decade. This includes undergraduate, graduate, and MBA programs. The data only includes founders whose companies received a round of venture funding between Jan. 1, 2013, and Aug. 1, 2024. Founders who attended multiple schools may be counted towards multiple universities.
Stanford University: A Preferred Choice for Entrepreneurs
Stanford University, located in the heart of Silicon Valley, has an impressive track record of producing startup founders. Over the past decade, thousands of startup founders have emerged from Stanford. The university ranks first in the graduate category, with over 4,000 founders having attended its graduate programs—the highest number across all three categories. It also ranks second in the undergraduate category. Notable Stanford alumni include Sam Altman, the founder of OpenAI, and Vladimir Tenev, the co-founder of Robinhood.
UC Berkeley: Leading in the Undergraduate Category
UC Berkeley ranks first overall in the undergraduate category and is the top-ranked public school in the graduate category, coming in at fifth. Notable alumni include Tony Xu, the founder and CEO of DoorDash, and Ryan Petersen, the founder and CEO of Flexport. Both Stanford and UC Berkeley are located in or near the San Francisco Bay Area, which PitchBook ranked as the best startup city in the world.
International Universities in the Top 10
Among PitchBook’s top 10 undergraduate and graduate schools, only three non-American schools made the cut: Tel Aviv University in Israel, and the University of Cambridge and University of Oxford in the UK.
Bottom Line
The right university can play a crucial role in shaping the future success of aspiring startup founders. Universities like Stanford and UC Berkeley have proven to be fertile grounds for producing successful entrepreneurs. But what are your thoughts on this? Do you believe that the university one attends plays a significant role in their success as a startup founder? Share your thoughts and this article with your friends. Don't forget to sign up for the Daily Briefing, which is available every day at 6pm.
Universities That Have Produced the Most Startup Founders
The right university can provide a significant advantage for aspiring startup founders. A university with a strong reputation, high-quality education, and influential connections can help shape the future success of its students. This article visualizes the top 10 undergraduate and graduate schools, ranked by the number of alumni who have gone on to found their own startups.
The ranking is based on data from PitchBook, which annually ranks universities worldwide by the number of alumni entrepreneurs who have raised venture capital in the last decade. This includes undergraduate, graduate, and MBA programs. The data only includes founders whose companies received a round of venture funding between Jan. 1, 2013, and Aug. 1, 2024. Founders who attended multiple schools may be counted towards multiple universities.
Stanford University: A Preferred Choice for Entrepreneurs
Stanford University, located in the heart of Silicon Valley, has an impressive track record of producing startup founders. Over the past decade, thousands of startup founders have emerged from Stanford. The university ranks first in the graduate category, with over 4,000 founders having attended its graduate programs—the highest number across all three categories. It also ranks second in the undergraduate category. Notable Stanford alumni include Sam Altman, the founder of OpenAI, and Vladimir Tenev, the co-founder of Robinhood.
UC Berkeley: Leading in the Undergraduate Category
UC Berkeley ranks first overall in the undergraduate category and is the top-ranked public school in the graduate category, coming in at fifth. Notable alumni include Tony Xu, the founder and CEO of DoorDash, and Ryan Petersen, the founder and CEO of Flexport. Both Stanford and UC Berkeley are located in or near the San Francisco Bay Area, which PitchBook ranked as the best startup city in the world.
International Universities in the Top 10
Among PitchBook’s top 10 undergraduate and graduate schools, only three non-American schools made the cut: Tel Aviv University in Israel, and the University of Cambridge and University of Oxford in the UK.
Bottom Line
The right university can play a crucial role in shaping the future success of aspiring startup founders. Universities like Stanford and UC Berkeley have proven to be fertile grounds for producing successful entrepreneurs. But what are your thoughts on this? Do you believe that the university one attends plays a significant role in their success as a startup founder? Share your thoughts and this article with your friends. Don't forget to sign up for the Daily Briefing, which is available every day at 6pm.
