Stanford, Berkeley, and Harvard rank among the 15 US colleges that produce the most startup founders
Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins  Â
- PitchBook released its annual ranking of the top 100 colleges for VC-backed startup founders.
- Many of the top schools are near tech hubs like San Francisco, Boston, New York City, and Austin.
Earning a degree from a prestigious college isn't a prerequisite for building a successful company, but it can certainly help. The academic programs and networks available at some of the country's top schools can give founders a leg up, especially when it comes to raising capital.
The research firm PitchBook released its annual ranking of 100 universities around the world that have produced the most startup founders. The list includes both undergraduate and graduate programs and is based on data from more than 144,000 founders whose companies received venture-capital funding between January 1, 2012, and October 21, 2022.
Unsurprisingly, all eight Ivy League schools appear on the list, and many of the highest-ranking schools are near America's biggest tech hubs, like San Francisco, Boston, New York City, and Austin, Texas.
Here are the 15 US colleges with undergraduate programs that have produced the most VC-backed startup founders.
15. University of Wisconsin-Madison
Founder count: 565
Company count: 505
Total capital raised: $14.9 billion
The founders of the software company Databricks, the electric-scooter company Bird Rides, and the software company Automation Anywhere are the alumni who've raised the most capital.
14. University of Southern California
Founder count: 575
Company count: 528
Total capital raised: $26.8 billion
The founders of the tech company Gojek, the grocery-delivery app Instacart, and the software company Relativity are the USC alumni who've raised the most capital.
13. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Founder count: 581
Company count: 541
Total capital raised: $21.8 billion
The founders of the software company Generate, the biotechnology company Grail, and the financial-technology company Affirm are the alumni who've raised the most capital.
12. Columbia University
Founder count: 586
Company count: 544
Total capital raised: $21.8 billion
The founders of the real-estate company Compass, the entertainment and gaming company DraftKings, and the telehealth platform Ro are the Columbia alumni who've raised the most capital.
11. Princeton University
Founder count: 605
Company count: 568
Total capital raised: $28.2 billion
The founders of the software company Databricks, the digital-banking company Nubank, and the information-services company FiscalNote Holdings are the Princeton alumni who've raised the most capital.
10. University of California, Los Angeles
Founder count: 620
Company count: 591
Total capital raised: $19.8 billion
The founders of the financial-technology company Chime, the logistics company Lalamove, and the blockchain company Forte are the UCLA alumni who've raised the most capital.
9. Yale University
Founder count: 626
Company count: 584
Total capital raised: $22.2 billion
The founders of the logistics company Convoy, the digital-health platform Lyra, and the healthcare company Cityblock are the Yale alumni who've raised the most capital.
8. University of Texas at Austin
Founder count: 738
Company count: 670
Total capital raised: $15.3 billion
The founders of the augmented-reality platform Niantic, the financial-technology company Acorns, and the e-commerce company Merama are the UT Austin alumni who've raised the most capital.
7. University of Michigan
Founder count: 814
Company count: 745
Total capital raised: $26.6 billion
The founders of the healthcare company Bright Health Group, the financial-technology company Carta, and the electric-vehicle-charging company TeraWatt Infrastructure are the alumni who've raised the most capital.
6. Cornell University
Founder count: 826
Company count: 772
Total capital raised: $29.9 billion
The founders of the delivery platform Rappi, the technology company Anduril, and the real-estate company Compass are the Cornell alumni who've raised the most capital.
5. University of Pennsylvania
Founder count: 1,038
Company count: 952
Total capital raised: $32 billion
The founders of the software companies Attentive, Dream Sports, and OpenAI are the UPenn alumni who've raised the most capital.
4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Founder count: 1,065
Company count: 943
Total capital raised: $45.9 billion
The founders of the agriculture company Indigo Agriculture, the health-insurance company Oscar, and the cybersecurity platform Arctic Wolf are the MIT alumni who've raised the most capital.
3. Harvard University
Founder count: 1,184
Company count: 1,061
Total capital raised: $49.5 billion
The founders of the healthcare company Devoted Health, the financial-technology company Affirm, and the social network Reddit are the Harvard alumni who've raised the most capital.
2. University of California, Berkeley
Founder count: 1,406
Company count: 1,266
Total capital raised: $45.7 billion
The founders of the food-delivery app DoorDash, the supply-chain company Flexport, and the biotechnology company Grail are the UC Berkeley alumni who've raised the most capital.
1. Stanford University
Founder count: 1,427
Company count: 1,271
Total capital raised: $73.6 billion
The founders of the financial-technology company Robinhood Markets, the social-network company Snap, and the logistics company Lalamove are the Stanford alumni who've raised the most capital.
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