For the third consecutive year, UC Berkeley has been recognized as the leading university for producing startup founders, according to the 2025 PitchBook university rankings released on September 15. The report shows that Berkeley undergraduate alumni have founded 1,650 venture-backed companies, with 1,804 individuals going on to become founders. The university also leads in the number of female graduates who establish companies, surpassing institutions such as Stanford University, Harvard University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
“The data here are independent confirmation that we’ve built something truly remarkable here at Berkeley,” said Chancellor Rich Lyons. “Our comprehensive support for innovation and entrepreneurship is just one aspect of how we consistently challenge the status quo, and a primary reason why Berkeley is, and will remain, one of society’s greatest assets.”
PitchBook is a provider of data on private and public equity markets and annually ranks universities based on their ability to produce startup founders whose companies receive venture funding.
The recognition comes shortly after UC Berkeley published “Startup Campus,” a book documenting the university’s history with innovation from its early days to its current status as a leader in entrepreneurship. Free digital copies are available for students, faculty, and staff. A new website has also been launched to allow UC Berkeley founders to share their startup stories. The campus plans additional events throughout the semester focused on sharing these stories.
“The work we’ve done to make Berkeley into a startup leader has been years in the making,” said Darren Cooke, interim Chief Innovation and Entrepreneurship Officer at UC Berkeley. “Our students are graduating with the skills and resources to not only have great ideas but to also have ideas that others are willing to put money behind to support.”
Stanford ranked second in PitchBook’s overall rankings for startups founded by undergraduate alumni who received first-round venture funding over the past decade. Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania, and MIT completed the top five.
