4 Israeli Universities Named Among 50 Top Institutions Producing Entrepreneurs

Four Israeli universities were listed in Pitchbook’s 2020 ranking of top universities producing entrepreneurs and startup founders who went on to raise significant venture capital.

Tel Aviv University, the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Ben Gurion University of the Negev, were named to the 2020 university report, released late last month. The study ranks programs across categories such as top 50 undergraduate, top 25 MBA programs, top 25 undergrad programs for female founders, and top 25 MBA for female founders.

The data was gathered between January 1, 2006, and August 31, 2020, tracking founders of companies that received the first round of venture funding in that timeframe, Pitchbook said.

SEE ALSO: Tel Aviv, Jerusalem Rank 6th In New Global Startup Ecosystem Report

Tel Aviv University (TAU) retained its 8th spot in the ranking of 50 leading global undergraduate programs, for the third consecutive year, with a founder count of 807 and a company count of 673. According to Pitchbook, Israeli founders who emerged from TAU’s undergrad programs raised over $16 billion in capital over the years.

TAU was the only Israeli university in the top 10 for the undergraduate program listing and the only non-American one. The top spot went to Stanford University (with 1,448 entrepreneurs) followed by the University of California, Berkeley, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania closed out the top five.

The second Israeli university on the list was the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, which climbed two spots to place 12th this year compared to 14th last year. The Technion had a founder count of 602 entrepreneurs who went on to set up 509 companies and raised over $12 billion, according to the report.

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ranked 32nd, up two spots from 2019, with 401 entrepreneurs, 353 companies and over $7 billion in raised capital. The Ben-Gurion University of the Negev came in 46th, up three spots from 2019 when it made its debut on the list, with 285 entrepreneurs, 251 companies and over $4 billion venture funding.

In the top 25 MBA programs category, Tel Aviv University retained its 13th spot for the third consecutive year. It also ranked 21st in the top 25 undergrad programs for female founders, with a count of 53 entrepreneurs and 50 companies, and 15th in the top MBA program for female founders.

In its report, Pitchbook listed successful venture-backed companies founded by entrepreneurs with an undergraduate degree from TAU, including Generate Capital, a San Francisco-based finance company co-founded by Israeli entrepreneur Matan Freidman, Houzz, the Israeli-American interior design company, and BlueVine, a California-based fintech company founded by Israelis.

For the TAU undergrad program for female entrepreneurs, companies founded by graduates included HoneyBook, a client management software provider for small businesses, and DayTwo, a company that developed a personalized health platform based on the gut microbiome.

Better Place, which no longer exists, and Gong.io were listed among top companies founded by graduates of the Technion, while NY-based mobility giant Via, cybersecurity company Cybereason and fintech firm Fundbox were among the top companies established by graduates of the Hebrew University.

Innoviz Technologies, JFrog, and Valens were listed among the top companies founded by graduates of Ben-Gurion University.

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