UMD Among Top Universities Worldwide Producing VC-Backed Entrepreneurs

UMD Among Top Universities Worldwide Producing VC-Backed Entrepreneurs

A list of the top universities producing entrepreneurs backed by venture capital (VC) ranks the University of Maryland (UMD) among the top institutions in the world. According to the rankings, which were compiled by PitchBook, UMD undergraduates have created 72 companies backed by $362M in venture capital since 2009, 10th best among U.S. public universities and among the top 30 public and private institutions worldwide.

The PitchBook rankings are based on the number of startup company founders who received VC funding from 2009 through the end of July 2014. PitchBook analyzed the undergraduate educational backgrounds of over 13,000 founders worldwide, matching their alma mater with the total funding their startups attracted.

“These data further support the fact that the University of Maryland is a leader in consistently producing highly successful entrepreneurs and innovators,” said Vice President and Chief Research Officer Patrick O’Shea. “Our innovation ecosystem we have built here on campus will continue to encourage young researchers to transfer their ideas from the laboratory to the marketplace.”

Notable entrepreneurs who  were students at UMD include Kevin Plank, founder of Under Armour, Brendan Iribe, co-founder of Oculus VR, and Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google.

The University of Maryland has also received national attention for the strength of its entrepreneurship education programs, earning recognition among the top universities in the U.S. by The Princeton Review and U.S. News and World Report, as well as the StartEngine College Index/PandoDaily.

UMD’s emphasis on entrepreneurship education produces graduates who are highly desired by industry. A Wall Street Journal survey, which interviewed more than 500 corporate recruiters, ranked the University of Maryland 8th among all private and public U.S. institutions for entry-level recruitment.

To learn more about the University of Maryland’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, visit the Academy for Innovation and Entrepreneurship website.

 

January 25, 2015


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    University of Maryland
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