University of California undergraduate alums have started more venture-backed companies than alumni of any other university, according to the 2025 Pitchbook rankings of the top 100 universities for entrepreneurship.
In all, PitchBook placed six UC campuses — Berkeley, UCLA, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Davis, and Irvine — among the world’s top 100 universities for undergraduate alumni who started venture-backed businesses. Berkeley, in claiming the No. 1 spot for the third year in a row, beat out Stanford, Harvard and MIT.
UC President James B. Milliken
The accolades reflect the university’s pivotal role in driving innovation and economic growth here in California and around the world, said University of California President James B. Milliken.
“The latest rankings from PitchBook confirm what California leaders, savvy venture capitalists and young people with big ideas already know: A UC education is a smart investment and a route to limitless opportunities for California’s next generation of changemakers,” Milliken said. “We must continue to support and invest in America’s greatest public research university, so that our graduates can continue to pursue ambitious dreams and launch the companies that create jobs, grow the economy and drive prosperity for all Americans.”
The rankings, released Monday (Sept. 15), placed Berkeley number one both in terms of number of venture-backed startups founded by undergraduate alumni, with 1,650 companies founded, and number of founders, with 1,804 undergraduate alumni going on to found companies. Pitchbook also reported that no other university has more female graduates who found companies than Berkeley.
UC Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons
“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.”
The entire University of California system made strong showings across every category in this year’s rankings from PitchBook, a data provider for equity markets, including undergraduate, graduate, MBA and female founders of venture-backed businesses.
Six of the university’s nine undergraduate campuses earned spots in the top 100, including UCLA at #13.
2025 PitchBook top 100 universities ranked for undergraduate alumni entrepreneurs
| Campus | RANK |
|---|---|
| UC Berkeley | 1 |
| UCLA | 13 |
| UC San Diego | 37 |
| UC Santa Barbara | 61 |
| UC Davis | 62 |
| UC Irvine | 90 |
UC Berkeley ranked #5 among global universities whose graduate alumni start companies, with UCLA, UC San Diego and UC Davis joining Berkeley in the top 100. In the MBA category, UC Berkeley placed #9 and UCLA #11.
2025 PitchBook top 100 universities ranked for graduate alumni entrepreneurs
| Campus | RANK |
|---|---|
| UC Berkeley | 5 |
| UCLA | 12 |
| UC San Diego | 36 |
| UC Davis | 86 |
UC launches more female founders than any other university on Earth
Female startup founders face well-documented challenges, but earning a degree from a university with an established network of venture-backed founders can lower some of these barriers. That’s why UC, with its global community of world-changing entrepreneurs, make a strong showing in PitchBook’s 2025 Female Founders edition, which ranks global universities by the number of female alums who are entrepreneurs.
UC Berkeley topped the Female Founders undergraduate category for the second year running, joined in the top 50 this year by UCLA, UC San Diego and UC Davis. Three UC campuses are among the world’s top 50 for female graduate alumni entrepreneurs, and two campuses earned honors in the MBA alumnae category.
2025 PitchBook top 50 universities ranked for female undergraduate alumni entrepreneurs
| Campus | RANK |
|---|---|
| UC Berkeley | 1 |
| UCLA | 9 |
| UC San Diego | 32 |
| UC Davis | 47 |
The companies you know, and the ones you’ll know soon
Given UC’s track record for launching companies and founders, it should come as no surprise that its alumni have created many of America’s recognizable brands, from Apple and Intel, GoPro to the Honest Company, Warby Parker to Google Earth.
Every year, UC inventors and founders come up with more brilliant new ideas, and they’re starting the businesses that will shape the economy and culture of the future. In just the past year, 67 new start-ups have launched based on UC inventions, bringing the total number of UC startups launched since 2010 to 1,161.
Innovation leadership by design
UC is behind so many successful businesses because it strategically fosters start-up companies and early-stage research. Every UC campus is home to business incubators and accelerators, which provide a range of resources including workspace, access to equipment, mentorship from entrepreneurs, and practical guidance. Each campus also has a staff of innovation experts dedicated to moving UC inventions from the lab to the market.
The plaudits from PitchBook are just the latest recognition of UC’s success in innovation. Last month, the university earned the top two spots in Washington Monthly’s ranking of public institutions leading the way in research, and eight campuses appear in its top 60 among public and private universities. UC has also topped the National Academy of Inventors’ global list of universities with the most U.S. utility patents every year since 2013.
UC’s well-earned reputation for launching economy-boosting businesses is just one of the ways California’s public research university serves the people of the state, the nation and the world. Right now, UC is facing serious threats from the Trump administration, including the demand of $1 billion from UCLA. We need your help to protect UC’s students, staff, faculty, and mission. Tell the world what makes our community so special and what UC means to you, and join us to Stand Up for UC.
