Two Israeli universities listed in top 10 global producers of entrepreneurs

Two Israeli universities — Tel Aviv University and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology — snagged spots among the world’s top 10 academic institutions for producing the most entrepreneurs, according to financial research firm PitchBook’s 2025 ranking.

Tel Aviv University topped the Israeli universities, maintaining its seventh place in the list of the world’s undergraduate programs that produce the most venture capital-backed entrepreneurs, and is the top non-American university in the ranking. The Technion moved up six notches from last year and came in 10th.

“Technion alumni are the main economic engine of the State of Israel and are largely responsible for the creation of Israel’s ‘Startup Nation,’” said Technion president Prof. Uri Sivan.

“In recent years, the Technion has expanded and deepened entrepreneurship studies for undergraduates, supporting students and other communities in realizing their entrepreneurial ideas. These activities foster entrepreneurship within the student and research community and strengthen the bond between the Technion and industry – one of our central strategic goals today.”

The two Israeli universities join the prestigious club alongside University of California, Berkeley; Stanford University; and Harvard University, which nabbed first, second, and third place, respectively. The University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) rounded out the top five — all keeping their respective ranks from 2024.

Among other Israeli universities, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem held its spot at No. 30; Reichman University fell five spots, ranking in 47th place; Ben-Gurion University of the Negev came in 52nd, down five from 2024; and Bar-Ilan University was ranked at No. 90, slipping four spots.

The 2025 PitchBook study ranked programs across categories such as top undergraduate, graduate, and MBA programs, as well as top undergrad and graduate programs for female startup founders. For the rankings, PitchBook tracked founders of companies that received a first round of venture funding between Jan. 1, 2014, and Sept. 1, 2025. PitchBook is a company that collects data and research covering mergers and acquisitions, VC and private equity funds.

According to Pitchbook’s data, the undergraduate programs at Tel Aviv University have helped create 865 graduates-turned-founders who have set up 736 companies, raising a total of $30 billion over the past decade. These include fintech firm Lendbuzz, valued at $1.2 billion, and insurance tech company Next Insurance, valued at $1.1 billion.

The Technion’s bachelor’s degree program has produced 783 entrepreneurs, who founded 671 companies, including payroll company Deel and AI startup Gong. Founders who studied at the Technion went on to raise a total of $26.7 billion over the past decade, the ranking showed.

In the rankings for the top 50 undergraduate programs for female founders, Tel Aviv University came in 21st, down one spot; the Technion was in 43rd place, moving up 8 spots; and Hebrew University was in 49th place, slipping six spots from last year.