University of Colorado

Top 25 Universities For Entrepreneurship

College might be the best time to start a business. You have an extraordinary network of classmates and friends that will probably always be a part of your life along with some free time, great mentors, not too many responsibilities, a low cost of living and you're used to being poor. You can start while you're going to school or wait until you're done. Either way, here are the top 25 Universities in America for entrepreneurship.

Honorable mentions

University of Virginia, Penn State, University of Wisconsin, Arizona State University,       University of Florida, Brown, BYU, Babson College, UC Irvine, John Hopkins, Purdue,         Indiana University, Princeton.

#25 Georgetown

The Georgetown Entrepreneurship initiative enables students to see the world as entrepreneurs do, while providing the knowledge and skills they need to act on their insights and add value to society. Under the banner of Startup Hoyas, they provide a growing suite of academic, extracurricular, and off-campus programs, and connect their students to accomplished alumni, industry experts, entrepreneurs and business executives. Their mission is to create a culture of entrepreneurship throughout the Georgetown University community and to ensure that every graduate and undergraduate student has the opportunity to explore and experience what it means to behave like an entrepreneur. At the Georgetown Entrepreneurship Initiative, they inspire students by encouraging entrepreneurial thinking, teach students about entrepreneurship through the experiences of accomplished entrepreneurs, connect students to a community of entrepreneurs and innovators on and off campus, and encourage students to launch new ventures.

For more info about Georgetown entrepreneurship, visit startuphoyas.com

#24 Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech has fantastic on campus support for entrepreneurship. Among the best options are Startup House and Startup Exchange. 

Startup House is a living-learning community on the GT campus – open to sophomores, juniors and seniors. Startup House launched this fall with 42 student entrepreneurs. Startup House focuses on the Lean Startup Methodology. That means they will be evaluating business models, building actual startups, and creating minimum viable products.

Startup Exchange is the student-driven hub for entrepreneurship at Georgia Tech. Promoting an open culture of collaboration, Startup Exchange provides students the practical resources students needed to complement the higher education they receive at Tech.

Georgia Tech has created an amazing and thriving environment on campus for entrepreneurs with outstanding programs. Current and future students that choose to attend Georgia Tech are setting themselves up for a very successful path of entrepreneurship. 

For more info visit startupexchange.gatech.edu & venturelab.gatech.edu

#23 UC Santa Barbara

Entrepreneurship at UCSB is booming. The University has some top notch programs and their alumni are creating some great startups.

The Entrepreneurs Association at UC Santa Barbara is a business, entrepreneurship, and technology club. The club's goal is to prepare members for the business world by helping them build real world contacts that they can use to help ease their transition from university to the competitive job market. The mission of Entrepreneurs Association is to empower students with the business acumen, skills, and experience that will ensure their success as future business leaders and contributors to society.

The Technology Management Program (TMP) at UC Santa Barbara provides driven, innovative, and entrepreneurial students with a solid foundation in business principles and professional skills vital to their success after graduation. By welcoming students from all majors on campus, TMP adds vitality and diversity to its team-oriented and project-based curriculum. Students work under the guidance of dedicated faculty, practicing professionals, and experienced mentors. They are introduced to state-of-the-art business methods, strategies for successful technology commercialization, new venture creation, and best practices for fostering innovation. TMP also operates a number of activities beyond the classroom, including seminars, networking events, and career fairs in order to encourage personal development, technical innovation, and entrepreneurship. 

Now in its 16th year, the UCSB New Venture Competition is an opportunity for any UCSB student to learn how to start a business. Competition events take place throughout the school year. In the Fall Quarter, students brainstorm business ideas, form teams and learn how to formulate and recognize a compelling value proposition. In the Winter Quarter, students can take a course that gives them a learning experience similar to that of a business incubator. The year's activity culminates in two Spring Quarter events. At the New Venture Fair, student teams present their businesses to visitor from the business community in a trade show-style format. A month later, finalist teams present their investor pitches at the New Venture Finals in Corwin Pavilion. All teams in the finals receive cash prizes.

For more info visit tmp.ucsb.edu

#22 Yale

Yale isn't traditionally known for it's startup scene but that's changing. Yale Entrepreneur is a media hub for all things entrepreneurship at Yale. The YE aims to spark interest in entrepreneurship by spotlighting student and alumni ventures. They make it easy to navigate Yale’s vast network of entrepreneurial resources. Their website and once a semester publication provides coverage of on and off campus events, interviews with notable founders, and insights into entrepreneurial developments in the world at large.

The Yale Entrepreneurship Society is a completely undergraduate-student-run and independent non-profit corporation dedicated to promoting entrepreneurship at Yale. They offer educational and networking opportunities to foster new venture creation and economic development. They organize campus and regional events and conferences to encourage entrepreneurship at Yale and in the community. They also provide resources to assist Yale entrepreneurs in their endeavors and maintain a forum for discussion of new business ideas.

The Yale Entrepreneurial Institute (YEI) was formed to help undergraduate and graduate Yale students start scalable new ventures. While starting as a stand-alone 10-week summer program in 2007, YEI has since expanded into a year-round University department acting as a portal for entrepreneurship on campus and offering programs and events year round that serve the entrepreneurial interest of students and the New Haven community.

In April of '14 Yale signaled it's renewed commitment to entrepreneurship by launching the Entrepreneurship Program. The program expands entrepreneurship initiatives through new curriculum development and strengthening connections across Yale’s entrepreneurship community, while also adding an important global dimension through connections with faculty and students in the Global Network for Advanced Management. The Entrepreneurship Program at Yale has three goals. One, expand entrepreneurship curriculum to meet student demand. Two, support and encourage the School of Management student-founded ventures. And three, build a culture of entrepreneurship across Yale University.  

For more information, visit yaleentrepreneur.com, yesatyale.org, yei.yale.edu & som.yale.edu

#21 University of Colorado

Something special is happening in Boulder's entrepreneurial circles, and the world is taking notice that Boulder is a world-class location to start a business. In support of this creative environment, Silicon Flatirons helps stitch together the entrepreneurial fabric for the area's software, telecommunications and Internet startup communities.

As part of the Leeds School of Business, the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship prepares graduates to embrace key global challenges by equipping them to think like entrepreneurs, act as social innovators and deliver as successful business leaders. The Deming Center shapes entrepreneurs who want to make a difference in our society by creating an environment that fosters and cultivates innovation. The Deming Center is determined to support entrepreneurs and connect them to Colorado’s entrepreneurial network. 

The University of Colorado-Boulder (CU) offers myriad opportunities for students, faculty, staff and community members to get involved in social entrepreneurship. SEEDS @CU (Social Entrepreneurship for Equitable Development and Sustainability) supports students and faculty members in research and special projects. 

For more info visit colorado.edu/leeds/deming, silicon-flatirons.org & seedscu.weebly.com

#20 University of Maryland

The Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program (EIP) provides University of Maryland Honors College freshmen and sophomores with an interdisciplinary, living and learning education to help build the entrepreneurial mindsets, skill sets, and relationships invaluable to developing innovative, impactful solutions to today's problems. EIP is based directly on Mtech's groundbreaking Hinman CEOs program, the first undergraduate living-learning entrepreneurship program in the United States. EIP students have access to Mtech's venture development resources and activities as well as those specifically designated for EIP and the Honors College.

The Hillman Entrepreneurs Program is a scholarship initiative targeted to students who have an interest in entrepreneurship and an enthusiasm for starting a business venture or leading a company. The Hillman Entrepreneurs Program offers a new model in education. Students who might not otherwise be able to afford a college education are now starting their college career at either Prince George’s Community College or Montgomery College and transferring to the University of Maryland to complete their degree in any major. They receive deep mentoring from full-time mentors at each institution. Students participate in community and team-building activities while taking classes in entrepreneurship and leadership. This program is about training entrepreneurial leaders who will become the ethical leaders of tomorrow’s local economy.

The Academy for Innovation & Entrepreneurship has adopted design thinking to teach creativity and innovation and lean startups to teach entrepreneurship. These two methodologies both involve experiential, discovery-based learning where students seek out, interview, and observe real people in the field to gain insights and learn the nuances of real-world problems and needs. Students quickly and iteratively test many concepts, learning from ones that work and more importantly from ones that fail, until they ultimately begin to reach innovative solutions.

For more visit mtech.umd.edu & innovation.umd.edu

#19 UCSD

The Entrepreneur Challenge is a UCSD Student Organization that promotes the commercialization of the incredible research and innovation that occurs in La Jolla and San Diego. The mission of the Entrepreneur Challenge is to foster community involvement and technological innovation by bringing multi-disciplinary teams of engineers, scientists, and business-minded students together with local area entrepreneurs and professionals in order that they might shape the world of tomorrow by securing the health of San Diego’s economy today.The Entrepreneur Challenge focuses on start-ups from the inception phase to the early seed-stage. Their goal is to give teams the confidence and resources necessary to launch a successful company that otherwise might not exist.

The Moxie Center for Student Entrepreneurship is an educational program open to all UCSD students. They provide expertise, facilities, resources and connections that allow students to learn to be effective entrepreneurs. The Center's events include seminars, workshops, mixers, Pitch Fests, open houses, poster sessions and speakers, often in conjunction with other programs on campus. They also provide entrepreneurial content to courses within the Jacobs School of Engineering and manage the annual Zahn Prize competition. The Center provides experiential entrepreneurship education through their Entrepreneur's Academy. These no-cost, no-credit courses use a combination of Lean Startup and Disciplined Entrepreneurship models, to guide student entrepreneurs through customer development, market analysis and business planning. The Moxie Center's Teaching Incubator offers admitted student teams access to workspace, tools, equipment and supplies, including 3D printing, machine shops, and electronics fabrication, to help develop product prototypes. The Incubator program also includes classes, mentoring and assistance from industry and professional advisors.

For more information visit challenge.ucsd.edu & jacobsschool.ucsd.edu

#18 University of Illinois

Created in 2000 to highlight the University’s rich history and culture of innovation, TEC continues to inspire its students to become the next generation of world-changing visionaries, leaders and entrepreneurs.  This is accomplished through its courses, venture and product competitions, workshops and other curricular and extra-curricular events that expose students to the concepts of technology innovation and market adoption. TEC offers on campus and online courses and certificate programs and hosts outreach activities for students and alumni. TEC also administers the annual Cozad New Venture Competition and the Illinois Innovation Prize, among several other programs. The Technology Entrepreneur Center (TEC) provides students and faculty with the skills, resources and experiences necessary to become successful innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders who tackle grand challenges and change the world. 

The Technology Entrepreneur Center and the Academy for Entrepreneurial Leadership at the University of Illinois encourage student entrepreneurs with competitions, mentoring, and support programs. The Academy’s mission is to encourage entrepreneurial awareness and initiatives across all disciplines at the University. Drawing on the strengths of all fields across the Illinois campus, AEL helps to initiate, build and connect an understanding, appreciation and inclusion of entrepreneurship.

IES is UIC’s resource for inspiring and empowering entrepreneurs. If you have an interest in launching and leading a new business ventures of any size or sort, if you want to join a startup team, or if you just want to know more about startups and how you might fit, check out IES. They offer a portfolio of diverse programs – classes, workshops, challenges, and certificates that introduce new venture development skills and experiences. Their programs are applied, interdisciplinary and tailored with a bias toward action. They are a proud sponsor of the Illinois SBDC at UIC, which has served over 2000 entrepreneurs who launched over 200 businesses, creating 2600 jobs and securing over $85 million in funding. 

For more info visit tec.illinois.eduresearchpark.illinois.edu & business.uic.edu 

#17 Northwestern 

From its inception in 2011, e@nu has been a forum for Northwestern community members to engage in collaborative, thought-provoking and forward-thinking programming about entrepreneurship. The conferences' speakers and panelists have represented a wide range of perspectives and experiences with innovation. The diverse insights of founders, coders, funders and others have helped fuel a passionate discussion at Northwestern about design, entrepreneurship and innovation. This year, e@nu has evolved from a one-day conference into an ongoing conversation. Throughout the 2014-2015 school year, e@nu will serve the Northwestern community through a speaker series. Each quarter, e@nu will offer lectures, panels and dialogues about the topics that matter most to entrepreneurs and innovators at Northwestern. 

The Farley Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (FCEI) evolves engineering beyond the application of the sciences to the creation of businesses that capitalize on innovations. They bring together faculty from an array of disciplines to develop a unique curriculum in which students experience the entire innovation/business life cycle—from ideation to prototyping and business plan development.

The Levy Institute for Entrepreneurial Practice provides the foundation for entrepreneurship curriculum and engagement activities for Kellogg students. As part of the greater Kellogg Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative (KIEI), the Levy Institute works in tandem with like-minded centers, alumni networks and organizations across the Kellogg network to foster entrepreneurial success for both Kellogg students and alumni. In the past two academic years, the Levy Institute and the Kellogg Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative (KIEI) have collaborated to introduce 12 new entrepreneurship courses and 19 new faculty actively engaged within the Chicago startup and venture capital community. In tandem with new Kellogg internal competitions, engagement opportunities and an expansion of the internship program, Kellogg students are better able to leverage not only the skills and applications gained in the classroom, but the Kellogg network itself to further their entrepreneurial success. 

For more info visit 

fcei.northwestern.eduentrepreneur.northwestern.edu & kellogg.northwestern.edu 

#16 Duke

The Duke Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative brings to life and deepens Duke’s enduring theme of knowledge in the service of society. They seek to make Duke an agent of transformation through an entrepreneurial spirit, generating innovations from the ideas that grow at the university and translating those innovations to positively impact individuals, communities, institutions, and societies. They seek to inspire and prepare all members of the university community for innovative leadership and to actively support and encourage the translation of knowledge in the service of society.

The Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation is a new initiative to focus and expand the work on entrepreneurship and innovation at Fuqua. The guiding vision of the center, and one which distinguishes it from entrepreneurship initiatives at most universities, consists of two core ideas: a strong, interdisciplinary research foundation and a multifaceted integration of research, teaching and practice. This vision is articulated in a set of more concrete objectives that will inform the center’s activities in the areas of research, teaching and practice.

For more info visit entrepreneurship.duke.edu & fuqua.duke.edu

#15 University of Washington

The Entrepreneurship Center (TEC) at UW Bothell provides valuable problem-solving and strategic planning assistance to Snohomish-King County businesses while offering students exceptional educational experiences in real-world business environments. Their professional advice and networking tools are customized for small businesses to help increase effectiveness, revenues and profits. Their expertise includes organizational development, e-commerce, marketing planning, and management of technology, human resources and finances.

The Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship at the Michael G. Foster School of Business promotes entrepreneurial learning and discovery to students—from undergraduates to PhD candidates—across the University of Washington. These students become leaders who challenge the status quo and change the way we do business.

For more information visit foster.washington.edubothell.washington.edu

#14 Boston University

The BU Entrepreneurs is a student-run club, part of the Boston University MBA community. Their goal is to support and empower student entrepreneurs by connecting them to the people and resources they need to accomplish their goals. BU Entrepreneurs do this by providing and facilitating guest speakers, interactive panels, networking events and much more.

The Buzz Lab is BU’s brand new center for entrepreneurship, located at 143 Bay State Road, 4th floor. As a “hive” of innovation, it houses all Entrepreneurship programs, faculty, student clubs, and BU spin-off startups. 

For more info visit management.bu.edusmgworld.bu.edu

#13 Carnegie Mellon

The Donald H. Jones Center for Entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon University proudly serves cross campus alumni and students through entrepreneurial courses, programs, alumni events and promotion. The Center’s interdisciplinary/academic approach, coupled with experiential learning, is geared towards students leading innovation, change, and growth in start-ups, emerging companies, and mature organizations. Distinguished as one of the first business schools to offer formal entrepreneurship education, the Tepper School continues this legacy by advancing research that contributes academic programs related to innovation, entrepreneurial leadership, and team-based collaboration. 

For more information visit cmu.edu

#12 The University of Texas 

Located in Austin, one of America's most entrepreneurial cities, the Texas MBA concentration in entrepreneurship includes an interrelated set of activities that prepare students to: think analytically, ask the right questions, solve the problems of entrepreneurial firms, start a new venture, develop and launch new products for existing companies, and be an entrepreneur in a large firm.

Students who concentrate in Entrepreneurship benefit from many of the unique resources of the McCombs School of Business and the Austin community, including:

  • The Herb Kelleher Center for Entrepreneurship: This research center is dedicated to funding teaching, research, and community outreach related to entrepreneurship.
  • The Austin Technology Incubator: ATI is a highly successful business incubator focused on high-technology start-ups.
  • IC2 Institute: An international think-tank for entrepreneurship.
  • Central Texas Angel Network: a network of high net worth individuals focusing on seed stage investment and entrepreneur mentorship.

At the Longhorn Startup Lab, students form interdisciplinary teams to start real companies. They enjoy the resources of a semester-long program of startup acceleration led by well-known faculty who are practitioners of the art and who are augmented by successful guest speakers and team-specific mentors. The Longhorn Startup Seminar is a course for individual students wishing to benefit from the classroom sessions and who may have entrepreneurship opportunities in future semesters. 

The I2P UT Austin Competition is a student-led event, coordinated by the I2P Program and the Technology Entrepreneurship Society with support from the Chair of Free Enterprise. The competition is an early-stage technology commercialization plan competition that is open to UT Austin students of all disciplines who are interested in technology-focused entrepreneurship. The I2P Competition gives competitors hands-on commercialization experience, mentoring and feedback from experienced entrepreneurs. 

For more info visit utexas.edulonghornstartup.comideatoproduct.org/ut/

#11 Cornell

Cornell Entrepreneur Network (CEN) is the university’s professional business network. CEN offers events throughout the country and globally, valuable networking opportunities, online webinars and live streaming that feature world-class alumni industry leaders as speakers on timely topics. All programming is designed for entrepreneurial-minded Cornell alumni, students, faculty, and parents to learn from industry leaders, meet, connect and develop business relationships with each other while reconnecting with Cornell.

eLab is dedicated to accelerating top Cornell University startups. Established in 2008 by Student Agencies Foundation, a non-profit organization, in collaboration with Entrepreneurship@Cornell, eLab has worked with hundreds of students in turning concepts into real businesses which include notable exits. As you move become an alumnus of eLab, they will provide mechanisms to share your feedback so they can continue to improve their program. They also encourage all of their alums to remain actively involved in eLab – many have transitioned naturally into eLab mentors.

Entrepreneurship@Cornell works with all campus schools, colleges, and organizations to help create and promote entrepreneurship education, events, commercialization, and experiential learning opportunities. Their vision is to support a diverse group of university-wide activities that finds and fosters the entrepreneurial spirit in every Cornell participant – in every college, every field, and every stage of life. 

For more information go to cen.cornell.eduelabstartup.comeship.cornell.ed

#10 Columbia University

In the summer of 2013, Columbia University began an initiative to harness the enormous entrepreneurial energy and abilities of its student, faculty, and alumni community. Through this initiative, the University hopes to cultivate a cohesive culture of entrepreneurship at Columbia, facilitate the entrepreneurial process, and tap into Columbia’s vast network of entrepreneurial talent. The mission is simple: to help Columbia’s students, faculty and alumni launch Columbia-born ventures. Tactics include brokering collaborations between existing organizations, filling in gaps where much-needed resources are missing and strengthening school-based entrepreneurship programming. Working with all schools, organizations, student clubs and alumni groups across the Columbia community, Columbia Entrepreneurship works to cultivate a truly multidisciplinary approach to entrepreneurship and to facilitate the formation of talented teams and exciting new startups.

#StartupColumbia Challenge 2014 is the Columbia University-wide venture competition focused on incentivizing Columbia entrepreneurs with up to $50,000 in prize money. Students and young alumni from all schools across Columbia University were invited to enter a three-round process, with the finalists to present live at #StartupColumbia, the day-long, campus-wide entrepreneurship festival that was held on April 11, 2014. 1st place this year went to Ayalo. Ayalo is the first mobile classifieds service for the masses. Ayalo helps anyone with a phone, smartphone or not, buy and sell goods or find jobs easily through ad listings. The ability to buy used things at the touch of a button is something most of us in the US take for granted. Getting furniture for your new apartment, and selling it later, is just a few clicks away. In most of the world, however, this isn’t the case. Ayalo aims to make this possible for the rest of the world by offering free use even without a data plan.

Columbia Organization of Rising Entrepreneurs (CORE) hosts keynotes, panels, discussions, seminars, and workshops allow students from all backgrounds to learn and understand how to start up their own companies, potential challenges, and the opportunities and resources available to them. They have a vast connection of prominent entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and other authorities in the worldwide startup ecosystem, all who are willing to share their experiences with Columbia students. In the past, they've held events with Peter Thiel, Jack Dorsey, Mark Cuban, Drew Houston, Ben Horowitz, Alexis Ohanian, Zach Sims, Ryan Bubinski, Jared Hecht, Howard Marks, Walt Mossberg, Scott Kurnit, Amol Sarva, Mahbod Moghadam, and more. CORE is also partnered with the Columbia Venture Community (CVC), Columbia Entrepreneurship Organization (CEO), Columbia University Entrepreneurship, and other organizations on campus to provide a diverse array of interesting events for students at Columbia.

For more info visit entrepreneurship.columbia.edustartupcolumbia.orgcoreatcu.com

#9 Penn

The Penn Social Entrepreneurship Movement (PennSEM) was founded with the intention of making Penn a leading educator in social enterprise. Since then, the club has expanded to include a Fellows program (in conjunction with the national Compass Fellowship program), Think Tank, Consulting, and Events & Trips. From teaching students more about social entrepreneurship through discussions and immersion trips, to helping to give students the opportunity to explore research in the field and even start their own social impact initiatives, PennSEM endeavors to foster a tightly knit community of future social enterprise leaders, advocates and supporters.

Penn is at the forefront of the country's leading engineering schools with the Engineering Entrepreneurship Program. Designed specifically for engineers and scientists having a passion for technological innovation, these popular courses focus on the roles of inventors and founders in successful high-tech ventures. By providing knowledge and skills important to the creation and leadership of such startups, Penn’s Engineering Entrepreneurship Program aims to train the founders and leaders of tomorrow’s high-tech companies.

In 1973, The Wharton School became the first school to develop a fully integrated curriculum of entrepreneurial studies. Today Wharton, through Wharton Entrepreneurship, supports and seeds innovation and entrepreneurship globally through teaching, research and outreach to a range of organizations through its many programs, initiatives and research centers. At the same time, Wharton and Penn students and alumni are helping to build entrepreneurial enterprises around the world and impacting virtually every industry. 

For more info visit entrepreneurship.wharton.upenn.eduseas.upenn.edu, & pennsem.org

#8 University of Michigan

Founded in 2008, the Center for Entrepreneurship grew out of the University of Michigan College of Engineering's Committee on Entrepreneurial Environment and Programs (CEEPS), a group of faculty that released its recommendations in the report "Empowering Entrepreneurial Students." The Committee recognized that young innovators can help stimulate the state's economy. It also recognized that there were a large number of aspiring entrepreneurs already at the University of Michigan, but that these individuals were unconnected and did not feel empowered to pursue their entrepreneurial ideas. While the College already had entrepreneurial faculty, alumni, facilities, and corporate partners committed to inspiring and guiding young entrepreneurs, it was lacking a focal point capable of coordinating these resources. Thus, the Committee recommended the creation of a Center for Entrepreneurship within the College of Engineering.

The University of Michigan interviewed technology entrepreneurs prior to designing the new Master of Entrepreneurship (MsE) program. Most of them had started working on their ventures without enrolling in courses or pursuing business degrees. While they eventually learned by trial and error, many false starts and redirections could have been avoided with a more complete understanding of startup dynamics. The curriculum they needed did not exist, the comprehensive skill set they required was not available in college classrooms. By understanding the principles underlying venture start-ups and small-scale businesses, many errors can be avoided, shortening the "school of hard knocks" into an accelerated track to an entrepreneurial life. Student entrepreneurs who understand the fundamental principles underlying technology translation are prepared not just for their first launch, but for a future rich with new ventures.

In March 2007 at an entrepreneurial conference in Silicon Valley, two U-M students realized the lack of entrepreneurial passion within the University of Michigan compared to those in the Bay Area and decided to do something about it. Wanting to bring the Silicon experience back home, they created MPowered Entrepreneurship, a student-run organization focused on starting and sustaining an entrepreneurial movement on campus. Fostering a culture of innovation, passion, execution, commitment, creativity, and community, MPowered continues to build on this foundation everyday with a dedicated team that's always up for a challenge.

The University of Michigan hosts a number of meetings each year focused on engaging the community in all aspects of innovation and entrepreneurship on campus and in the region. These include:

  • Entrepalooza, an annual conference, enables students to attend presentations by successful entrepreneurs and investors, as well as meet with them one-on-one.
  • The Michigan Growth Capital Symposium is a venture capital event that connects high-potential Midwest startups and university spin outs with leading investors nationwide. Ten-year statistics include: 300 companies presented, 200 raised capital totaling more than $1.7 billion, 60 exited successfully.
  • The Tech Transfer annual inventor recognition reception, Celebrate Invention, honors faculty who participate in tech transfer activities. Guests include more than 300 business, venture, university, and community partners.

They also offer a wide range of entrepreneurship courses, programs, and activities, including:

  • The College of Engineering and the Ross School of Business offer a joint Michigan Master of Entrepreneurship (MsE) degree. The MsE program educates students on forming and managing high-growth potential, scalable businesses.
  • The Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies, at the Ross School of Business, engages undergraduate and graduate students in real-world learning. In addition to spreading entrepreneurship across campus through multidisciplinary courses, university-wide business-plan competitions, and grant programs, it has spawned entrepreneurship centers at the Law School, Medical School, and College of Engineering.
  • The Center for Entrepreneurship (CFE), in the College of Engineering, offers entrepreneurship-related undergraduate courses, a 9-credit Program in Entrepreneurship (PIE) for both undergraduate and graduate students, and a 15-credit CASE in Entrepreneurship (CASEE), which teaches graduate students, as well as working professionals, the tools needed to bring innovative ideas to market. Since its inception, 2,830 students have enrolled in CFE-sponsored classes.
  • Zell Entrepreneurship and Law Program (ZEAL), at the Law School, prepares law students to advise about, and/or develop, business enterprises and has a clinic providing much sought-after legal services for U-M student entrepreneurs.
  • Medical Innovation Center (MIC), in the Medical School, assists faculty, alumni, and partners in taking ideas from the early development stage to commercialization. The Center offers a fellowship program in biomedical innovation and also operates a Design and Prototype Lab.
  • The Center for Venture Capital & Private Equity Finance (CVP), at the Ross School of Business, focuses on entrepreneurial finance and investment through research and program initiatives. Center initiatives such as the annual Michigan Growth Capital Symposium and Private Equity Conference connect U-M ‘s entrepreneurial network to the broader financial community. Programs are administered through the Zell Lurie Institute.
  • Plans are under way to establish a minor in entrepreneurship available to students throughout U-M.

For more info visit:

cfe.umich.eduentrepreneurship.umich.edumpowered.umich.edu & innovate.umich.edu

#7 NYU 

Founded in 2012, the NYU Entrepreneurial Institute leads a university-wide initiative to accelerate the pace of technology commercialization and the launch of successful startups founded by NYU's 60,000 students, faculty and researchers. The Institute's team of startup experts and thought leaders offers educational programming, events, resources, and funding, via the NYU Innovation Venture Fund, to inspire, educate, connect, and accelerate entrepreneurs across NYU.

The Berkley Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation's $200K Entrepreneurs Challenge provides the framework and motivation to think and do what no one else is doing. Enter the competitions and discover what it really takes to launch a startup. In addition to the opportunity to receive startup cash, You'll get training assistance and individualized coaching from experienced entrepreneurs, investors and executives. Plus, you’ll learn critical startup skills. In the end, no matter what happens, you'll emerge better prepared to bring your entrepreneurial vision to light. Prior startup experience or business background is not required. All NYU students, faculty, researchers and alumni are welcome to compete.

The Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation Program in Social Entrepreneurship is designed to attract, encourage and train a new generation of leaders in public service. Each year, the program will expose a highly selective group of graduate and undergraduate students from throughout New York University to the cross-disciplinary skills, experiences and networking opportunities needed to advance and support their efforts to realize sustainable and scalable pattern-breaking solutions to society's most intractable problems. 

Founded in 2012, the NYU Entrepreneurial Institute leads a university-wide initiative to accelerate the pace of technology commercialization and the launch of successful startups. The Institute's team of startup experts and thought leaders offers educational programming, events, resources, and funding, via the NYU Innovation Venture Fund, to inspire, educate, connect, and accelerate entrepreneurs across NYU.

For more info visit nyu.edustern.nyu.edu & nyuentrepreneur.com

#6 Harvard 

Historically, approximately 50% of Harvard Business School graduates become entrepreneurs by the time they are 15 years out of school. Half of this number have started two or more businesses. Most graduates wait until they have a high potential idea they are truly passionate about. Often, such ideas come through in-depth experience in a market and exposure to unsatisfied customer needs – experience that may be tough to get within the bounds of a full-time educational experience. Nevertheless – whether by dint of past experience, summer internship or just good fortune, there are usually at least 100 potential new ventures being explored by Harvard alumni in any given year.

Launched in November 2011, the Harvard Innovation Lab (i-lab) serves as a resource for students from across Harvard interested in entrepreneurship and innovation. The programming offered by the i-lab is designed to help students grow their ventures at any stage of development and covers a wide range of disciplines. The i-lab’s approach differs from that of other entrepreneurship centers in its breadth, operating model, and governance. First, it accepts any student from any Harvard school with any idea, fostering cross-disciplinary, cross-university collaboration. The i-lab resources support student ventures spanning social and cultural entrepreneurship, health and sciences, technology, and consumer fields. Second, it is student centered and faculty enabled, with programming supplied by schools across Harvard to help students take their ideas as far as they can go. Third, the i-lab serves as a new model for university collaboration as it is co-governed by each of the Deans of Harvard and the Provost. The i-lab operates as a startup within the larger university environment. With student and community interest exceeding all expectations, the i-lab is experiencing rapid growth. The opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaboration embodied in the i-lab represent the potential to catalyze innovative solutions to many of society’s most important challenges.

The Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs (HAE) is dedicated to the advancement of entrepreneurship, promotion of innovation, and the ideals of leadership and learning. They are a volunteer-run, Shared Interest Group of the Harvard Alumni Association. Since their beginnings in 2000, HAE has served as a meeting place for entrepreneurial alumni, students, faculty and staff from all of Harvard's schools. The Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs celebrates the entire lifecycle of being an entrepreneur. They catalyze living legacies by facilitating the transfer of wisdom from one generation of entrepreneurs to the next. They host an active online community, networking, lectures, mentorship, and many other resources.

For more info visit hbs.edu/entrepreneurshipi-lab.harvard.edu & harvardae.org

#5 UCLA

At UCLA Anderson, MBA students may choose to take several advanced electives that focus on entrepreneurial or emerging ventures. These courses include venture initiation, small business management, financing emerging enterprises, and business plan writing. Field studies (six-month consulting projects by teams of three to five students) may be conducted with entrepreneurial firms as well. The Entrepreneur Association (EA), the largest student organization at UCLA Anderson, sponsors over thirty extracurricular activities that provide involvement opportunities for students, entrepreneurs, and business developers. These programs include noon speakers, an annual conference on entrepreneurship and The Knapp Venture Proposal Competition. Particularly innovative programs are the Venture Fellows Program and the Student Investment Fund, which provide hands-on experience in the venture capital and investment management fields.

Founded in 2013, Bruin Entrepreneurs' core mission is to facilitate entrepreneurship among UCLA students by providing resources, networking and mentorship. Their aim is to help students of all majors and levels of experience in starting their own business. They provide a community for entrepreneurial minded students who share an interest in creative innovation - a productive and collaborative environment for business people, developers and everyone in between to connect and share their talents. 

The Entrepreneur Association is the largest student association at the UCLA Anderson School of Management. They have over 600 members and 150 events a year, with programs for both Anderson students and the community at large. The EA works closely with the Harold and Pauline Price Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at UCLA. The Price Center provides curriculum, research, and experiential learning programs that prepare MBA candidates for the challenges of management in entrepreneurial environments.

The EA Conference is UCLA Anderson's largest and highest-profile student-organized event. In its 29th year, the Entrepreneur Association (EA), Harold and Pauline Price Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, High Tech Business Association (HTBA) and Easton Center for Technology Leadership welcome an audience of more than 500 students, alumni, faculty, entrepreneurs, investors and professionals to share valuable insights on current topics in entrepreneurship, critical business skills, and emerging opportunities. The Fast Pitch competition, a perennial favorite, offers individuals a chance to pitch new business ideas to a panel of distinguished investment professionals and entrepreneurs. The event includes a series of nine panels, case study and demo of Anderson startups that cover a diverse range of industries highlighting the theme "Evolving Entrepreneur".

For more information, visit:

anderson.ucla.edubruinentrepreneurs.orgentrepreneurassociation.net & eaconference.org

#4 USC

The USC eClub is committed to helping students learn about entrepreneurship and launch their companies or ideas outside of the classroom, regardless of what major they are pursuing. The organization has been supporting and launching entrepreneurs at USC for over a decade. They are the campus entrepreneurship hub for students and alumni. They connect entrepreneurs while providing them and their startups with resources and education that complements the Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurship. The USC eClub is committed to providing highly valuable and innovative events, while creating a support structure of resources, networks, and opportunities for startups and existing businesses.

The Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies is among the nation's leaders in entrepreneurship education and research. Its faculty—a diverse mix of academics and entrepreneur practitioners—together offer undergraduate and graduate programs designed to help students acquire the tools, develop the skills, and cultivate the mindset central to organizing, launching, and managing successful new ventures. The program has consistently ranked among the top programs in the nation and has been ranked #1 by Princeton Review and Entrepreneur Magazine. Business Week with U.S. News and World Report labeled the Greif Center as "one of the best Entrepreneurship programs" in the country.

The Entrepreneur and Venture Management Association (EVMA) is a student-led organization committed to supporting students interested in pursuing career opportunities in startups, venture capital, or starting their own businesses. Rather than focus on a specific industry or function, EVMA strives to empower its members to pursue opportunities in dynamic growth phase companies and help members build the network they need to launch their own startup.  EVMA also provides complementary resources in the venture capital and private equity industries for students interested in pursuing alternative asset management careers. 

For more info, visit marshall.usc.edumarshall.campusgroups.com & usceclub.org

#3 MIT

The Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship provides the expertise, support and connections needed for MIT students to become effective entrepreneurs. They work closely with other MIT departments, labs, centers and groups connecting students with the best entrepreneurship programming across the Institute. No one in the center will ever take equity or looks for a place on your board. They are 100% educators.

Every year, between 900 and 1,000 companies are started by MIT alumni and students. Many of these entrepreneurs have taken the class 15.390 (New Enterprises), offered to all MIT students, including the founders of such companies as Ministry of Supply, FINsix, Lark, OsComp, and Hubspot — which had revenues worth $52.5 million as of 2012. While those who wish to start small businesses will learn something from the class, 15.390x will deal with startup issues on a grander scale. “They have to be looking to make a big company,” Aulet says. However, people working in government, nonprofits, or large existing corporations may gain insight on how to become more “customer-oriented,” and are welcome to join the class.

The MITx Global Entrepreneurship Bootcamp is a new bridge connecting entrepreneurs worldwide with the MIT entrepreneurship ecosystem.  In the MIT spirit of mens et manus– mind and hand – you will spend an intense week immersing in both the study and practice of innovation-driven entrepreneurship. Through seminars with MIT entrepreneurship faculty, you will gain exposure to the cutting-edge entrepreneurship research and methodologies. Through the coaching of MIT entrepreneurs, you will combine knowledge with the practical perspectives from a variety of fields. Through interactions with MIT engineers and scientists, you will get a close-up view of innovations that will shape our future. By rapid prototyping and validating your idea with customers, you will bring it all together in the context of your startup. Their challenge to you: Create a startup in 1 week. 

The Legatum Center at MIT strives relentlessly to prepare its Fellows for entrepreneurial careers in low-income countries and to expose them to “The Elements of Entrepreneurship,” the title of their 2014 Conference. To emphasize this connection, they are linking their panel discussions to the elements that we are constantly exposed to: earth, air, fire, and water. One panel discussion focused on businesses created from the earth, agribusiness in Africa. They explored Latin American technology ventures conducting business through the air. Fire being the oldest form of energy used by man, they looked at some of Asia’s newest innovations in energy production. Finally, they learned about successful entrepreneurs and the investment in innovation springing up by the water of the Persian Gulf.

Founded in 1978, the MIT Enterprise Forum produces programs and events about innovation, technology and entrepreneurship for an engaged community of 50,000+ thought leaders throughout a network of 28 worldwide chapters. Anyone interested in technology innovation and entrepreneurship is welcome to participate and join together to form the MIT Enterprise Forum community. MIT Enterprise Forum collaborates with hundreds of corporate and education organizations that connect members of the technology and entrepreneurial ecosystem with resources that make the commercialization of technologies faster and easier. The MIT Enterprise Forum produces 400+ world-class networking and educational events annually to connect, inspire and inform technology business leaders and enthusiasts.

The MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition brings together students and researchers in the MIT community and outside to act on their talent, ideas and energy to launch tomorrow’s leading firms. The competition is run as a series of distinct contests – Pitch, Accelerate, and Launch. Each contest focuses on developing specific founding skills and for each contest MIT $100K brings together a network of resources – top venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, media exposure, mentors, educational guidance, networking. Finally over $350K in cash and prizes are awarded to help participants through the new venture construction process.

For more info visit:

 entrepreneurship.mit.edu newsoffice.mit.edubootcamp.mit.edu   

legatum.mit.edu mitef.org  &mit100k.org

#2 UC Berkeley

While Stanford might be the educated guess for #1 on this list (spoiler alert), Bay Area arch-rival Cal Berkeley is very close to passing Stanford for #1. The Bay Area is the #1 place in the world for entrepreneurship right now with Berkeley and Stanford leading the way.

The Berkeley Entrepreneurs Association focuses on helping equip its members with the skills, network, and knowledge necessary to launch or grow a venture. Its member base includes both current and aspiring entrepreneurs, as well as those who are simply interested in learning more about the space. It works closely with UC Berkeley’s Lester Center for Entrepreneurship and SkyDeck (a UC Berkeley startup accelerator and technology entrepreneurship center), as well as with other clubs and organizations across campus that are dedicated to advancing entrepreneurship at UC Berkeley. Its programming currently includes the “Life as an Entrepreneur” Fall speaker series, the “Learning to Code for MBAs” course, formal and informal events with alumni, and entrepreneurial-focused events and conferences. It also sources startup and VC focused career opportunities for its members, communicates with perspective students, and acquaints incoming students with available resources so they can hit the ground running once on campus.

Working with entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, business leaders, policy makers, scholars and students, the Lester Center focuses the resources of UC Berkeley to stimulate the formation, management and growth of new enterprises; to encourage innovation in new and established companies; and to teach the process of successful entrepreneurship and business innovation.

How can majority Muslim countries build and sustain open societies, polities, and economies? The Berkeley Program on Entrepreneurship and Development in the Middle East attempts to answer this basic, yet perplexing question, by examining the relationship between private enterprise, equitable growth, and democratic development. Through a series of conferences, seminars, and courses, the Program seeks to produce and promote relevant interdisciplinary research. Based on the results of this research, the Program seeks to devise policies to promote the growth and sustenance of democratic institutions and entrepreneurship in Middle Eastern communities and nations, and devise policies for the developed world vis-a-vis such communities and nations. The initiative brings together academics and scholars from a variety of disciplines, who have studied the past and present developments in Muslim and Middle Eastern communities, with business leaders and government officials, who have experience in the implementation of forward-looking political, social, and economic policies. Terms like the Middle East and Muslim World are imperfect; the Program will focus not only on the Muslims in the Middle East, but also in countries which have predominantly Muslim populations outside of the Middle East and on the important ongoing role of minority non- Muslim populations within the Middle East.

For more info visit:  entrepreneurship.berkeley.edu bped.berkeley.edu & haas.campusgroups.com

#1 Stanford

Just south of San Francisco and in Silicon Valley, Stanford is arguably the top university in the nation. Whether you're talking about academics, sports or entrepreneurship, Stanford doesn't take a backseat to anyone.

The Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP) Entrepreneurship Corner is a free online archive of entrepreneurship resources for teaching and learning. The mission of the project is to support and encourage faculty around the world who teach entrepreneurship to future scientists and engineers, as well as those in management and other disciplines. The site has been developed by a dynamic team of educators, entrepreneurs, engineers, and designers at the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP). The project has been financially supported by Stanford University and a number of generous sponsors. Other collaborators in its creation include the Stanford Center for Professional Development and Stanford Video.

The GSB Entrepreneurship Club is one of the oldest student-run entrepreneur's clubs in the nation. The current incarnation of the club has its roots in the late 1970s, when many of the individual student initiatives around small businesses and entrepreneurialism coalesced into a single student-lead club. In 1993, the e-club under the leadership of Ken Hawk sponsored the first E-Conference on Entrepreneurship, with 150 people attending the day-long event. The conference has grown to be the largest annual conference dedicated to entrepreneurship in the world. Today the Entrepreneur Club is the most active student-run club within the GSB community. They have over 300 members and last year the club organized more than 50 events for over 1,100 attendants. The goal of the current GSB Entrepreneurship Club is to stimulate interest in entrepreneurialism among GSB students and other members of the Stanford community. They are passionate about building sustainable ventures and want to provide their members a lifelong learning & a support platform to minimize risk and to maximize success in ventures. They want to promote entrepreneurial mind-set, both as a founder or manager of a startup as well as in the roles of an investor, advisor, or corporate partner.

Founded in 2010 by Stanford University alumni and venture capitalists Miriam Rivera and Clint Korver, Stanford Angels & Entrepreneurs (SA&E) are a Stanford Alumni Association group that seeks to strengthen Stanford’s startup community by fostering relationships among entrepreneurs and alumni investors. Their community approach to the investment process creates diverse opportunities for education, professional development, advising / mentoring, and growing one’s business and investment portfolio. SA&E has helped fund over 20 startups to date, greatly impacting the Silicon Valley landscape.

Stanford Social Innovation Review is an award-winning magazine and website that covers cross-sector solutions to global problems. SSIR is written for and by social change leaders in the nonprofit, business, and government sectors who view collaboration as key to solving environmental, social, and economic justice issues. Published at the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society at Stanford University, SSIRbridges academic theory and practice with ideas about achieving social change. SSIR covers a wide range of subjects, from microfinance and green businesses to social networks and human rights. Its aim is both to inform and to inspire.

More than ever, the world needs clear-sighted business leaders who have the passion and the ability to take action towards solving the world’s most intractable global concerns. Summerfuel’s Social Entrepreneurship programs aim to expose high school students to the cross-disciplinary skills necessary to build effective and efficient business-based solutions to social problems. SE programs empower young social entrepreneurs to leverage their resources and find creative solutions to key social issues in their communities and around the globe. Together with your peers, you will work to develop and implement a comprehensive social venture, from research to operational logistics, marketing, financing and sustainability. You will have opportunities to implement and measure the impact of key pieces of your plan, all while practicing invaluable presentation and leadership skills along the way. An interactive class discussion and guest speakers will challenge you to think critically about social issues and motivate you to be a change-maker in your community. You will design your own social venture to gain the experience to build an effective organization from the ground up. 

For more info visit:

 ecorner.stanford.edu,  gsbeclub.org,  stanfordaande.com & ssireview.org  

 

The rankings on this list are based on the amount of startups the universities have recently created. Any feedback is greatly appreciated. Just send us a message below.