“Where Visionaries Take Flight.” According to PitchBook’s 2025 rankings, Berkeley now leads all universities in venture-backed startups founded by undergraduate alumni: 1,804 founders and 1,650 companies.

Berkeley also tops the list for female founders: 291 undergraduate alumnae launched 289 companies, according to PitchBook—a remarkable achievement given that just over 2 percent of global venture capital goes to businesses led by all-female founders.

Startup Campus: How UC Berkeley Became an Unexpected Leader in Entrepreneurship and Startups

For most of the 20th century, Berkeley prided itself on keeping business at arm’s length, treating corporate dollars as a threat to academic research and a betrayal of its public mission.

The Berkeley Civic Engagement Challenge, a competition where, instead of students pitching startups, city staff pitch civic problems for students to solve.

From Vision to Venture – How Berkeley became a leading launchpad for startups

Many thanks to Cal Grad Alexis V. for sharing

The Jabs Entrepreneurship Center at Montana State University

University of Montana  Management and Entrepreneurship – Bachelor’s Degree Program (BS)