After studying some of the most prestigious universities in
America,
AccountingDegree.com
found that Stanford University graduated more entrepreneurs than
Harvard, New York University and other prominent schools. From
2007 to 2011, Stanford graduates received 203 deals totaling $4.1
billion. DFJ and Kleiner Perkins provided the most capital to
these graduates.
Harvard came in second place with 112 deals worth $3.8
billion. Without Facebook (NASDAQ:
FB
), which AccountingDegree.com refers to as an "outlier," that
number drops to $1.8 billion.
Graduates of University of California, Berkeley, received 90
deals that totaled $1.3 billion. By comparison, University of
Pennsylvania graduates received $1.2 billion in just 46 deals.
NYU graduates earned the same amount in 48 deals.
Last but not least, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
graduates successfully negotiated 60 deals worth $1.0
billion.
In total, these six universities have received $12.6 billion
across 559 deals.
Not surprisingly, software companies drew the most amount of
attention from prospective investors, including Google Ventures
(NASDAQ:
GOOG
), Accel Partners, Highland Capital, Spark Capital and General
Catalyst. Investors were also interested in graduates' ideas for
new energy-related firms. Healthcare proved to be a popular
alternative, but very few graduates drew interest for new
computer chip-based startups.
This might due to the lack of startups in this field (most
American entrepreneurs seemed to be concerned with software-based
solutions). But it could also be a sign of the times. Chips are
difficult and expensive to manufacture. The latter element keeps
most of them from being made in the United States.
Software, on the other hand, can be developed almost anywhere
in the world with minimal investments. This makes it a much more
appealing venue for entrepreneurs who plan to build the product
or service themselves. Software companies may also be more
appealing to investors who wish to put their money into firms
that are truly domestic.
University of Pennsylvania led the pack in software startups
with 67 agreements for deals (the terms of which were not
revealed) and 97 agreements for funding. Graduates from the
school also received deals and funding for their healthcare
startups.
UC Berkeley received the most energy-related investments with
25 agreements for deals and 47 agreements for funding. This
school also has the fewest software-related investments (42
agreements for deals, 12 agreements for funding), but its variety
of investment types is greater than most.
AccountingDegree.com created an infographic to outline the
success of each schools' graduates:
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