An MBA provides unique networking opportunities, facilitating interactions between peers from vastly different backgrounds and allowing students to connect with professors, industry experts, and alumni.
The typical MBA journey involves a variety of practical experiences designed to refine students’ skills through business simulators, case competitions, consulting projects, and entrepreneurial exercises.
The learning environment, where students develop new knowledge and skills and are encouraged to try new things, often elicits a mindset shift, meaning they graduate with the confidence that’s essential when striving out alone to create something new.
It’s no surprise, then, that the world’s top business schools have produced thousands of startup founders. Each year, data and research platform, Pitchbook, produces a ranking of the best MBAs for entrepreneurs based on the schools which have the largest numbers of alumni entrepreneurs who have raised venture capital over the previous 10 years.
In 2024, the list of the best MBAs for entrepreneurs is based on the total number of founders whose companies received a round of venture funding between January 2013 and August 2024.
So, which business schools make the top 10?
Best MBAs for entrepreneurs | Top 10
10. London Business School
Founder count: 451 | Company count: 422
All of the universities in this list can be considered among the most prestigious worldwide, each boasting business schools that rank among the best in the world according to the Financial Times. London Business School (LBS) is one such institution.
LBS boasts an entrepreneurial ecosystem built upon both theoretical and practical learning. MBA students—and students on the school’s various other graduate degrees—can undertake a range of electives in innovation and entrepreneurship-led areas. On the more practical side, members of the LBS community can also participate in an incubator program where budding entrepreneurs can avail themselves of funding and additional support. The school’s entrepreneurial pedigree breeds results, having produced 451 founders and 422 companies over the past decade.
Read about London Business School’s notable alumni
9. University of California, Berkeley Haas School of Business
Founder count: 520 | Company count: 482
A location in California, close to the hub of innovation that is Silicon Valley, gives the University of California, Berkeley’s Haas School of Business an advantage when it comes to entrepreneurship. The school’s MBA program has produced 520 founders and 482 enterprises since 2013.
Berkeley focuses on not just producing entrepreneurs, but also preparing students to work in parallel areas such as venture capital. Home to a thriving community, the school’s dedicated association has more than 400 members and there are also regular competitions on campus, such as the UC LAUNCH Startup Accelerator which offers prize money and networking opportunities.
Check out who studies the Berkeley Haas MBA
8. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School of Management
Founder count: 709 | Company count: 648
At this point in this list of the best MBAs for entrepreneurs, there’s a marked increase in the numbers: the MBA at MIT Sloan is responsible for 709 founders and 648 companies.
MIT is famed for its prowess in technical teaching. And, with a dedicated Center for Entrepreneurship, this environment creates an entrepreneurial melting pot that’s produced founders of leading companies including the software firm, HubSpot, and biotech innovator, Invivo Therapeutics.
Find out the average age of MIT Sloan MBA students
7. University of Chicago Booth School of Business
Founder count: 710 | Company count: 660
The MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business narrowly places higher than MIT among the leading MBAs for entrepreneurs, having produced 710 founders and 660 companies.
Booth MBAs can unlock their entrepreneurial potential through the school’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and a dedicated incubator spanning 34,000 square feet. Specialist modules for the school’s MBA students cover topics ranging from social entrepreneurship to the lives of inspiring founders and CEOs.
Find out how to ace your Chicago Booth MBA application
6. Northwestern University Kellogg School of Business
Founder count: 798 | Company count: 758
Like Chicago Booth and MIT Sloan, Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Business ranks among the elite US-based M7 business schools, famed for their competitiveness and prestige.
Reputation, though, is not enough to ensure students can successfully launch companies. Moreover, the school’s multifaceted approach to teaching entrepreneurship within its MBA is key in having helped it produce 798 founders and 758 companies in the past decade. MBAs at Kellogg can learn entrepreneurship through a number of specialized pathways, offering insights into routes such as entrepreneurship through acquisition, and financing entrepreneurial ventures.
Check out the jobs and salaries available after the Kellogg MBA
5. Columbia Business School
Founder count: 835 | Company count: 782
Columbia’s storied reputation is principally built on its prowess in finance, however with 835 founders and 782 companies, the school’s success when it comes to training and developing founders mean it offers the leading MBA for entrepreneurs in New York, according to Pitchbook.
Support for MBAs at Columbia continues after graduation, with first-year alumni able to make use of the school’s Columbia Startup Lab, where they can access support, mentorship, and coworking facilities.
Read about Columbia Business School’s notable alumni
4. INSEAD
Founder count: 916 | Company count: 841
While the vast majority of business schools in this list are based in the US, INSEAD’s campuses are located in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Taking on a large MBA cohort each year, INSEAD is a top recruiting school for careers in consultancy, but it also boasts strong entrepreneurial pedigree having produced 916 founders and 841 companies since 2013.
Within the school’s MBA program, students can choose from more than 15 elective modules in entrepreneurship, while various field trips provide opportunities to learn about building businesses in areas ranging from Silicon Valley to China.
Review the INSEAD MBA admissions interview questions
3. University of Pennsylvania The Wharton School
Founder count: 1,147 | Company count: 1,053
The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania is home to the world’s top-ranked MBA program. And, according to Pitchbook, it’s also among the three best MBAs for entrepreneurs anywhere in the world, having produced 1,147 founders and 1,053 companies over the last 10 years.
Wharton offers interested students opportunities to enhance their entrepreneurial knowhow through an entrepreneurship and innovation major which is delivered in partnership with the school’s Venture Lab. Some of the relevant modules that Wharton students can study during their MBAs include: Social Entrepreneurship, Scaling Operations, and Accounting for Entrepreneurs.
Learn how much the Wharton MBA costs in 2024
2. Stanford Graduate School of Business
Founder count: 1,189 | Company count: 1,077
Stanford GSB is a business school that’s synonymous with entrepreneurship. Among the MBA Class of 2023, 25% of graduates chose to start or run their own business—with 49% doing so within the field of technology.
Its reputation means Stanford attracts students already interested in entrepreneurship, but the school’s ecosystem equally provides inspiration for students. Stanford MBAs can choose from more than 50 courses dedicated to innovation and entrepreneurship, and they get opportunities to devise, test, and build business models within the school’s dedicated Startup Garage. Evidence of the school’s entrepreneurial accomplishments: it produced 1,189 founders and 1,077 companies between 2013 and 2024.
Check out who studies the Stanford MBA
1. Harvard Business School
Founder count: 1,881 | Company count: 1,729
Whether it’s a ranking of MBA programs, entrepreneurship MBAs, or MBAs with the most notable alumni, Harvard Business School (HBS)—the birthplace of the MBA itself—is often found around the top of the list.
HBS MBA students can avail themselves of a wealth of entrepreneurial resources. At the Rock Center for Entrepreneurship, they can participate in competitions and meet with entrepreneurs connected to the school. At the Harvard Innovation Labs, they can work alongside students from other Harvard schools, utilizing a range of support to build their ideas. There are also a variety of entrepreneurship-focused clubs present on campus.
Like Wharton and Stanford, HBS is responsible for producing more than 1,000 founders and companies, respectively, according to Pitchbook. However, with nearly 800 founders and 650 companies more than second-placed Stanford, it’s clear to see why Harvard ranks at the very top of this list of the best MBAs for entrepreneurs.
