You don’t need an MBA degree to launch a business and raise capital. But plenty of business school graduates have founded startups that have raised millions of dollars in funding. The school that tops a new Crunchbase ranking of business schools that have produced the most successful alumni-founded startups (defined as raising $1 million or more in the past year) is Harvard Business School — by a wide margin. The school has 124 funded startups setup by its alumni, according to Crunchbase, though as Harvard has larger class sizes than its peers, that is perhaps not so surprising. Stanford GSB, in the heart of entrepreneurial ecosystem Silicon Valley, and the Wharton School are in second and third places with 59 and 53 startups apiece.
Harvard tops a separate list of b-schools with alumni founders that have raised the most money, too. Harvard graduates have raised $6.7 billion for their startups over the past year, Crunchbase calculates.
However, some schools’ results are skewed by outsized funding rounds for just a handful of companies. Take, for example, Chicago’s Booth school of Business. A single company, southeast Asian ride-hailing app Grab, accounts for more than three-fourths of all of Chicago’s funding for alumni founded startups in the past year (Grab banked $2.5 billion in June). At Carnegie Mellon and the Baruch College, one company accounted for 50% or more of total funding.
Entrepreneurs often say that the grounding in business provided by an MBA program is beneficial to a startup. As is the growing ecosystem of support offered by business schools in response to more graduates launching companies. A recently-published survey by the Financial Times found that almost one-quarter of MBAs at 50 top business schools had created startups within three years of graduation. At Stanford GSB and MIT Sloan, more than one-third of MBAs had launched businesses.
There may be another benefit to launching a business at business school. As more MBAs found successful companies and raise funding, the network that is among the most valued parts of an MBA degree becomes more valuable. Joining a business school that has a wealth of successful entrepreneurs may provide contacts that come in handy when you need to call in a favour. As one adage has it, it’s not what you know, but who you know that often counts in business.
Student Reviews
Honest Opinion on CMU
Finding yourself in CMU is such a great blessing. The amazing and great professors and lots of networking opportunities. I was in the faculty of engineering and here the course work was very interesting. The lecturers were very strict and couldn't accept late submission of assignments and work given. This made us very focused. The students are generally good and friendly
Excellence and Academic Integrity
CMU is one of the top class universities in Pittsburgh. It is a multi-diverse university with high regard for academic integrity, excellence, and innovation. It consists of different programs and departments that work together to achieve a common goal. I enjoy the convenience of moving from one building to the other. The faculty and staff are super friendly. It is relatively easy to make connections with other students, especially where collaboratory research is necessary. I would definitely recommend CMU to anyone looking for a muti-diverse academic experience.
Stressful yet worthwhile
I've been genuinely impressed with the fusion of creativity and innovation at CMU. The professors are a mixed bag-- some are great and life-changing, but I had a couple (mostly gen eds in freshman year) that were really frustrating. The workload can be intense, and it's no joke. Campus was very lively; clubs, events, etc. – there's something for everyone. Pittsburgh in general has some areas that are great, and others that disappoint-- Oakland is a very nice university town area. Overall, CMU is a hotbed of innovation and learning, but the pace and location do come into play.
Quite demanding here
Carnegie Mellon is a demanding academic institution where students are expected to put in a lot of effort. Despite the challenging coursework and constant workload, this environment teaches you how to speak for yourself and stand up for what you believe in. The institution also has a strong graduate network, which helps you succeed in the job hunt both while you are enrolled there and after
Transformative Learning
My time at Carnegie Mellon university has been truly transformative, opening up a wide array of opportunities that move beyond the traditional classroom experience. Participation in webinars and seminars has allowed me to explore various topics that are not typically included in the standard curriculum. This exposure has helped equip students like myself with essential tools to effectively navigate our complex world.
