UW–Madison rises in entrepreneurship rankings

The University of Wisconsin–Madison ranks No. 18 globally and No. 6 among U.S. public universities in undergraduate founders, according to PitchBook, a financial data and software company that released its annual rankings of top entrepreneurial universities on September 1.

UW–Madison’s overall undergraduate ranking represents a rise of nine spots over the last year. The university also rose two spots to No. 34 for graduate founders and six spots to No. 25 among universities producing female founders.

Among U.S. public universities, UW–Madison ranks No. 6 for female founders and No. 8 for graduate founders.

“These gains reflect both the growing energy around entrepreneurship at UW–Madison and the willingness of programs across campus to come together to collect and share data,” says Lewis Sheats, associate vice chancellor for entrepreneurship and executive director of the Wisconsin Entrepreneurship Hub, which connects entrepreneurship programs and resources (the Spokes) across campus. “This collaboration has been made possible by the formation of the Wisconsin Entrepreneurship Hub and is helping us more fully capture and communicate the entrepreneurial activity and impact that already exist across the university.”

“Entrepreneurship tangibly connects student learning to the world beyond the classroom,” says John Zumbrunnen, provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs at UW–Madison. “Students have opportunities to work alongside faculty, industry partners and fellow entrepreneurs from across campus, putting ideas into practice. That kind of connected learning is an important part of a UW–Madison education, and it’s exciting to see the strength of our entrepreneurial community recognized.”

PitchBook’s rankings are based on companies that have raised venture capital over the past decade, capturing one important dimension of entrepreneurial activity tied to UW–Madison.

The Wisconsin Entrepreneurship Hub, formed in May 2025, is working more broadly to strengthen and connect the university’s entrepreneurship ecosystem, including organizing activity among its campus Spokes, helping founders navigate programs and resources, and supporting entrepreneurs at different stages of their journeys. Sheats joined UW–Madison in February 2026 to lead that work.

“The exciting news from these latest rankings is that they show that the Entrepreneurship Hub is already making an impact,” Sheats says. “But we’re just getting started. As we continue to coordinate and amplify entrepreneurship on campus, I only expect UW–Madison to further its impact.”