U of T leads Canada in PitchBook entrepreneurship rankings
From AI to quantum computing, University of Toronto graduates are shaking up existing industries – and forging brand new ones – by launching and scaling high-impact startup companies in Canada and around the world.
Their collective impact is captured in a recent ranking by Pitchbook, which named U of T Canada’s top university for producing venture-backed entrepreneurs and 17th in the world for producing undergraduate alumni founders.
The Seattle-based financial data and research company’s annual ranking draws on a global database of venture capital and startup activity to rank the world’s top 100 universities based on the number of alumni who raised venture capital in the last decade.
“The incredible accomplishments of our alumni founders demonstrate how the resources, networks and expertise available at the University of Toronto are building a culture of entrepreneurship that turns ideas into impact,” said Leah Cowen, U of T’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives.
“These ventures create jobs, draw investment and deliver solutions in Canada and beyond.”
The 2025 edition of the Pitchbook ranking analyzed more than 173,000 entrepreneurs to rank universities’ alumni at the undergraduate, graduate and MBA levels, along with separate lists for female founders.
U of T rose eight spots from last year to place 17th globally on the undergraduate alumni list – and eighth among public institutions globally. The university also performed strongly in the graduate and MBA alumni categories, placing 25th and 36th in the world, respectively.
Female founders were a particular bright spot. U of T ranked 15th worldwide for undergraduate female founders and 25th for graduate female founders – again leading the country in both measures.
Four other Canadian institutions joined U of T in the top 50 for undergraduate alumni entrepreneurs: University of Waterloo (18th), McGill University (22nd), Western University (40th) and University of British Columbia (44th).
(Story by Adina Bresge)