Two Israeli universities have been ranked among the world’s leading institutions for producing founders of venture capital-backed startups, according to new analysis based on PitchBook data published by Silicon Valley investment firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z).
The report found that Tel Aviv University ranked seventh globally for undergraduate alumni who went on to establish venture-backed companies, while the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology - placed tenth. Israel is the only country outside the United States with two universities in the global top 10 in this category.
The study examined more than 170,000 founders worldwide who raised institutional venture capital between 2014 and 2025, mapping the universities that produced the highest number of startup entrepreneurs. Tel Aviv University alumni were found to have founded around 865 companies, which collectively raised approximately $30 billion. Technion graduates founded roughly 783 venture-backed startups, raising about $23 billion.
According to the Israel Innovation Authority, the findings underscore that “ecosystem strength isn’t about population size, but infrastructure, culture and the ability to turn research into globally competitive companies."
In contrast, no British university appeared in the global top 10 for undergraduate founders. However, UK institutions performed strongly in other categories: the University of Cambridge ranked seventh globally for graduate founders, while Oxford University placed eighth. Imperial College London was also highlighted as a major European hub for deep-tech entrepreneurship and AI spinouts.
a16z noted that Israeli institutions stand out in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and computer vision, while pointing to Stanford, MIT and the University of Toronto as global leaders in AI founder production.
The report also found that Israeli universities outperform many elite US institutions in “founder efficiency," measuring startup output per 1,000 students.
Analysts attribute Israel’s strong performance to close ties between academia, military intelligence units, venture capital and industry. They also noted that Israeli founders often launch companies earlier in their careers.
The report comes amid growing global competition in AI and deep-tech sectors, with investors describing 2026 as an increasingly strong environment for early-stage entrepreneurship driven by new AI tools and lower barriers to company creation.