Four people with laptops sitting at a table in the Gold Lab.

University of Florida ranked among top 100 colleges for entrepreneurs according to PitchBook

October 7, 2025 By Kayla Docteur

Reading time: 3 minutes

The University of Florida has been recognized as a top destination for aspiring entrepreneurs. In PitchBook’s annual rankings of the top 100 colleges for entrepreneurs, UF earned high marks across multiple categories.

Among graduate programs for entrepreneurs, the University of Florida ranks No. 32 in the U.S. (No. 18 publics, No. 53 overall). Among undergraduate programs for entrepreneurs, the University of Florida ranks No. 34 in the U.S. (No. 21 publics, No. 51 overall). Among undergraduate programs for female founders, the University of Florida ranks No. 34 in the U.S. (No. 18 among publics, No. 46 overall).

PitchBook’s annual university rankings compare schools by tallying up the number of alumni entrepreneurs who have raised venture capital in the last decade. The rankings are powered by PitchBook data and are based on an analysis of more than 173,000 VC-backed founders.

These rankings reflect the strength of the University of Florida’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, which is powered by the Warrington College of Business.

Entrepreneurship Programs and Resources at Warrington

The Warrington College of Business offers a robust suite of programs designed to support students with entrepreneurial ambitions. The Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center serves as a hub for hands-on learning, mentorship and venture creation. Signature opportunities include:

Gator Hatchery: A student incubator open to all UF students that offers facilities, guidance and funding opportunities to turn ideas into a business plan, a product and a profitable entity.
Blackstone LaunchPad: A network that gives students opportunities to learn directly from established entrepreneurs, business leaders and Blackstone professionals to see what entrepreneurial skills look like in a day-to-day career context.
GatorNest: A two-credit course with hands-on consulting experience that teaches entrepreneurship and innovation by working through the real problems of real companies in an unscripted environment.
Jeff Gold Experiential Learning Lab: A lab that serves as a home for many of the Business Research and Innovation Center’s experiential learning opportunities, such as GatorNest, Entrepreneur-In-Residence program and student mentoring.
UF Innovative Fellows: A multidisciplinary team-based program that selects undergraduates from across campus, mentored by entrepreneurs and innovators, with the foundation for working on technology project teams.
Pitch Competitions: The UF AI Days Gator Tank, Luby Microgrant Pitch Competition and Big Idea business plan competition provides students with diverse opportunities to create growth-oriented business models to pitch for funding.

Graduate Entrepreneurship Opportunities at Warrington

The Thomas S. Johnson Master of Science in Entrepreneurship degree at the Warrington College of Business recognizes that theories and case studies aren’t enough to unlock authentic, continuous success in the business world. In response, the one- to two-year program’s curriculum focuses on launching or growing a business through experiences that engage young entrepreneurs’ skills to be placed in front of influential audiences.

Non-business graduate students at the University of Florida are also welcome to pursue the entrepreneurship graduate minor to know what’s involved in launching, promoting and sustaining their own business, no matter their degree or specialty.

Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Opportunities at Warrington

Undergraduate students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration can specialize in entrepreneurship, which pushes students to recognize their innate entrepreneurial potential and help them act on that potential. All undergraduate students can pursue the undergraduate entrepreneurship minor, which offers a robust set of entrepreneurship courses and experiential learning activities to help students master the core entrepreneurial competencies required to create or work in new ventures.

PitchBook’s Annual University Rankings 2025

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