Israel's Unicorn: The University That Reached the Global Top

Tel Aviv University ranked third worldwide outside the US in the number of research master's graduates who founded unicorn companies, according to data by Prof. Ilya Strebulaev of Stanford. 12 Deep Tech unicorn founders are TAU alumni, after Cambridge (19) and Oxford (16). The Hebrew University (8) and the Technion (7) also made the top ten.

Tel Aviv University ranks third worldwide among universities outside the US in the number of research master's graduates (excluding MBA) who founded unicorn companies. This emerges from data published by Prof. Ilya Strebulaev of Stanford University, who studies the venture capital and innovation world. According to the data, 12 founders of Deep Tech-based unicorns completed their research master's studies at Tel Aviv University. The university thus ranks right after the University of Cambridge, which leads the list with 19 founders, and the University of Oxford, ranked second with 16. Among the unicorn founders who are TAU alumni is also Yuval Tal, founder of Pioneer. Yuval holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and a master's in biomedical engineering. Israeli presence at the top is especially prominent: three Israeli academic institutions – Tel Aviv University, the Hebrew University, and the Technion – are among the top ten institutions worldwide in the number of research master's graduates who went on to found unicorn companies in the US. Tel Aviv University leads the ranking. Next is the Hebrew University of Jerusalem with 8 unicorn founders, and the Technion with 7. Bar-Ilan University appears further down the list with 4 founders. Prof. Strebulaev's study identified 347 research master's graduates at 206 universities outside the US who founded 270 unicorn companies. Prof. Moshe Zviran, head of the entrepreneurship and innovation unit at Tel Aviv University, said the new study is unique in its focus on research master's graduates who founded Deep Tech-based unicorns and adds another layer to the university's leading status in the global entrepreneurial ecosystem. Prof. Noam Eliaz, dean of the Faculty of Engineering, added that he is proud to lead a faculty whose graduates create the forefront of global innovation.