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We analysed the educational blueprints of tech entrepreneurs who have studied at UK universities since the start of this century to discover which alumni are quickest at launching and funding their tech startups.

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0 year

2013

1 year

2014

5 years

2019

In 2013, Samantha Payne graduated from the University of Chester with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism and English Literature.

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The average time taken for graduates to found tech startups and raise £1 million+

Between 2000 and 2019, it took alumni from UK universities an average of 4.8 years after graduation to launch a tech business, and 2.8 years for their companies to raise their first £1 million or more in a single funding round.

All alumni

All alumni

Men

Women

0 year

graduation

4.8 years

launch

2.8 years

£1m+ funding

Graduation to company launch

Company launch to first £1m+ funding round

Distribution speeds of UK university alumni

There were 283 tech entrepreneurs who founded their company within 0 - 2 years of finishing their studies at a UK universitiy. Each later time range is gradually less common for launching a tech startup post-education.

Company launch

First £1m+ funding round

0 - 22 - 44 - 66 - 88 - 1010 - 1212 - 1414 - 1616 - 1818 - 19years*050100150200250300no. of graduates

*The distribution of time taken by UK alumni to launch a tech company after finishing university (2000-2019).

Which university's alumni found tech companies the quickest?

On average, it takes entrepreneurs from the Royal College of Art less than a year (0.6) after graduation to launch a tech businesses. Since 2000, 11 of its alumni have launched their company in the same calendar year that they graduated from the postgraduate institution.

All alumni

All alumni

Men

Women

Under 35

University

Average no. of years from graduation to launch

Royal College of Art

0.6 years

City, University of London

2.5 years

University College London

3.2 years

University of Liverpool

3.3 years

University of Aberdeen

3.8 years

University of Bath

3.8 years

Imperial College London

3.8 years

Royal Holloway, University of London

3.8 years

Queen Mary University of London

4 years

University of Exeter

4 years

Average number of years taken by UK university alumni (2000-2019) from graduation to company launch. Universities with 10 or more founders counted.

Which university's alumni are the quickest at raising £1m+ in a single funding round?

Entrepreneurs who launched a tech company after studying at Brunel University or the University of Surrey were quickest to raising £1 million or more from a single funding round. Both universities founders averaged this within 1.3 years.

All alumni

All alumni

Men

Women

University

Average time to raise first £1m+

Brunel University

1.3 years

University of Surrey

1.3 years

The Open University

1.5 years

City, University of London

1.7 years

Queen Mary University of London

1.7 years

Kingston University

1.9 years

Royal Holloway, University of London

2 years

University of Westminster

2 years

Kings College London

2.2 years

Newcastle University

2.3 years

Average number of years taken by UK university alumni (2000-2019) to raise £1m or more from a single funding round after launching their company. Universities with 3 or more founders counted.

UK universities with the highest number of tech entrepreneur alumni

Between 2000 and 2019, the University of Oxford has seen 159 of its students launch a tech company after studying with them. They can boast more tech entrepreneurs this century than any other UK university.

Overall

Overall

Men

Women

Under 35

University

No. of entrepreneurs

University of Oxford

159

London School of Economics and Political Science

143

Imperial College London

124

University of Cambridge

101

University College London

68

University of Edinburgh

64

University of Manchester

50

University of Nottingham

37

Kings College London

36

University of Leeds

34

UK universities with the most alumni noted on Technation.io to have graduated and gone on to launch a tech company (2000-2019) either in the same year of graduation or afterwards.

Do universities adequately prepare their students for entrepreneurship, and how far should they go in helping them? Although HESA figures show that less than 1% of UK students manage to set up their own business within six months of graduating from university, the results of our research into the tech sector show that more than 1,000 entrepreneurs who have studied at UK universities since the year 2000 have gone on to launch successful tech startups considerably quickly after finishing their studies.

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Oliver Prill - CEO

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