IESE ranks among the world's leading business schools for entrepreneurs

PitchBook ranks IESE 3rd in Europe and 14th worldwide for MBA founders, companies founded, and capital raised. And 2nd in Europe for capital raised by female-founded companies.

BARCELONA, Spain, Sept. 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IESE Business School ranks 3rd in Europe and 14th worldwide for the number of MBA alumni who have founded venture-backed companies, companies founded, and capital raised according to the 2026 PitchBook University Rankings. The result marks IESE’s highest position to date in this ranking.

PitchBook identified 391 IESE MBA alumni founders behind 350 venture-backed companies that raised $10 billion in capital during the period analyzed. IESE ranks 3rd in Europe and 14th worldwide by both the number of companies founded and the capital raised by those companies.

IESE performs particularly strongly among female MBA founders, ranking 3rd in Europe and 13th worldwide by founder count. The school rises to 2nd in Europe and 11th worldwide when measured by the capital raised by companies founded by its female MBA alumni.

“Entrepreneurship is deeply embedded in the MBA experience at IESE, but our ambition goes beyond launching new ventures: we aim to develop entrepreneurs who build responsible, resilient and enduring companies.” said Marc Badia, Deputy Dean of IESE and Associate Dean for the MBA and MiM programs. “These results reflect the ambition and global reach of our alumni: their ability to attract the investment needed to scale their businesses and generate a positive and lasting impact on people and society around the world.”

PitchBook’s annual ranking analyzes the total number of founders whose companies closed a venture funding round between 1 January 2015 and 1 August 2026, drawing on PitchBook’s global venture capital investment data and the educational background of more than 222,000 founders.

Josemaria Siota, Executive Director of IESE’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center, said: “Entrepreneurs don’t emerge from a classroom alone – they develop within an ecosystem. Connections with other innovators, mentors, investors, and corporations matter as founders move from an idea to building and financing a company.This is why the school has a connected ecosystem to support our students, alumni, and society to build solutions for a better tomorrow.”

About IESE Business School
IESE Business School is the graduate management and business school of the University of Navarra. With campuses in Barcelona, Madrid, Munich, New York and São Paulo, IESE offers MBA programs, executive education and full-time Master’s degrees, including the Master in Management (MiM) and the Master in Finance (MiF), to an international audience. Founded in 1958, IESE has educated more than 60,000 managers and entrepreneurs worldwide. The school is recognized for its innovative discussion-based teaching method, its global outlook and its focus on responsible leadership, with the aim of developing leaders who create a positive and lasting impact on organizations and society. 

Contact: Comunicacion_IESE@iese.edu