Partner Sites


Logo BusinessBecause - The business school voice
mobile search icon

B-Schools Bridge Students' Fast-Growth Start-Ups To Venture Capital Industry

Entrepreneurial MBAs raising increasing amounts of start-up cash

Tue Dec 15 2015

BusinessBecause
As business school start-ups like BlaBlaCar and WorldRemit begin to make their mark, schools are coming up with new ways to bridge their MBAs with the venture capital industry.

A whopping $62 billion has already been raised by MBA-led ventures over the past five years.

At CEIBS in Shanghai, the HGI Finaves China Fund provides up to RMB 300 million ($46 million) for the early financing needs of CEIBS alumni enterprises. And the CEIBS-CHENGWEI Venture Capital Fund invests in early or growth stage businesses, with investments ranging from $500,000 to $15 million.

The rush among business schools to provide seed and venture capital for graduates’ ventures comes as more students seek their fortunes in start-up ventures, and shun blue-chip employers like JPMorgan or Google.

“Overall there is a growing interest in entrepreneurship,” says CEIBS’ Professor Charles Chen.

Globally at Oxford Saïd, San Diego, and Babson College, more than 35% of full-time MBAs are launching companies, although most on the side of corporate gigs.

“It’s infectious,” says Silvia McCallister-Castillo at London Business School. LBS has Sussex Place Ventures, an independently managed venture capital company owned by the school, which backs alumni entrepreneurs building software and digital companies. Examples include Kimble Applications, which provides management solutions software, and which is ranked by Deloitte as the UK’s fifth-fastest-growing tech company.

“We also see many students willing to support other students’ start-ups, often backing them as investors and advisors,” Silvia says.

When Daniel Macklin founded SoFi, the disruptive student loans provider in 2011, he tapped into his alumni network for cash. “There were about 40 or so [investors] in our early round, and every one was a Stanford alumnus,” Daniel says.

Since then, SoFi grown to raise in September this year a $1 billion venture capital round, led by Japan’s SoftBank and Third Point Ventures. The company has 515 employees, 90,000 members and recently hit $6 billion in loans funded.

The Stanford GSB graduate says the school’s San Francisco location — straddling Silicon Valley — is a huge benefit for raising funds. “There are lot of people with deep pockets out here,” Daniel says.

US business schools have been the most successful at pairing students with venture capitalists.

Frederic Kerrest has raised $230 million for cloud computing company Okta, which he co-founded while at MIT Sloan.

Valued at $1.2 billion, Okta is under pressure to scale quickly. “Taking venture funding comes with the understanding that your investors will make a return on their investment within a reasonable timeframe,” says Frederic. “And to do so, you have to grow smartly.”

Start-ups from 10 top business schools have raised combined investment of $28 billion, according to data from PitchBook, a private equity and VC research firm. Nine of them are US based, including Chicago Booth, Columbia and Kellogg business schools.

“Seed money is abundant here, thanks to SEIS and EIS [government investment schemes], and some far sighted government regulation in respect of crowd funding. But the real issue is growth capital,” says Simon Stockley, at the UK’s Cambridge Judge Business School, echoing widespread concerns over access to venture capital in Europe.

The top US schools’ start-ups include GrabTaxi, a rival to Uber from Harvard, which has raised $680 million in venture capital; The Honest Company, from UCLA Anderson, which offers eco-friendly care products and which has secured $222 million in funding; and Wharton's Harry’s Razor Company, which has secured $287 million in financing.

Big US business schools have also been among the most aggressive in providing early-stage funding for students’ ventures.

Michigan Ross in July announced a new $10 million fund to support student ventures, and has channelled $4.4 million into start-ups so far. Carnegie Mellon said it would set aside $8 million for seed funding and other support for students. Berkeley Haas launched the Dean’s Startup Seed Fund, which will provide $5,000 grants to early-stage start-ups.

“The most important reason why I chose Haas is its entrepreneurial environment and resources,” says Leo Popov, who in October launched with MBA classmates TrueCare24, a digital health app that gives users access to urgent care clinicians.

In Europe, Spain’s ESADE Business School last year doubled the amount of funding given to students' ventures through its alumni association, to €4 million.

Thomas Roggendorf raised more than €1 million from FINAVES, the seed capital fund of IESE Business School, and other sources, for Ofertia, a start-up which digitizes catalogues and print listings.

“I learnt a lot [from the MBA] from different case competitions related to entrepreneurship or venture capital investing,” says Thomas, a former Goldman Sachs banker.

Later stage successes in Europe are led by schools such as HEC Paris, whose entrepreneurs have raised $275 million for 42 start-ups over five years, and IE Business School, with 39 founders raising $360 million in venture capital.

Student Reviews

Carnegie Mellon: Tepper

Abby

Verified

30/11/2022

On Campus

Honest Opinion on CMU

Finding yourself in CMU is such a great blessing. The amazing and great professors and lots of networking opportunities. I was in the faculty of engineering and here the course work was very interesting. The lecturers were very strict and couldn't accept late submission of assignments and work given. This made us very focused. The students are generally good and friendly

Joel

Verified

8/11/2022

On Campus

Excellence and Academic Integrity

CMU is one of the top class universities in Pittsburgh. It is a multi-diverse university with high regard for academic integrity, excellence, and innovation. It consists of different programs and departments that work together to achieve a common goal. I enjoy the convenience of moving from one building to the other. The faculty and staff are super friendly. It is relatively easy to make connections with other students, especially where collaboratory research is necessary. I would definitely recommend CMU to anyone looking for a muti-diverse academic experience.

Student

Verified

15/08/2023

On Campus

Stressful yet worthwhile

I've been genuinely impressed with the fusion of creativity and innovation at CMU. The professors are a mixed bag-- some are great and life-changing, but I had a couple (mostly gen eds in freshman year) that were really frustrating. The workload can be intense, and it's no joke. Campus was very lively; clubs, events, etc. – there's something for everyone. Pittsburgh in general has some areas that are great, and others that disappoint-- Oakland is a very nice university town area. Overall, CMU is a hotbed of innovation and learning, but the pace and location do come into play.

Tom

Verified

1/03/2023

On Campus

Quite demanding here

Carnegie Mellon is a demanding academic institution where students are expected to put in a lot of effort. Despite the challenging coursework and constant workload, this environment teaches you how to speak for yourself and stand up for what you believe in. The institution also has a strong graduate network, which helps you succeed in the job hunt both while you are enrolled there and after

Student

Verified

3/09/2024

On Campus

Transformative Learning

My time at Carnegie Mellon university has been truly transformative, opening up a wide array of opportunities that move beyond the traditional classroom experience. Participation in webinars and seminars has allowed me to explore various topics that are not typically included in the standard curriculum. This exposure has helped equip students like myself with essential tools to effectively navigate our complex world.

RECAPTHA :

c2

a1

3a

25