Which University Spawned the Most Entrepreneurs?

After studying some of the most prestigious universities in America,

found that Stanford University graduated more entrepreneurs than Harvard, New York University and other prominent schools.

From 2007 to 2011, Stanford graduates received 203 deals totaling $4.1 billion. DFJ and Kleiner Perkins provided the most capital to these graduates. Harvard came in second place with 112 deals worth $3.8 billion. Without Facebook

, which AccountingDegree.com refers to as an "outlier," that number drops to $1.8 billion. Graduates of University of California, Berkeley, received 90 deals that totaled $1.3 billion. By comparison, University of Pennsylvania graduates received $1.2 billion in just 46 deals. NYU graduates earned the same amount in 48 deals. Last but not least, Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduates successfully negotiated 60 deals worth $1.0 billion. In total, these six universities have received $12.6 billion across 559 deals. Not surprisingly, software companies drew the most amount of attention from prospective investors, including Google Ventures

, Accel Partners, Highland Capital, Spark Capital and General Catalyst. Investors were also interested in graduates' ideas for new energy-related firms. Healthcare proved to be a popular alternative, but very few graduates drew interest for new computer chip-based startups. This might due to the lack of startups in this field (most American entrepreneurs seemed to be concerned with software-based solutions). But it could also be a sign of the times. Chips are difficult and expensive to manufacture. The latter element keeps most of them from being made in the United States. Software, on the other hand, can be developed almost anywhere in the world with minimal investments. This makes it a much more appealing venue for entrepreneurs who plan to build the product or service themselves. Software companies may also be more appealing to investors who wish to put their money into firms that are truly domestic. University of Pennsylvania led the pack in software startups with 67 agreements for deals (the terms of which were not revealed) and 97 agreements for funding. Graduates from the school also received deals and funding for their healthcare startups. UC Berkeley received the most energy-related investments with 25 agreements for deals and 47 agreements for funding. This school also has the fewest software-related investments (42 agreements for deals, 12 agreements for funding), but its variety of investment types is greater than most. AccountingDegree.com created an infographic to outline the success of each schools' graduates: