University of Mannheim among Germany's most startup-friendly universities

The survey on which the ranking is based focuses primarily on innovative and growth-oriented startups, including the question of where their founders studied. RWTH Aachen, WHU Koblenz, TU Munich and the University of Mannheim were named most frequently by founders as one of 194 possible universities.

Prof. Michael Woywode, who coordinates entrepreneurship activities at the University of Mannheim and heads the Mannheim Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, is pleased with this result. “We feel confirmed in our impression that many high-growth startups in Germany are initiated by alumni of the University of Mannheim and Mannheim Business School.” Because what the public often doesn't know: former Mannheim students were involved in the founding of such big shots like Auto1.com, Weltsparen/Raisin, Payback, Statista, Instafreight, Eshelter/Investa, Amorelie, Homeday, Camelot Consulting, Foodspring, Stocard, Treasury Intelligence Solutions and many others. “Our students have a strong motivation, they are extremely high-performing, well-educated and have a desire to drive change in business and society. These are excellent prerequisites for growth-oriented start-ups,” adds Prof. Woywode.