Munich maintains its leading position in the startup ecosystem, even in comparisons with other universities. An analysis of Gisma University of Applied Sciences The study concludes that a particularly high number of founders of successful exit startups studied at Munich universities. The Technische Universität München (TUM) clearly leads the ranking with 34 founders, followed by the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU) with 15. This means that a total of 49 of the identified founders come from these two institutions.
For the analysis Gisma analyzed 196 exit companies from the DACH region (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland), including company sales, acquisitions, and IPOs. The study identified a total of 436 founders. A direct comparison reveals that no other university location achieves a similar density of successful founders as Munich. Following the two Munich universities, RWTH Aachen University with ten and the University of St. Gallen with nine founders come in at a considerable distance. Other universities, such as TU Berlin, the University of Münster, and the University of Cologne, each have eight founders mentioned.
Technology and business shape the education
The analysis also reveals clear patterns in the fields of study. Computer science leads the way with 36 mentions, underscoring the importance of technological skills for successful startups. Business administration follows with 33 mentions, while business information systems takes third place with 25. The field is rounded out by economics (20) and industrial engineering (15). Overall, a broad base of study options is evident, ranging from traditional engineering disciplines to more specialized fields such as aerospace engineering or health economics.
The highest degree held by founders is clearly the Master's degree: 156 founders hold this qualification. This is followed by Bachelor's degrees with 63 and Diplom degrees with 48. In addition, 49 doctorates were recorded. Information on the degree was not available for another 48 founders. International degree programs such as Business Administration were counted separately and account for 14 mentions.
A significant gender gap persists.
The gender distribution among the founders remains significantly unbalanced. 390 of the 436 identified individuals are classified as male, while 46 are considered female. This corresponds to a proportion of 89.4 percent men and 10.6 percent women.
The analysis of first names also reflects this distribution. Names like Matthias (ten mentions), Daniel, Sebastian, and Thomas (nine mentions each) appear particularly frequently. Other common male names are Andreas, Max, Michael, Philipp, and Stefan, each with eight mentions. On the female side, Julia (four mentions) and Katrin (three mentions) top the list. The analysis also identifies a total of 50 internationally influenced first names.
Want more startup news?
Subscribe to our newsletter here: Anyone who wants to stay regularly informed about financing, start-ups and technology trends in the Munich start-up ecosystem can subscribe to the Munich Startup Newsletter here.
