Columbia | Ms. Pivot
GRE 320, GPA 3.76
Wharton | Ms. MBA Aspire
GMAT 700, GPA 3.1
Harvard | Mr. Strategist
GMAT 750, GPA 73%, top of the class (gold medalist)
Stanford GSB | Mr. 1st Generation
GMAT 740, GPA 3.7
Harvard | Mr. Fitness Startup
GMAT 750, GPA 3.20
Stanford GSB | Mr. Free-Spirited Traveler
GMAT 720, GPA 3.8
Wharton | Mr. Petrophysicist
GMAT 720, GPA 3.5
Harvard | Mr. Techie Turning Tides
GRE TBD, GPA 3.35
Harvard | Ms. IB To PE
GMAT 740, GPA 3.94
Wharton | Mr. Law & Entrepreneur
GRE 325, GPA 3.86
Harvard | Mr. Half-letic
GMAT 720, GPA 3.45
Harvard | Ms. Retail Enthusiast
GRE 320, GPA 3.5
Cornell Johnson | Mr. Not Your Dad’s CPA
GMAT 730 (target score), GPA 3.56
Stanford GSB | Mr. Results-Driven
GMAT 770, GPA 3.5
Stanford GSB | Ms. Stray Cat Savior
GRE 338, GPA 3.92
Berkeley Haas | Mr. Hanging By A Thread
GMAT 710, GPA 3.8
Harvard | Mr. Biotech Startup To PE
GMAT 740, GPA 3.8
Stanford GSB | Mr. PE/VC Hopeful
GMAT 740, GPA 3.85
Cornell Johnson | Mr. Indian MBA Aspirant
GMAT 710, GPA 3.8
Emory Goizueta | Mr. FA Captain
GRE 316, GPA 3.3
Harvard | Ms. VC Hopeful
GMAT 730 (Target), GPA 3.3
Georgetown McDonough | Mr. Future Trusted Advisor
GMAT To be taken, GPA 3.1
Columbia | Mr. Indian Software Engineer
GMAT 710, GPA 3.62
Harvard | Mr. Half Poet, Half Quant
GRE 324, GPA 3.01
Duke Fuqua | Mr. Tech Innovator
GRE 317, GPA 3.65
MIT Sloan | Mr. Independent Tutor
GMAT 750, GPA 3.5
Wharton | Ms. Traveling Banker
GMAT 750, GPA 3.2
Stay informed.
Sign Up!
PQ Logo
Today's Featured Schools
Cornell Johnson Logo
University of Pittsburgh’s Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business
Toggle navigation PQ Logo
Today's Featured Schools
Today's Featured Schools
Cornell Johnson Logo
University of Pittsburgh’s Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business
  • Search for:
  • Sign In
  • Register
  • News
    • MBA News
    • Archives By Category
  • Rankings
    • Rankings Home
    • Poets&Quants Top 100 MBA Ranking
    • Poets&Quants International Top 50 MBA Ranking
    • Poets&Quants Best Online MBA Ranking
    • Best MBA Programs For Entrepreneurship
    • Fantasy MBA Ranking Game
  • Schools
    • MBA Programs
    • Executive MBA Programs
    • Online MBA Programs
    • Specialized Masters Programs
    • Gies Business | Partner Publisher
    • Insider’s Guides to the Top Business Schools
    • School Videos & Deep Dives
  • Admissions
    • MBA Admissions News & Advice
    • MBA Admissions Consultant Directory
    • MBA Watch
    • Handicapping Your MBA Odds
    • Calculate My MBA Odds
    • Making Your MBA Happen With Fortuna Admissions
    • MBA Watch Video Assessments
    • More Videos & Admissions Advice
    • Podcasts By P&Q
  • GMAT / GRE
    • Test Prep Advice & News
    • Test Prep Resources From Manhattan Prep
  • Students
  • Jobs
  • EMBA
  • Online MBA
  • Masters
  • Events
    • Poets&Quants preMBA Networking Festival
    • CentreCourt MBA Admissions Festival
    • CentreCourt Specialized Masters Admissions Festival
    • Backstage With Poets&Quants: Top Online MBA Admissions Event
    • Backstage With Poets&Quants: UNDERGRAD Business Admissions Event
  • Videos
  • MBA Watch
Poets&Quants on Twitter Poets&Quants on RSS Feed Poets&Quants on Facebook Poets&Quants on YouTube Poets&Quants on LinkedIn Poets&Quants on Soundcloud
  • News
  • Rankings
    • Top 100 MBA Ranking
    • Top 50 International MBA Ranking
    • Top Programs For Entrepreneurship
    • Top Online MBA Ranking
    • All MBA Rankings
    • Fantasy MBA Ranking Game
  • Schools & Programs
    • MBA Programs
    • Executive MBA Programs
    • Online MBA Programs
    • Specialized Masters Programs
    • Gies Business | Partner Publisher
    • Insider’s Guides To Top Schools
  • Admissions
    • Admissions News & Advice
    • Admissions Consultant Directory
    • MBA Watch
    • Handicapping Your MBA Odds
    • Calculate My MBA Odds
    • Admissions Advice | Fortuna
    • MBA Watch Video Assessments
  • MBA Watch
  • GMAT / GRE
    • Test Prep Advice & News
    • Manhattan Prep Resources
  • Students
  • MBA Jobs
  • Executive MBA
  • Online MBA
  • Specialized Masters
  • Events
    • preMBA Networking Event
    • MBA Admissions Events
    • Online MBA Admissions Events
    • Masters Admissions Events
  • Videos & Podcasts
  1. Home
  2. Admissions News & Features
  3. Olin Tops P&Q’s Entrepreneurship Ranking For Second Straight Year

Olin Tops P&Q’s Entrepreneurship Ranking For Second Straight Year

by: Kurt Greenbaum, WashU Olin Business School on October 27, 2020 | 20 Comments Comments 1,098 Views
October 27, 2020

WashU Olin ranks No. 1

On the strength of the many startups launched by recent WashU Olin students, the school once again snagged the No. 1 spot in Poets & Quants 2020 ranking of top MBA entrepreneurship programs.

For the second year in a row—and in the second year of the ranking’s existence—Olin placed ahead of 49 other schools evaluated in the ranking published by P&Q and Inc. magazine today. Olin also scored the No. 1 ranking for global entrepreneurship in 2019.

P&Q hosted an online panel event today highlighting the top contenders, including an interview with Olin Dean Mark P. Taylor and Doug Villhard, academic director of Olin’s entrepreneurship program.

Villhard gave credit to his predecessor, Clifford Holekamp, who retired from the role in 2019. “Over the last 10 years Cliff and others laid a solid foundation,” Villhard said. “The ranking validates those efforts and justifies our plans to take the program to even higher levels than it is today. We will be continually innovating. The ranking just adds more fuel to the fire.”

The ranking measured participating schools across 10 categories, including the number of recently established startups by students and alumni, the number of students involved in venture capital, funding raised by student- or alumni-led startups, dedicated entrepreneurship courses and more.

“We are deeply gratified to once again see WashU Olin’s substantial investment in entrepreneurship and innovation recognized by Poets & Quants in this ranking,” Dean Taylor said. “We long ago tightened our focus on fostering the endless creativity of our students. That’s why entrepreneurship is one of Olin’s four pillars of excellence.”

Villhard also credited the three “legs of the stool” that support the program: a robust suite of courses and experiential learning offerings, the rich entrepreneurial ecosystem of the St. Louis region, and the ambitious, creative students who bring their ideas to the table.

Some components of the Olin approach

Olin’s entrepreneurship program includes 21 courses specifically targeting the discipline. Meanwhile, fully 90% of the school’s MBA courses deal with content related to entrepreneurship.

Additionally, Olin, in partnership with the Skandalaris Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Entrepreneurship, runs a foundational course called the Hatchery—one of the nation’s oldest startup business planning courses. Since its inception, startups spawned in the Hatchery have raised more than $87 million, created 466 positions in St. Louis and filed for 17 provisional patents to date.

Last year, Olin also introduced the Holekamp Seed Fund, providing $1,000 grants to help students “move to action” with their startup ideas. Students are asked to pay that support forward.

Poets & Quants’ recognition

In its story about the 2020 ranking, Poets & Quants noted that nearly one in five Olin MBAs had launched a business within three years of graduation between 2017 and 2019, the highest percentage among the 50 schools ranked.

“Besides topping the list for the highest percentage of graduates to launch businesses, the school placed among the top 15 in eight out of 10 other categories,” the publication wrote. WashU Olin “dished out $738,000 in startup award cash to MBAs during the 2019-2020 academic year. A third of its student-run MBA clubs are focused on entrepreneurship or innovation. It boasts more than 25,000-square-feet of accelerator space for just 221 enrolled full-time MBAs.”

Poets & Quants also highlighted a key advantage of Olin’s program, the ecosystem in which it operates: “That commitment to entrepreneurial thinking occurs in a metro environment that has encouraged new venture creation.”

Babson College, the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business and Harvard Business School rounded out the top five in the ranking of 50 programs.

Villhard said the ranking has made a difference in how students approach WashU Olin. “Before the 2019 ranking, students were discovering entrepreneurship once they got on campus,” he said. “Now, they are coming here for it. They are engaging with us on Day 1.”

The Poets & Quants video event today featured a panel of students and alumni from Olin’s program in a panel discussion about how WashU supported their startup efforts.

WashU Olin ranks No. 1

Entrepreneurship students and alumni: Tova Feinberg, MBA ’22; Shannon Turner, MBA ’18; and Lloyd Yates, MBA ’22.

“I was particularly drawn to Olin because its curriculum offered options for students to focus their studies on entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship,” Shannon Turner, MBA ’18, said before the event. Turner is the founder of the Maria Lida Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting self-sustaining economic development in Alausi, Ecuador.

Lloyd Yates, MBA ’22, founder of men’s clothing accessory site Tylmen, said he was drawn to Olin and its entrepreneurship program by the strength of its faculty, including Villhard. Tylmen’s direct-to-consumer line of accessories includes face masks that double as pocket squares.

Tying together Olin’s pillars of excellence

“Olin is a very rigorous program that takes a values-based and data-driven approach to strategy and problem-solving,” Yates said. “I’ve benefited from the program thus far through gaining incredible perspective. All my classmates come from different backgrounds and have something unique to bring to every table.”

Villhard said he expects further growth in the program as the school and Washington University explore entrepreneurial partnerships with WashU’s highly ranked engineering and medical schools. Increasingly, Olin is gaining access to capital to fund Olin MBA startup businesses. And additionally, Olin’s brand and alumni base are global, creating opportunities to expand coursework and build partnerships in Silicon Valley, New York City and internationally.

See Taylor and Villhard’s “fireside chat” with John Byrne

 

“I am being exposed to many CEOs of start-ups within the St. Louis area,” said Tova Feinberg, MBA ’22, cofounder of S.T.L. Loaves, an e-commerce bakery business. “This has allowed me to connect and learn about their personal experience as well as receive advise on my future goals and my current startup.”

Although the entrepreneurship ranking puts a premium on students and alumni who have launched startups, Villhard notes that isn’t the path most MBA students take—though entrepreneurship remains an important component of their business school education.

“The majority of students put their entrepreneurial mindset to work in corporate environments, venture capital firms, private equity firms, existing startups, or existing social entrepreneurial entities,” he said. “There is a misconception that entrepreneurship is only about starting new companies. It’s actually about innovation—a highly desired skill for any industry.”

This blog post originally appeared on WashU Olin’s blog. https://olinblog.wustl.edu/2020/10/olin-tops-pqs-entrepreneurship-ranking-for-second-straight-year/


As communications director for WashU Olin Business School, my job is to find and share great stories about our students, faculty, staff, and alumni. I’m also a U College adjunct faculty member in communications. I’ve worked for the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management as communications director and as a journalist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Sun-Sentinel in South Florida and the Chicago Tribune.

Trending

Stanford Again Tops P&Q’s 2020-2021 Ranking Of The Best MBAs

Comments

Hidden MBA Gems: Under-The-Radar MBA Options To Put On Your Radar

Comments

The Top HBCU Feeders To U.S. MBA Programs

Comments

The Rise Of Asian Business Schools: Ranking The Best MBA Options

Comments

Tagged: Kurt Greenbaum, The World’s Best MBA Programs For Entrepreneurship In 2021, Washington University in St. Louis, WashU Olin Business School

Post navigation

Previous Article: Northwestern Kellogg: Where MBA Ventures Go To Thrive
Next Article: An Army Major Reflects On Her Wharton MBA Journey
  • Stay Informed. Sign Up! Login
    Logout
    Search for:
    Poets&Quants on Twitter Poets&Quants on RSS Feed Poets&Quants on Facebook Poets&Quants on YouTube Poets&Quants on LinkedIn Poets&Quants on Soundcloud
  • Sponsored Blogs

    Secrets To Smart GMAT & GRE Prep

    by Matt Symonds, Fortuna Admissions (2 days ago)
    Scott Edinburgh

    Personal MBA Coach’s Guide To MBA Planning

    by Scott Edinburgh (1 week ago)

    Five Ways To Stay On Track With Your Virtual School Research

    by Donna Bauman, Stratus Admissions Counseling (1 month ago)

    The Early Bird Gets The Best MBA Offer

    by David White, Menlo Coaching (2 months ago)
    Alex Collazo, Admissionado

    How To Make A Delicious MBA Application Essay

    by Alex Collazo, Managing Director of Systems & Content at Admissionado (4 months ago)
  • Advice and Articles
    • How To Use Poets&Quants MBA Admissions Consultant Directory
    • How To Select An MBA Admissions Consultant
    • MBA Admission Consulting Claims: How Credible?
    • Suddenly Cozy: MBA Consultants and B-Schools
    • The Cost: $6,850 Result: B-School

Our Partner Sites: Poets&Quants for Execs | Poets&Quants for Undergrads | Tipping the Scales | We See Genius

The Top
MBA Rankings

  • Rankings Home
  • Poets&Quants Top 100 MBA Ranking
  • Poets&Quants International Top 50 MBA Ranking
  • Poets&Quants Best Online MBA Ranking
  • Best MBA Programs For Entrepreneurship
  • Fantasy MBA Ranking Game

Profiles of the World's
Top Business Schools

  • Alpha List of Top School Profiles
  • Babson College
  • Copenhagen Business School
  • INSEAD
  • Ohio State's Fisher College of Business
  • Rice University Jones School
  • UC-Irvine Merage School
  • University of Pittsburgh Katz School

B-School
Smackdowns

  • Chicago vs. Northwestern
  • Columbia vs. Dartmouth
  • Dartmouth vs. Stanford
  • Harvard vs. Dartmouth
  • Harvard vs. Stanford
  • London vs. Wharton
  • Michigan vs. Northwestern
  • MIT vs. Harvard
  • Wharton vs. Columbia
Sign In / Register
Stay Connected
Poets&Quants on Twitter Poets&Quants on RSS Feed Poets&Quants on Facebook Poets&Quants on YouTube Poets&Quants on LinkedIn Poets&Quants on Soundcloud

MBA Admissions Consultant Directory

Specialized Masters Program Directory

About Poets&Quants | P&Q News Archives | Privacy Policy | Advertising & Partnerships | Editorial | Contact Us

Copyright© 2021 Poets&Quants, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Website Design By: Yellowfarmstudios.com

PQ Logo

Join Today!

Poets&Quants is with you on every step of your business school journey and career path. Members gain access our premium resources, written and curated by industry experts.




Always FREE to Every Reader

  • In-Depth Insider Guides to the very best MBA programs with hard-to-find data and analysis on the latest MBA admission trends, statistics, salaries and industry choices
  • Access to P&Q's Full-Time MBA Program Directory with detailed profiles of all the top MBA experiences
  • The world's only directory of business specializations where you can compare MS programs side-by-side
  • P&Q's Online MBA Hub, articles, rankings, and search and compare directory of the best online MBAs
  • P&Q's MBA Admissions Consultant Directory
  • Almost all of P&Q's multi-media library of videos, podcasts, and webinars
  • CentreCourt MBA Admissions Events
  • Ask The Expert Columns found on P&Q's homepage
  • Access to the best admissions advice from former business school admission officials and leading MBA admission consultants

Pay Per Article Pay for only the articles you want to read. $1.49 Select

P&Q Accelerator

Accelerate with a recurring monthly subscription or single-payment quarterly subscription and add these member-only benefits:


  • Full access to in-depth articles and commentary about current MBA issues and the world's leading business schools
  • Hard-to-find data and analysis on the latest MBA admission trends, statistics and MBA salaries and industry choices
  • Member-only access to quarterly webinars with MBA admissions directors and corporate recruiters
  • Accelerator Members have the option to be included in an annual resume book compiled and sent to the largest employers of MBAs globally
  • Access to exclusive quarterly webinars with leading admission consultants who will help you get into a highly selective MBA program
  • $25 discount on all Poets&Quants events, including the Poets&Quants preMBA Networking Festival in NYC

P&Q Accelerator

$29.99

per month, recurring Subscribe Now

$59.99

per quarter, nonrecurring Subscribe Now

P&Q Insider

A single-payment annual subscription to take advantage of P&Qs extensive network and add these benefits only for P&Q Insiders:


  • Insider membership comes with all of the Accelerator benefits, plus
  • One-hour individual admissions consulting sessions with a P&Q preferred MBA Admissions Consultant
  • Monthly briefings with P&Q Founder John A. Byrne on the latest application trends, rankings, and developments at the world's top schools
  • Access to exclusive monthly hour-long group coaching sessions with the legendary Sandy Kreisberg
  • Invitation to an Insider-only annual dinner hosted by P&Q Founder John A. Byrne in New York and San Francisco
  • $50 discount on all Poets&Quants events, including the Poets&Quants preMBA Networking Festival in NYC
  • Priority for a free MBA profile assessment in our Handicapping Your MBA Odds series and other Poets&Quants events where space is limited

P&Q Insider

$397.00

per year, nonrecurring Subscribe Now


Can I cancel my membership?

You can cancel your membership at any time. We do not offer refunds, however, delivery and accompanying benefits will continue for the remainder of the current billing period. You may cancel by emailing feedback@porticopay.com or, you may notify us of your intent to cancel at any time by emailing feedback@porticopay.com.

My school/employer is a sponsor. Can I get access through a corporate account?

We have relationships with business schools and employers who are actively looking into offering community or corporate memberships. Please check back with us at a later date. We will update this page with news about partnerships like these that may offer a free or discounted membership.

Connect Me