Study: WHU Europe’s Most Efficient School for Entrepreneurship

When it comes to the number of start-ups founded relative to university budget, WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management is Europe’s undefeated champion. This is the conclusion of “Redstone Index 2025 – Europe’s Trillion Euro Opportunity,” a new study published by venture capital firm Redstone. Following a similar evaluation conducted last year, this study reaffirms that WHU is the continent’s most efficient institution of secondary education for entrepreneurship, meaning that its student body establishes the most companies per €100M in budget.

The authors of the study analyzed the budgets of the 905 universities and research institutions strong in entrepreneurial matters, as well as the start-up economy in 35 different European countries. The number of facilities included in this year’s evaluation therefore increased by over 500.

As was the case last year, WHU not only leads the pack; with 88 start-ups founded per €100M, it leads the pack by a significant margin—both within Germany and across Europe. On average, the 131 German schools included in the evaluation produce 4.7 start-ups per that same €100M standard, i.e., less than a twentieth of what WHU’s students produce. This serves as evidence of how well WHU is able to impart to its students valuable lessons that help prepare them for a career in management and a life as successful entrepreneurs.

Additionally, the study reveals how Europe could benefit from the potential of new start-ups: By optimizing the founding of start-ups, the school could, over the next ten years, produce roughly 327,000 additional companies, thereby generating thirteen million new jobs, €800M in additional tax revenue, and an increase in GPD of €5.5B. This would also result in start-ups having additional equity value of €6.9B. All told, these developments could spell out a notable economic upswing for Europe.