Key Ingredients of Entrepreneurship at Stanford

Networking and collaboration across disciplines and schools. Embodied best by the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design, programs and courses that cross disciplines are supported by the university. About one-quarter of students pursue interdisciplinary majors.

Close connections to industry. Local leaders play an active role on campus, serving as instructors and mentors to students, and as collaborators with faculty members. Stanford offers professors a two-year leave for opportunities to work in industry.

Classes, centers, and organizations that focus on innovation. Students can choose among dozens of offerings, both academic and applied, that build entrepreneurial skills.

A robust liberal-arts environment. As enrollments in engineering have grown, Stanford has sought to bolster the humanities and social sciences, too, including by creating programs such as CS+X, a joint major in computer science and a humanities field.

Support for commercialization of research and ideas. Established entities, like the Office of Technology Licensing, and newer ones, like StartX, a nonprofit, Stanford-affiliated business accelerator, offer faculty members, students, and alumni help with the technical and developmental sides of entrepreneurship.

Sources: “Impact: Stanford University’s Economic Impact via Innovation and Entrepreneurship”; “Universities and Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: Elements of the Stanford-Silicon Valley Success.”