Rensselaer is ranked 12th among the “most entrepreneurial universities” for 2015, according to Forbes magazine. Forbes ranked the country’s most entrepreneurial schools based on the numbers of alumni, alumnae, and students who have identified themselves as founders and business owners on LinkedIn (adjusted to total student body size).

VitalVio

Colleen Costello ’12 and James Peterson ’12 are founders of Vital Vio, a technology company that has created lights that can kill bacteria and other microorganisms by emitting continuous, yet safe, disinfecting white light.

Rensselaer is in good company. The top 15 schools are: Stanford, MIT, UC Berkeley, Cornell, UCLA, California Institute of Technology, Brown, Princeton, Dartmouth, Pepperdine, Yale, Rensselaer, Northeastern, Southern Methodist University, and New York University.

“Rensselaer students have access to a wide range of learning tools and resources to help develop and pursue entrepreneurial thinking and innovative opportunities,” said Thomas Begley, dean of the Lally School of Management. “The creativity, skill sets, and critical thinking we instill, combined with the help and guidance we provide through the Paul J. ’69 and Kathleen M. Severino Center for Technological Entrepreneurship, are primary reasons why so many of our alumni and alumnae become successful entrepreneurs.”

“The School of Management has eight entrepreneurs in residence, all successful business leaders,” Forbes stated in the ranking.

In addition to students, alumni, and alumnae who have launched businesses, Rensselaer faculty members also are combining their research with entrepreneurial activity. Many have launched companies in the area.

To read the full list, go to www.forbes.com, keywords “entrepreneurial research universities.”