Research
Leading-edge research on entrepreneurial policy, business strategy and innovation in technology-driven markets.
Research Themes
The research of STVP, faculty, students and alumni helps deepen our understanding of entrepreneurial policy, business strategy and innovation in technology-driven markets. Our work combines theoretical ideas with field-based studies on the real-world challenges and opportunities presented to technology firms in various global contexts with distinct social norms and policy interventions. Our insights are strengthened both by the multi-disciplinary expertise in Stanford’s School of Engineering and our proximity to Silicon Valley. STVP projects examine a range of topics, such as:
- globalization and entrepreneurship in emerging economies
- partner relationships and network formation
- firm strategy and competition
STVP research relies on a variety of methods, including large-scale statistical analysis, laboratory experiments, simulation and qualitative research, such as interviews. Our research focuses on a variety of technologies with particular emphasis on digital communication, medical devices, clean-tech
Research Focus
Entrepreneurial Policy and Innovation
Core Questions
- How do government incentives and regulations impact scientific research, innovation, commercialization and entrepreneurial activity?
- How do social norms, surrounding institutions and supports — from academic institutions to social movements and capital structures — affect the development of new technology ventures?
Learn More About STVP’s Research
Doctoral Program
STVP’s doctoral program prepares students to become leading academic experts on technology entrepreneurship, both in terms of policy (comparative contexts and external interventions) and practice (innovation and business strategy). Our doctoral students produce research and sharpen both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies with the mentorship of leading-edge faculty.
Learn how to apply to study with STVP and earn your doctoral degree with MS&E
Applications must be submitted via STVP’s home department, Management Science & Engineering (MS&E) and by selecting one of STVP’s research specialties as an academic interest.
STVP’s Research Specialties
Entrepreneurial Policy
Focus on the role of public policy in shaping the rate, nature and success of entrepreneurial activities as well as the formation of new ventures
Strategy, Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Focus on innovation, competition and collaboration in the context of both established firms and new ventures
The faculty welcomes applications from students with social science or technical degrees — the blending of engineering and social science is the department’s trademark. Our doctoral students combine studies in engineering, economics, management, sociology, and psychology to gain a unique and balanced perspective. Our students not only take courses in MS&E, but also have access to Stanford’s entire policy and organizational studies communities, which provide internationally renowned thought leadership. STVP doctoral students typically complete degree requirements in four to five years. Students complete both a written comprehensive exam and a second-year paper, displaying both a literature review covering the first two years of coursework, and some original analysis in organizational studies. Most program graduates pursue academic careers at leading business and engineering schools, or explore career opportunities in industry.
PhD Alumni
Our PhD graduates become leading academics and hold positions at Carnegie Mellon, Harvard University, INSEAD, Northwestern University, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and many more.
Daniel Armanios (2015)
Professor, Oxford University
Dissertation: What is the Role of the State in Entrepreneurship and Venture Performance?
Robert Bremner (2020)
Corporate Strategy, Microsoft
Dissertation: User Community Innovation: Implications for Firm Strategy, Organizing and Performance
Emily Cox-Pahnke (2010)
Professor, University of Washington
Dissertation: Funding innovation in young firms: The case of invasive surgical devices
Nathan Furr (2009)
Professor, INSEAD
Dissertation: Cognitive Flexibility: The Adaptive Reality of Concrete Organization Change
Elizabeth Gerber (2008)
Professor, Northwestern
Dissertation: Devotion to an Innovation Process: The Case Study in Human Centered Design
Stine Grodal (2007)
Professor, Boston University
Dissertation: The Emergence of a New Organizational Field — Labels, Meaning and Emotion in Nanotechnology
Andy Hargadon (1998)
Professor, University of California, Davis
Dissertation: The Theory and Practice of Knowledge Brokering: case studies of continuous innovation
Quintus Jett (1999)
Adjunct Professor, Rutgers University
Dissertation: Linkages Between Competitive Product Moves and Organizational Capabilities in Rapidly-Changing Environments
Jeff Martin (2002)
Associate Professor, University of Alabama
Dissertation: Where Are All the Synergies? The Co-evolution of Cross-business Synergies in the New Economy
Mark Mortensen (2003)
Professor, INSEAD
Dissertation: Antecedents of Boundary Disagreement in Distributed and Collocated Teams
Gerardo Okhuysen (1997)
Professor, University of California, Irvine
Dissertation: Creating Opportunities for Change: How formal problem solving interventions work
Pinar Ozcan (2005)
Professor, Oxford University
Dissertation: Start-ups in nascent markets: Building a strong alliance portfolio from a low-power position
Philipp Reineke (2026)
Assistant Professor, Bocconi University
Dissertation: Decentralization in Organizations
Keith Rollag (2000)
Dean, Babson College
Dissertation: Newcomers, Oldtimers, and Relative Tenure: Organizational Assimilation as an Outcome of Social Comparison
Victor Seidel (2005)
Professor, Babson College
Dissertation: Managing novel product concepts: A process theory
Eric Volmar (2021)
Associate Director, Stanford Gordian Knot Center
Dissertation: When New Markets and Powerful Institutions Collide: How Mission-Driven Entrepreneurs Form Strategy, Organize, and Compete
Featured Publications
- Thatchenkery, S., & Katila, R. (2021). Seeing What Others Miss: A Competition Network Lens on Product Innovation. Organization Science, 32(5), 1149-1390, C2. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2021.1430
- Eberhart, R., & Eesley, C. (2018). The dark side of institutional intermediaries: Junior stock exchanges and entrepreneurship. Strategic Management Journal, 39(10), 2643-2665. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.2934
- Eesley, C., & Wang, Y. (2017). Social influence in career choice: Evidence from a randomized field experiment on entrepreneurial mentorship. Science Direct, 46(3), 636-650. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2017.01.010
- Cox Pahnke, E., Katila, R., & Eisenhardt, K. (2015). Who takes you to the dance? How partners’ institutional logics influence innovation in young firms. Administrative Science Quarterly, 60(4), 561-595. https://doi.org/10.1177/0001839215592913