Each year, the Smith School of Business hosts leading and up-and-coming stars in entrepreneurship research from around the globe for a three-day academic research conference. This year celebrated the 11th anniversary of the Smith Entrepreneurship Research Conference, which was held from May 7-9, in Van Munching Hall at the Robert H. Smith School of Business. The invitation only conference is co-chaired by Anil Gupta, the Michael D. Dingman Chair in Strategy and Entrepreneurship at the Smith School, and David Kirsch, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship at the Smith School.
The goal of the invitation-only event is to gather both junior and non-tenured faculty to present early stage entrepreneurship research to senior, tenured faculty for discussion and feedback — very similar to the way in which entrepreneurs constantly pitch their ideas, hear reactions and pivot.
“The result is a more developmental format, which creates a constructive environment to share new, untested ideas in an open academic setting,” Kirsch told us. “By gathering the leading researchers on social, economic and organizational issues around entrepreneurship, over time we will be able to generate actionable insights and share knowledge for entrepreneurs.”
Researchers presented work on a range of topics including studies of Bitcoin, virtual environments, competition issues for B-Corps, and the impact of ecosystems on innovation. Doctoral students also enjoyed a session on how to make research more relevant for practicing entrepreneurs. The conference also hosted an open panel discussion focused on the soon-to-be written rules for Crowd-equity under the JOBS Act.
The SERC is made possible by support from the Department of Management & Organization, at the University of Maryland, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at the Robert H. Smith School of Business. For more information, click here.