Category Archives: Reflections

Michael Hay

Michael Hay and the Foundations of Entrepreneurship at LBS

Many people will remember the late Professor Michael Hay who was a major champion of entrepreneurship at LBS over many years and pioneered so many early initiatives that established entrepreneurship teaching and new venture support at the School. He also played a leading role in establishing London Business School’s Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in […]

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We’re hiring: Part-time Research Associate in Entrepreneurship

This is a part-time appointment, competitively compensated on an hourly basis, to start as soon as possible. The position will offer first-hand exposure to the scholarship of leading LBS faculty – Prof. Olenka Kacperczyk, Prof. Ioannis Ioannou and Prof. Luisa Alemany – and practitioners in the fields of venture capital, entrepreneurship and sustainability. It will […]

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Evidence that investors penalize female founders for lack of industry fit

Behind the Research with LBS Assistant Professor of Organisational Behaviour Dana Kanze. We “sat down” with LBS Assistant Professor of Organisational Behaviour Dana Kanze to talk about the work she and her colleagues—Professors Mark A. Conley of Stockholm School of Economics, House of Innovation; Tyler G. Okimoto of The University of Queensland; Damon J. Phillips […]

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STORIES FROM THE ZZZZzzzz – How can sleep make or break a startup?

In these unprecedented times of (using the word unprecedented) uncertainty, many of us are contemplating taking the leap of faith and becoming a fulltime entrepreneur. In 2020’s final edition of the Zymurgist Diaries, let’s aim to understand why founders tend to throw caution to the wind and fall victim to “struggle porn” i.e. the perception/pretence of […]

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5 Top Tips for Taking the Leap into VC

Venture capital is an exciting career option for MBA students. The London start-up scene is fast-growing, and many MBAs contribute to both start-ups and VCs in meaningful ways during their time at London Business School. The school’s Strategy and Entrepreneurship concentration and courses allow us the chance to practice some of the key things we’d […]

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10 Lessons learnt from evaluating 500+ global early-stage startups

Useful and relevant insights for founders and investors  Over the past 5 years, I’ve had the opportunity to evaluate more than 500 startups around the world as part of one of the best global angel investor networks, Keiretsu Forum (as identified by the Pitchbook rankings), and also as a part of one of the largest […]

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STORIES FROM THE DRIFT – How founders drift away from their friends, family, health, hobbies and sleep

In these unprecedented times of (using the word unprecedented) uncertainty, many of us are contemplating taking the leap of faith and becoming a fulltime entrepreneur. In this edition of the Zymurgist Diaries, let’s aim to understand why most Founders (and most humans) often fall prey to the “Future-positive”, “Present-hedonistic” and “Past-pessimistic” time perspectives. And, it is […]

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Blowing the whistle on the founding penalty

New research by Olenka Kacperczyk and Peter Younkin shows that ex-entrepreneurs often struggle to find ‘regular’ employment. Jeff Skinner explains how the ‘founding penalty’ works. The implications of bias against entrepreneurs are problematic for businesses and entrepreneurs alike. Businesses are missing out on a talent pool of highly motivated individuals, and aspiring entrepreneurs may find […]

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