Olav Sorenson

Joseph Jacobs Chair in Entrepreneurial Studies; Professor of Strategy; Faculty Research Director, Price Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation

About

Olav Sorenson’s primary stream of research pertains to economic geography, focusing on how entrepreneurship influences the growth and competitiveness of regions within countries, and on why some regions appear more supportive to entrepreneurs than others. He has called attention to unexpected consequences of the fact that social capital plays an important role in entrepreneurial success. His secondary streams of research have addressed the relationships between basic science and innovation and how organizations can better learn from their interactions with customers and from their manufacturing experience.

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9 Articles

Map of the London Tube system Research Brief / Real Estate

Startups and Gentrification Go Hand in Hand, But How Does That Happen?

Looking at London, by one measure the world’s second strongest entrepreneurial center

A departures board for international flights at an airport Research Brief / Startups

Why Do Startups Make International Moves?

In connection with funding, typically; those chasing money abroad tend to raise a lot more of it

Top down aerial view of Chicago Downtown urban grid with park. Research Question / Diversity

Diversity, Economic Growth and a Bug in the Research

Whether research shows benefits from diversity depends heavily on choice of study design

Studio portrait of a diverse group of three women and three men smiling while standing against a grey background Research Brief / Venture Capital

Who Gets Venture Capital?

Experienced founders with good products still need great employees to attract early investment, study finds

An Indian man works at a sewing machine Research Brief / Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship, Riskier in Wealthy Nations, Is Actually Safer in India

Steady employment is rare — a condition some U.S. workers also endure

Workers in a factory Research Brief / Management

Cause and Effect in the Complex World of Corporate Decision Making

As with scientific research, it’s hard to distinguish correlation from causation

A wooden man with a red tie leans out of a line of nondescript wooden men Research Brief / Competition

Gaining Status in an Online Community

How unknown individuals turn into influencers on a platform for programmers

An aerial image of the Silicon Valley Research Brief / Economy

Silicon Valley Syndrome: Measuring How Nontech Firms and Workers Suffer

VC money for tech pushes up costs for everyone else

Two people at a shared open office space sitting on red rubber balls Research Brief / Workplace

Working for a Startup Depresses Long-Term Earnings

The most lucrative career paths avoid young, small firms