What is it that makes a start-up idea fly or fail? There’s no one answer, or one set path to entrepreneurial success. Some seem to find it overnight, or by chance, while others work hard and endure many setbacks before seeing their venture take off Some never reach it at all, despite possessing a multitude of qualifications and all the right connections.
There’s also the consideration of whether entrepreneurship can even be taught and learned, or if it’s simply a quality some are born with.
Whilst it’s a highly unpredictable and volatile career path, the desire to become an entrepreneur has never been stronger amongst the next generation of professionals. According to data reported by Poets&Quants, over 85% of MBA students surveyed said they were interested in entrepreneurship as a career path.
To support this, business schools have made the teaching of entrepreneurship, and the advancement of aspiring entrepreneurs, a core part of their operations. From curriculum designed to teach vital core skills for building and launching a business, to cultivating networks that can allow students and alumni to meet potential co-founders or staff, access investors and continue building knowledge, to instilling incubators and start-up hubs within their campuses, business schools provide a safe space to test, restructure and grow a business idea.
But keeping up with new ideas in entrepreneurship can be challenging, even for those working in business or in business education. Over the past few decades, scholars have been systematically studying what makes entrepreneurs successful, how new ventures gain traction, and why some ecosystems produce more start-ups than others. Their research builds an evidence base that goes beyond anecdotal “hustle harder” advice and into territory that’s genuinely useful.
Entrepreneurship professors sit at a distinct intersection-they’re conducting rigorous theoretical research while simultaneously engaging with organisations on the practical applications of their findings. To share their knowledge in a way that is both engaging and easy to relate to, many are putting their ideas into action, launching their own ventures or acting as start-up advisors, sharing their findings beyond the classroom.
And, increasingly, they’re also sharing their expertise on social media too. For entrepreneurs, following the right entrepreneurship researchers on LinkedIn means getting access to cutting-edge thinking before it makes it into textbooks.
Connecting with these academics could provide the evidence-based guidance that transforms your venture from promising to thriving. This blog highlights professors whose LinkedIn posts stand out, revealing the challenges, creativity, and determination involved in turning ideas into impact.
Ethan Mollick – Associate Professor and Co-Director of the Generative AI Lab at Wharton
An expert in innovation and entrepreneurship, Mollick has become one of the most influential academic voices on the future of work, artificial intelligence, and the evolving creator economy.
His research examines how startups succeed (or fail), how innovation spreads within organisations, and how emerging technologies change competitive dynamics. But what distinguishes Mollick is his refusal to keep those insights locked inside journals. Through his widely read newsletter One Useful Thing and an unusually active LinkedIn presence, he has built a global audience of founders, executives and educators looking for grounded, practical sense-making in the age of AI.
His LinkedIn posts often function as real-time experiments. When generative AI tools began accelerating in capability, Mollick systematically tested them. He shared side-by-side comparisons of AI-generated business plans, marketing strategies and even exam answers, asking what this meant for management education. In one widely circulated post, he demonstrated how a single, well-crafted prompt could outperform hours of traditional brainstorming. In another, he explored how AI might fundamentally alter knowledge work hierarchies, suggesting that junior employees equipped with strong prompting skills could suddenly outpace more experienced colleagues.
Crucially, Mollick doesn’t indulge in techno-utopianism. He regularly highlights limitations, biases and overreach, urging organisations to experiment thoughtfully rather than blindly automate. His tone is measured but urgent: this is not about gadgets, but about competitive survival.
In an entrepreneurial landscape increasingly defined by technological acceleration, Mollick offers scholarship at speed. He helps leaders understand not just what new tools can do, but how they will change the structure of opportunity itself.
Find and follow Professor Mollick on LinkedIn here.
Jan Lepoutre – Professor of Strategy & Innovation at ESSEC Business School
Gary’s research focuses on the intersection of entrepreneurship, strategy and innovation, with applications across fintech, FMCG, pharmaceuticals and many other industries. Through his research he studies how entrepreneurs and investors make decisions that shape the growth and direction of businesses.
He writes about venture capital, crowdfunding, and corporate investment while showing the real challenges of scaling a start-up or reinventing a company.
He serves as Deputy Dean for Degree Education and Digital Learning at LBS, as well as being a Senior Fellow at the Mack Institute for Innovation Management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania – spreading his significant expertise across geographies and classrooms.
On LinkedIn, he shares insights from research, events, and collaborations, giving readers a sense of how strategy and finance intersect in practice. Gary provides an understanding of entrepreneurship grounded in actual business choices and outcomes rather than theory alone.
Find and follow Professor Lepoutre on LinkedIn here.
Candida Brush – Franklin W. Olin Chair in Entrepreneurship At Babson College
At Babson College, where entrepreneurship is more creed than curriculum, Candida Brush has been one of the field’s defining figures. A pioneer in research on women entrepreneurs and venture growth, she helped move gender and diversity from the margins of entrepreneurial scholarship to its core.
Brush’s work examines how founders access resources, build networks and scale ventures, and, crucially, how systemic barriers shape those processes. Long before “inclusive entrepreneurship” became a policy slogan, she was producing data-driven research that challenged assumptions about capital allocation and venture performance.
Beyond her own scholarship, Brush has played a formative role in building global research communities and mentoring the next generation of entrepreneurship scholars. The establishment of the Candida G. Brush Legacy Award underscores her influence not simply as a researcher, but as a field-shaper. For anyone serious about understanding how entrepreneurship intersects with equity, access and growth, her work remains foundational.
Find and follow Professor Brush on LinkedIn here.
Gary Dushnitsky – Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship at London Business School
Gary’s research focuses on the intersection of entrepreneurship, strategy and innovation, with applications across fintech, FMCG, pharmaceuticals and many other industries. Through his research he studies how entrepreneurs and investors make decisions that shape the growth and direction of businesses.
He writes about venture capital, crowdfunding, and corporate investment while showing the real challenges of scaling a start-up or reinventing a company.
He serves as Deputy Dean for Degree Education and Digital Learning at LBS, as well as being a Senior Fellow at the Mack Institute for Innovation Management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania – spreading his significant expertise across geographies and classrooms.
On LinkedIn, he shares insights from research, events, and collaborations, giving readers a sense of how strategy and finance intersect in practice. Gary provides an understanding of entrepreneurship grounded in actual business choices and outcomes rather than theory alone.
Find and follow Professor Dushnitsky on LinkedIn here.
Amy Wilkinson – Lecturer in Management at Stanford Graduate School of Business
At the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Amy Wilkinson studies high-performing entrepreneurs with the eye of both a researcher and an industry expert. As the CEO & Founder of an innovation and AI advisory firm, Ingenuity her work is grounded in extensive interviews with founders who have built category-defining companies, and she is less interested in mythology than in repeatable behaviour. What, precisely, do exceptional builders do that others don’t?
Wilkinson’s research highlights patterns that run counter to the lone-genius narrative. She has written about the power of “network orchestration” – the deliberate cultivation of collaborators, partners and early believers – and the discipline of rapid experimentation over grand vision statements. Her work underscores that scalable success is rarely about flashes of inspiration; it is about structured curiosity, relentless iteration and the ability to mobilise talent around a compelling mission.
On LinkedIn, Wilkinson often distils these themes into sharp, accessible reflections. In one widely shared post, she broke down how successful founders reframe risk as something to manage through small, contained experiments. In another, she examined why the most effective entrepreneurial leaders obsess over team design early, arguing that culture is not a soft afterthought but a strategic asset. She has also written about the subtle shift from “idea generation” to “idea execution”, reminding aspiring entrepreneurs that velocity and learning speed often trump originality alone.
For readers and students alike, Wilkinson offers a refreshing corrective to Silicon Valley hyperbole. Follow her if you want to understand how ambition becomes architecture – and how disciplined leadership turns promising ventures into enduring institutions.
Find and follow Amy Wilkinson on LinkedIn here.
Dr Sönke Mestwerdt – Lecturer and Assistant Professor in Entrepreneurship at Alliance Manchester Business School
Sönke has taught around the world, having previously held roles with a number of leading institutions, including EGADE Business School in Mexico, ESCP Business School, The University of California and the University of Glasgow. At each, he has continued his research into responsible entrepreneurship.
His work focuses on how entrepreneurs shape opportunities while taking both social and commercial factors into account, how impact investments and innovative financing can support inclusive development, and entrepreneurship in extreme contexts and emerging markets.
On LinkedIn, he shares new publications, case studies, and examples that show the practical challenges of creating ventures that deliver both economic and social value.
Following Sönke will gives insights into entrepreneurship that consider real-world pressures, decisions, and the broader impact of entrepreneurial activity.
Find and follow Professor Mestwerdt on LinkedIn here.
Olga Annushkina – Associate Professor of Practice at SDA Bocconi
Olga focuses on entrepreneurship and strategic management for small and medium-sized enterprises. During her years with SDA Bocconi (an institution she joined in 2003) Olga has worked to support students and industry, conducting numerous courses on strategic management, and implementing training and executive education projects for major companies. She is the recipient of eight awards for excellence and innovation in teaching and research.
She’s also an author, most notably known for “The Art of Going Global”, of which she was a co-author.
On LinkedIn she shares insights that bring classroom learning to life, highlighting how businesses create impact and stay true to their purpose. This includes showcasing examples of fast-growing companies and B-Corps, illustrating lessons in leadership, and aligning business strategy with values.
Olga’s perspective on entrepreneurship emphasises practical learning, real-world impact, and the human side of building successful ventures.
Find and follow Professor Annushkina on LinkedIn here.
Matthew Grimes – Professor of Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Future at the University of Cambridge’s Judge Business School
Matthew’s work focuses on entrepreneurship in the context of sustainable development, examining how individuals and organisations can create, introduce, and sustain positive social change. By studying both the contextual and individual factors that contribute to innovation and the governance of innovation, Matthew’s research provides easily applicable and relatable guidance for those looking to make a positive change.
Currently, Matthew is Academic Co-director for the Cambridge Judge Entrepreneurship Centre.
On LinkedIn, Matthew shares thoughtful reflections on research practice and idea development, alongside updates on tools, events, and initiatives within the entrepreneurship community that his community might find beneficial.
Following Matthew is valuable for anyone interested in how entrepreneurial ideas are shaped, challenged, and developed into impactful ventures.
Find and follow Professor Grimes on LinkedIn here.
Elisa Alt – Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship at King’s Business School
Elisa’s entrepreneurial know-how is imbued with a desire to see start-ups flourish for the betterment of wider society. Ay Kings, Elisa teaches Innovation for Impact on the School’s Executive MBA, as well as entrepreneurship for the next generation of family business leaders at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
Outside of the classroom, her research focuses on individual and organizational approaches to “social intrapreneurship”, through a social and environmental lens, using market means, such as products, services, business models and processes.
On LinkedIn she shares her work, breaking down her research into easily digestible lessons and ideas to explore. She’s also active in signposting her community to other valuable voices operating in this space.
Find and follow Professor Alt on LinkedIn here.
Vadim Grinevich – Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at The University Bradford School of Management
Vadim’s entrepreneurial expertise focuses, in part, on small business growth and innovation. At Bradford School of Management, he is Head of the Research Cluster on Transformative Entrepreneurship and Small Businesses. His research seeks to develop entrepreneurial thinking and deepen university-industry links.
Online, he shares insights that bring entrepreneurship and innovation to life, whether through ground-breaking events like inclusive quantum hackathons or international conferences exploring how start-ups grow and scale. His posts show how entrepreneurial ideas take shape, capturing the energy, collaboration, and creativity that drive innovation forward.
Vadim offers a window into the practical and academic side of entrepreneurship, making complex concepts accessible and inspiring.
Find and follow Professor Grinevich on LinkedIn here.
Mirjam Knockaert – Professor of Entrepreneurship at Ghent University
By also holding a post at Technical University of Munich, Mirjam is able to share her entrepreneurial expertise with a wide breadth of future business leaders.
Her research focuses specifically on the concept of entrepreneurship in teams, high-tech and innovative entrepreneurship, and particularly the role of human capital in innovative new ventures.
At Ghent University, Mirjam is also one of the chairs of the Centre for Entrepreneurship Research.
On LinkedIn she shares easy-to-break-down insights into her work and snippets of her time spent in workshops with the European Commission, where her expertise has recently been sought to explore fostering European academic spin-offs and venture financing for deep-tech leadership.
Find and follow Professor Knockaert on LinkedIn here.
Michael Wall, Professor of Marketing & Entrepreneurship at Olin Business School at Washington University
If there’s one professor whose reputation among students consistently overshadows even the most celebrated research stars, it’s Wash U Olin’s Michael Wall. He combines deep industry roots with an infectious commitment to teaching real-world business skills. Before academia, he helped build startups, including PointDrive, later acquired by LinkedIn, and led digital strategy at a major Chicago firm, bringing hard-won lessons straight into the classroom.
What sets Wall apart is not only his breadth, from entrepreneurship to digital and new product marketing, but his impact: multiple teaching awards across undergraduate and graduate programs, national “favourite professor” recognitions and a teaching style lauded for clarity, practicality and genuine care for learners. His courses are immersive, experiential and designed to prepare founders and business builders for the messy work of launching and growing ventures.
Whether he’s refining frameworks for innovation, connecting students to industry partners, or modelling the entrepreneurial grit he teaches, Wall is the kind of educator who makes future founders feel seen, challenged and capable from day one.
Find and follow Professor Wall on LinkedIn here.
Sophie Bacq, Professor of Social Entrepreneurship and Coca-Cola Foundation Chair in Sustainable Development at IMD Business School
As a globally recognised thought leader on the topics of social entrepreneurship and change, Sophie uses her platform to investigate and theorise about entrepreneurial actions that can solve intractable social and environmental problems, at the individual, organisational, and civic levels of analysis.
At IMD, aside from her research commitments, she is also a lead for the Social Entrepreneurship Initiative, designed with the goal of inspiring entrepreneurs, leaders, scholars, and organisations to challenge existing practices and to create and share new solutions for positive societal change.
Sophie’s great at shining a spotlight on the progress her colleagues are making in this field. Following her opens you up to a whole network of sustainability-driven academic and industry minds.
Find and follow Professor Bacq on LinkedIn here.
By, Megan-Rose Vince
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