Dear Colleagues,
We are pleased to invite you to our Professional Development Workshop at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting 2026:
Title: From Funding to Accelerating to Building: The Evolution of VCs, Accelerators, and Venture Studios
Date & Time: Saturday, August 1, 2026, 2:00-4:00 PM
Location: Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, Room 414 (Level 4)
Entrepreneurial support organizations have evolved substantially over the past decade. While venture capital firms have traditionally played a central role in startup financing, new organizational forms-including accelerators, venture studios and talent investors-are increasingly shaping how ventures are created, developed, and scaled.
This PDW brings together leading scholars to discuss how these developments are transforming entrepreneurial ecosystems and creating new opportunities for entrepreneurship research. The session will explore the evolution of organizations supporting startups, their distinct roles in venture creation and development, and the implications of these evolutions for theory and future research.
Our panel includes:
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Brian Bergman, Tulane University
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Sujith Nair, BI Norwegian Business School
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Susan Cohen, University of Georgia
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Will Drover, Texas Christian University
In addition to the panel discussion, the PDW will feature roundtable sessions designed to facilitate discussion of emerging research ideas and early-stage projects. We particularly welcome scholars working on venture studios, accelerators, venture capital, and other entrepreneurial support organizations.
The workshop is open to scholars at all career stages, including doctoral students and early-career researchers interested in these rapidly evolving phenomena.
We would be grateful if you could share this announcement with colleagues and doctoral students who may be interested.
We look forward to seeing you in Philadelphia.
Warm regards,
Constanze Coelsch-Foisner, MIT School of Management
Davide Moiana, POLIMI School of Management
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Davide Moiana
Politecnico di Milano
Suello
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