Faculty
Scott Stern is the David Sarnoff Professor of Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management.
Stern explores how innovation and entrepreneurship differ from more traditional economic activities, and the consequences of these differences for strategy and policy. His research in the economics of innovation and entrepreneurship focuses on entrepreneurial strategy, innovation-driven entrepreneurial ecosystems, and innovation policy and management. Recent studies include the impact of clusters on entrepreneurship, the role of institutions in shaping the accumulation of scientific and technical knowledge, and the drivers and consequences of entrepreneurial strategy.
Stern has worked widely with practitioners in bridging the gap between academic research and the practice of innovation and entrepreneurship. This includes advising start-ups and other growth firms in the area of entrepreneurial strategy, as well as working with governments and other stakeholders on policy issues related to competitiveness and regional performance. In recent years, Stern has developed a popular new MIT Sloan elective, Entrepreneurial Strategy, co-founded the MIT Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program, advised the development of the Social Progress Index, and served as the lead MIT investigator on the US Cluster Mapping Project.
Stern started his career at MIT, where he taught from 1995 to 2001. Before returning to MIT in 2009, he held positions as a Professor at the Kellogg School of Management and as a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution. Stern is the director and co-founder of the Innovation Policy Working Group at the National Bureau of Economic Research. In 2005, he was awarded the Kauffman Prize Medal for Distinguished Research in Entrepreneurship.
Stern holds a BA in economics from New York University and a PhD in economics from Stanford University.
Read more about Scott Stern here.
Featured Publication
"Where is Silicon Valley?"Guzman, Jorge and Scott Stern. Science Vol. 347, No. 6222 (2015): 606-609.
Gans, Joshua, Erin L. Scott, and Scott Stern. In Annals of Entrepreneurship Education and Pedagogy, edited by Charles Matthews and Susana Santos, 393-400. Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2023.
Julian Kolev, Alexis Haughey, Fiona Murray, and Scott Stern. In Academy of Management Proceedings, Boston, MA: July 2023.
Andrews, Michael J., Aaron K. Chatterji, and Scott Stern. In The Role of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Economic Growth, edited by Aaron Chatterji, Josh Lerner, Michael J. Andrews, and Scott Stern, 1-28. Chicago, IL: Chicago University Press, 2022.
Andrews, RJ, Catherine Fazio, Jorge Guzman, Yupeng Liu, and Scott Stern. Research Policy (2022): 104437.
Andrews, Michael J., Aaron Chatterji, Josh Lerner, and Scott Stern (Eds.). Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2022.
The Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at MIT held a conference that celebrated its 15-year anniversary and highlighted its accomplishments.
Choosing the right customer, technology, competition, and organization are necessary decisions for a successful startup.
Norway does not lack people with good ideas but, rather, a tax system that attracts money and risk appetite, according to professor Scott Stern.
“There was an untapped potential in these high-income Black communities to become entrepreneurs."
"...the signature of a good idea is that the entrepreneur will be able to identify multiple potential ways to make it work."
"...relief checks were distributed very broadly...to communities of color and that has been associated with this spur of new business formation.”
There are many possible paths to success for good ideas. How can innovators and entrepreneurs weigh alternative options and confidently make choices to position their ventures for competitive advantage? This two-day entrepreneurship course provides a practical and systematic approach to exploring and evaluating the core choices that entrepreneurs need to make as they translate their ideas into a reality.
The Advanced Management Program (AMP) is a month-long senior executive program designed for a diverse group of experienced leaders seeking transformative learning among global peers. AMP participants will engage in custom learning components led by MIT’s world-renowned faculty, including interactive classroom sessions, management simulations, case studies, 1:1 leadership coaching, and individualized feedback assessments. Participants will also explore the many companies, labs and centers that make MIT and surrounding Kendall Square the epicenter of innovation worldwide.
