The D'Amore-McKim School of Business recently welcomed Assistant Professor Venkat Kuppuswamy to the Entrepreneurship and Innovation group. Most recently, he was an Assistant Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Kuppuswamy's research examines biases and discrimination facing minority entrepreneurs on crowdfunding platforms. His work finds that there still remains an unconscious psychological bias against the quality and effort that minority entrepreneurs will deliver. Importantly, he also shows how platforms and minority entrepreneurs can eliminate this bias through subtle strategies. These include simple practices, such as including a banner image of successful business owners that includes a range of ethnicities and genders.
Another one of Kuppuswamy's related projects looks at discrimination in Hollywood, including how cast diversity affects box office returns. Contrary to expectations, movies with diverse casts actually perform better at the box office, which shows an economic case for increasing diversity in films.
Kuppuswamy's appointment at Northeastern marks his return to the Greater Boston area, as he obtained his Ph.D. in Business Administration from Harvard Business School.
“Not only do I have strong ties to the city, but I am also excited to join the (D'Amore-McKim) Entrepreneurship & Innovation team,” says Kuppuswamy. “I am impressed by the trajectory and culture of the group, and I'm looking forward to opportunities for interdisciplinary research throughout the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex, including with groups doing work in computer science, information systems, and big data.”
Kuppuswamy has published articles in top publications including the Journal of Business Venturing, Organization Science, and Management Science. He is also a reviewer for the Strategic Management Journal, Administrative Science Quarterly, the National Science Foundation, and the Israel Science Foundation, among others.