Aaron Defort, MiM
Former Research Fellow
Innovation and Entrepreneurship Research
Areas of Interest:
Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurial Ecosystems, Social Network Analysis, Social Capital
Academic Résumé
03/2019 – 09/2023
Junior Research Fellow and Doctoral Candidate at the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition (Innovation and Entrepreneurship Research). Doctoral Thesis: “Creation and Recycling of Entrepreneurial Resources: Empirical Essays on the Importance of Social Processes in Entrepreneurial Ecosystems”.
Postgraduate Studies in Business Research (Master of Business Research) at Munich School of Management, LMU Munich
Since 2018
Management Fellow and Lecturer, Center for Digital Technology and Management (CDTM), LMU Munich and TU Munich
2014 - 2017
Diplôme Grande Ecole in Management, ESCP Europe, France
2010 - 2013
Honours Degree of Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in European Business Administration with First Class Honours, University of Portsmouth, United Kingdom
2010 - 2013
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in the European Business Programme (EBP), Fachhochschule Münster
Publications
Articles in Refereed Journals
(2023). Impact of Entrepreneurship Education Programs at University: Quasi-Experimental Evidence, Academy of Management Proceedings, 2023 (1). DOI
- We evaluate the impact of participation in an entrepreneurship education program during university on subsequent entrepreneurial activity by comparing career decisions between program participants and the best applicants not accepted to the program using a regression discontinuity design. We find that program participation increases both founding rates and several indicators of startup quality. The effect on founding rates is visible for several years after the program. Even when program participants do not found, they are more likely to select into careers related to entrepreneurship. The study also finds that the interview process can identify students more apt to build higher quality startups, but not who is more likely to found. Participating in the program, however, appears to ‘level the playing field’ for participants to a degree where the original interview scores lose their explanatory power. Overall, the study suggests a strong positive causal effect between program participation and the measured outcome variables.
Presentations
07.04.2023
Shared Identity in Entrepreneurial Ecosystems - Experimental Evidence
Eesley Lab Group, Stanford University
Location: Stanfort, CA, US
05.11.2022
How Do Different Forms of Exits Fuel Entrepreneurial Ecosystems? Longitudinal Evidence of Entrepreneurial Recycling in Cities
Innodays Conference, Casablanca
Location: Casablanca, Morocco
26.11.2021
Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
Doctoral Seminar, Center for Digital Technology and Management (CDTM)
Location: Munich
29.09.2021
Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
Research Seminar, Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition
Location: Feldkirchen-Westerham
11.06.2021
Investors as Keystones Species in Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference (BCERC)
Location: online
10.06.2021
Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
Research Meeting Entrepreneurship Section Utrecht University
Location: online
07.05.2021
Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
Doctoral Seminar, Center for Digital Technology and Management (CDTM)
Location: online
23. – 26.03.2021
Two Study Proposals on Social Capital in Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
Research Seminar, Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition
Location: online
10. – 11.12.2020
Investors as Cornerstones Species in Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
PhD Workshop
Location: online (ZEW)
07. – 11.09.2020
The Social Side of Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
Research Seminar
Location: online
10.06.2020
Digital Hackathons as Collaboration "Laboratories" for Innovation Policy
ISPIM Innovation Conference – Innovating in Times of Crisis
Location: online
05.06.2020
Social Capital and Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
Doctoral Seminar, Center for Digital Technology and Management (CDTM)
Location: online
02. – 05.03.2020
Social Networks in Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Research Seminar
Location: Zugspitze
Courses
2020 – 2021
Design Thinking and Business Model Innovation (FOM)
2018 – 2021
Entrepreneurship Laboratory (CDTM)
Since 2018
Various courses at the CDTM with a focus on Ideation, User-Centered Design and Professional Communication