Venture Builders and the Creation of Scaleups

Paola Belingheri is a Lecturer in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Luiss University in Rome, Italy. She has previously co-founded several startups and has experienced a host of incubation and acceleration programs. Her research on entrepreneurship includes studies on technology entrepreneurship through licensing, and the exploration of how entrepreneurs approach patenting in the space sector.

Christian Lechner is a Full Professor of Entrepreneurship with over 20 years of experience in teaching, research, startup advising, and policy development. He is currently the Director of Department in Business & Management at Luiss University, Rome. Former Associate Dean of Research at Luiss Business School. His extensive entrepreneurship background includes the establishment and management of entrepreneurship programs in Germany, France, and Italy, resulting in the creation of over 100 startups. He launched and directed the startup incubator at Toulouse Business School (TBSeeds). A close collaborator with startup accelerators, Christian has actively contributed to policy activities related to ecosystem development. Currently, he remains actively engaged in European projects aimed at fostering entrepreneurial ecosystems. His research in entrepreneurship has been published in the leading academic journals such as Journal of Business Venturing, Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice or International Small Business Journal.