African Innovation and Entrepreneurship (AfrIE) Research Hub

Prof. Susan Müller

Susan Müller is a professor of entrepreneurship at Bern University of Applied Sciences. In her research she aims to understand design principles of effective social innovations, how we can teach entrepreneurship responsibly and effectively, and how entrepreneurs navigate the early stages of their businesses. Currently, Susan is involved in several research projects in these areas. In the area of social innovation, she is conducting an exploratory study to identify the design principles of effective, low-cost private schools in informal urban settlements in Nairobi. In the area of entrepreneurship education, she co-started an initiative to bring entrepreneurship education into the vocational school system in Switzerland. As part of this initiative, she and her team colleagues developed and evaluated the entrepreneurship learning program “myidea” and trained about 300 vocational school teachers, reaching an estimated 5,000 vocational learners per year. In the area of entrepreneurs’ actions, Susan is currently leading the longitudinal research project “Entrepreneurs’ Actions for Successful New Venture Creation,” which tracked the actions of about 80 entrepreneurs over a year to understand the behavioral patterns of entrepreneurs as they manage critical events in the early stages of a new venture. The project is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation. Susan has published articles in entrepreneurship journals such as Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, Small Business Economics, Journal of Small Business Management, and Journal of Social Entrepreneurship. Susan is also co-author of a German textbook on entrepreneurship, now in its fifth edition.

Prof. Florence Kagendo Muindi

Florence is an associate professor and   currently chair of Department of Business Administration at the School of Business, University of Nairobi. Apart from lecturing in the University she also has many years of experience as a consultant and researcher in the area of Entrepreneurship, organizational leadership, management, and development.

Florence has a wealth of experience in  consultancy for the private sector, public sector and Non governmental organizations having done consultancies in these sectors in the last 30 years. She has skills and competence in providing solutions to organizations in the area of Human resources management, Strategic management, Entrepreneurship, Organization Development Leadership and Governance. She has the necessary know how to develop best practices and take organization efficiency and effectiveness to highest level through various interventions in management and leadership. Florence holds a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Business Administration (Human Resources Management) from the University of Nairobi, a Master of Science in Entrepreneurship Development (Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology) and a Bachelor of Education degree (Business and Economics) from the University of Nairobi).  She is also a practicing member of the Insitute of Human Resource Managment ( IHRM )  and a Certified TriMetrix HR Value Adding Agent ( VAA) AND Talent Analyst

Prof. Domingo Ribeiro-Soriano

Domingo Ribeiro-Soriano is a Professor of Business Administration at the Universitat de València, Spain. He is also the director of the “Entrepreneurship: from student to entrepreneur” Chair. As a researcher, he has published more than 150  papers in SSCI-ranked journals. Throughout his career, he has edited, co-edited special issues, and contributed to books, journals, and conferences and has delivered keynote  speeches at international conferences. He has also led several EU-funded projects, and contracts with private companies. Before starting his career in academia, he worked as a consultant at EY (formerly Ernst & Young).

Dr. Diana Nandagire Ntamu

Dr. Diana Nandagire Ntamu is an entrepreneurship development specialist and the director of the Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Incubation Centre at Makerere University Business School (MUBS). She is a senior lecturer in the Department of Entrepreneurship and holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an MBA (Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management) and a B.A Education (Economics major) from Makerere University.

Dr. Ntamu has spent the last 20 years collaborating with national and international organizations to advance entrepreneurship through training and research. She has created and implemented training programs for micro, small, and medium-sized firms in her capacity as the director of the Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Incubation Centre, and she has provided leadership to different projects at the MUBS Entrepreneurship Centre. She has researched entrepreneurship in family businesses, entrepreneurship and poverty alleviation in markets, marginalization and women's entrepreneurship, youth employment, financial resilience, business models, entrepreneurial resilience and social entrepreneurship. She has also conducted research on small and growing businesses in Uganda and Nigeria. She has supported organizations as a consultant in creating roadmaps for transformation.

Dr. Ntamu believes  in promoting microfinance and entrepreneurship as a vehicle for poverty reduction. Dr. Ntamu continues to promote social and economic change, building entrepreneurial skills of youth and women groups around the country.

Prof. Mai Thanh Thai

Mai Thi Thai is Associate Professor at HEC Montreal and the founder and director of Social Business Creation (SBC). Using gamification methods, the SBC program teaches social entrepreneurship and social business models that use market mechanisms to solve social issues. At HEC Montreal, she teaches social entrepreneurship, new venture creation, strategies in transitional markets, and qualitative methods. Her research focuses on the link between entrepreneurship and its socioeconomic, cultural, and political contexts. She was the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship from 2015 to 2020, during which she led the journal to unprecedented growth in terms of full-text downloads, manuscript submissions, and journal rankings. Besides two impactful books, she has published over 50 articles in peer-reviewed journals, book chapters, and conference proceedings. She is a lifetime member of the Beta Gamma Sigma AACSB-Honor Society. Mai Thai has won many local and international awards for her performance and commitment in her different roles as a researcher, teacher, and entrepreneur throughout her career.

Dr Mahdi Tajeddin

Mahdi Tajeddin is an Assistant Professor at Sobey School of Business, Saint Mary University, Strategy & Entrepreneurship. As a scholar in strategy and entrepreneurship, my expertise lies in the intricate dynamics of firms in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). My multi-faceted research spans three key areas: the unique internationalisation challenges and strategies of SMEs in SSA, the interplay of technology evolution and innovation on global firms, and the adoption of non-market strategies by companies in emerging economies. My investigations have yielded insights into SME affiliations in ethnically diverse regions, the role of technology in SME internationalisation, and the nuances of the informal economy. With a track record of securing significant research grants and collaborations with African universities, my findings have been showcased in premier journals such as Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, Small Business Economics, Journal of International Management and Technological Forecasting and Social Change.