Chuck E.

Chuck E.

Stanford, California, United States
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About

Chuck Eesley ("ease-lee") is an Associate Professor and W.M. Keck Foundation Faculty…

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Experience

Education

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology Graphic

    Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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    Activities and Societies: MIT 100K, Ignite Clean Energy

    Including courses at Harvard Business School and the Harvard economics department.

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    Activities and Societies: Duke Startup Challenge, Environmental Alliance, Self-knowledge Society, various genetics labs at Duke Med Center

    Individualized major: Brain, Mind and Consciousness (Neuroscience)

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    Activities and Societies: Homestay in Jaipur, lived for one month in an ashram (Divine Life Society) in Rishikesh.

    North India, my focus was on meditation and qualitative research on the guru/disciple relationship.

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Licenses & Certifications

Volunteer Experience

  • charity: water Graphic

    Fundraiser

    charity: water

    - 5 years

    Health

  • Fundraiser

    National Multiple Sclerosis Society

    Health

    Fundraised for the Waves to Wine charity bike ride for the past few years. Always a great event and great cause.

  • American Diabetes Association Graphic

    Fundraiser

    American Diabetes Association

    - Present 9 years 4 months

    Health

  • Joslin Diabetes Center Graphic

    Fundraiser

    Joslin Diabetes Center

    - Present 9 years 5 months

    Health

  • Easter Seals Bay Area Graphic

    Fundraiser

    Easter Seals Bay Area

    - Present 10 years 3 months

    Health

  • ExtraFood.org Graphic

    Advisory Board

    ExtraFood.org

    - Present 7 years 1 month

    Poverty Alleviation

  • Mentor

    Diversifying Academia Recruiting Excellence (DARE)

    - Present 14 years

    Education

    The DARE (Diversifying Academia, Recruiting Excellence) Doctoral Fellowship Program awards two-year fellowships to advanced doctoral students who want to investigate and prepare for academic careers and whose presence will help diversify the professoriate. Stanford’s commitment to diversity is broadly conceived. It includes, but is not limited to:

    - First-generation, low income college students
    - Women in fields such as natural science and engineering
    - Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and…

    The DARE (Diversifying Academia, Recruiting Excellence) Doctoral Fellowship Program awards two-year fellowships to advanced doctoral students who want to investigate and prepare for academic careers and whose presence will help diversify the professoriate. Stanford’s commitment to diversity is broadly conceived. It includes, but is not limited to:

    - First-generation, low income college students
    - Women in fields such as natural science and engineering
    - Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender students
    - Students with disabilities
    - Others whose backgrounds and experiences would diversify the professoriate in their academic fields.

    The DARE program's objectives are to better prepare students from diverse backgrounds for academic careers and to have them, at the same time, enrich the educational experiences of others. https://vpge.stanford.edu/fellowships-funding/dare/details

  • Mentor

    Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship

    - Present 4 years 10 months

    Education

    The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship is a fully funded, eight-week summer residential program that brings approximately 20 talented, motivated, and bright undergraduate students from across the country and provides them with an immersive research experience at Stanford Engineering. https://engineering.stanford.edu/students-academics/equity-and-inclusion-initiatives/prospective-graduate-students/summer

  • Mentor

    Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)

    - Present 15 years

    https://ughb.stanford.edu/good-things-know/research-experience-undergraduates

  • Business Association of Stanford Entrepreneurial Students (BASES) Graphic

    Faculty Advisor

    Business Association of Stanford Entrepreneurial Students (BASES)

    - Present 5 years 7 months

    Education

    http://bases.stanford.edu
    BASES – the Business Association of Stanford Entrepreneurial Students – is at the heart of student entrepreneurship.

    As one of the premier student entrepreneurship organizations in the world, BASES empowers the next generation of makers, designers, artists, engineers, and entrepreneurial leaders. We work with exceptional students, prominent professors, and thought leaders to unite the worlds of innovation, academia, and industry. Every year, we fund Stanford…

    http://bases.stanford.edu
    BASES – the Business Association of Stanford Entrepreneurial Students – is at the heart of student entrepreneurship.

    As one of the premier student entrepreneurship organizations in the world, BASES empowers the next generation of makers, designers, artists, engineers, and entrepreneurial leaders. We work with exceptional students, prominent professors, and thought leaders to unite the worlds of innovation, academia, and industry. Every year, we fund Stanford startups with our $100,000 Startup Challenge, bring entrepreneurs from all over the world to campus through our Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders' Seminar, and host other campus-wide events including the Startup Career Fair, Women in Entrepreneurship Summit, and Social Impact Week.

  • Faculty Advisor

    Stanford Conscious Living

    - Present 6 years 3 months

    Education

    https://vaisesikadasa.com/en/home/

  • MEET - Middle East Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow Graphic

    Volunteer Instructor

    MEET - Middle East Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow

    - 2 months

    Education

Publications

  • Social Influence in Career Choice: Evidence from a Randomized Field Experiment on Entrepreneurial Mentorship

    Research Policy

    How do different sources of social influence impact the likelihood of entrepreneurship? We examine this question in the setting of an entrepreneurship class in which students were randomly assigned to receive mentorship from either an entrepreneur or a non-entrepreneur. Using a longitudinal field experiment with a pre-test/post-test design, we find that randomization to an entrepreneur mentor increases the likelihood of entrepreneurial careers, particularly for students whose parents were not…

    How do different sources of social influence impact the likelihood of entrepreneurship? We examine this question in the setting of an entrepreneurship class in which students were randomly assigned to receive mentorship from either an entrepreneur or a non-entrepreneur. Using a longitudinal field experiment with a pre-test/post-test design, we find that randomization to an entrepreneur mentor increases the likelihood of entrepreneurial careers, particularly for students whose parents were not entrepreneurs. Additional analysis shows the mentor influences the decision to join an early-stage venture, but not to become a founder. Performance data suggests that entrepreneurial influence is not encouraging “worse” entrepreneurship and may have helped students in joining or founding better-performing ventures. We contribute to the literature on social influence in entrepreneurship by examining the interaction between multiple sources of social influence and by using a randomized field experiment to overcome the endogenous process of tie formation.

    Other authors
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  • Barriers to Growth: Human Capital, Entrepreneurship and Institutional Change in China.

    Organization Science

    Prior research often focuses on how many entrepreneurial firms are created, rather than on institutions that encourage specific types of firms or entrepreneurs. This paper identifies institutional changes that reduce barriers to growth as an important factor influencing the propensity of individuals to start a business. The findings suggest that the impact of lower barriers to growth is shaped by the extent of the reduction in barriers to growth and the level of human capital of the individual.…

    Prior research often focuses on how many entrepreneurial firms are created, rather than on institutions that encourage specific types of firms or entrepreneurs. This paper identifies institutional changes that reduce barriers to growth as an important factor influencing the propensity of individuals to start a business. The findings suggest that the impact of lower barriers to growth is shaped by the extent of the reduction in barriers to growth and the level of human capital of the individual. Only a large reduction in barriers to growth has a stronger impact in increasing the likelihood of founding at higher levels of human capital. I capitalize on two reforms lowering barriers to growth as natural experiments. One reform in 1988 only slightly lowered barriers to growth. The second reform in 1999 more strongly lowered barriers to growth with an amendment to the Chinese constitution reversed regulations that favored firms with foreign investors. This made it easier for domestic entrepreneurs to compete. I collected unique data through a survey of 2,966 alumni who graduated from a top Chinese university. Results show that reducing the institutional barriers to growth differently affects college-educated individuals with different levels of human capital.

  • Does Institutional Change in Universities Influence High-Tech Entrepreneurship?: Evidence from China’s Project 985

    Organization Science

    This paper contributes to institutional theory on cognitive and normative institutional change targeted at altering beliefs, behaviors, and ultimately firm performance. Prior work emphasizes institutional changes where the ideas and beliefs originate from those within the institutional context. Under examined are cases of institutional changes in beliefs and behaviors imposed from outside of the context. Project 985 was a program implemented by the Chinese government that provided funding for a…

    This paper contributes to institutional theory on cognitive and normative institutional change targeted at altering beliefs, behaviors, and ultimately firm performance. Prior work emphasizes institutional changes where the ideas and beliefs originate from those within the institutional context. Under examined are cases of institutional changes in beliefs and behaviors imposed from outside of the context. Project 985 was a program implemented by the Chinese government that provided funding for a set of universities to build new research centers. We found that graduates of these universities subsequently expressed greater beliefs in innovation and founded more high-tech ventures, but that entrepreneurs influenced by the reform were not as financially successful as entrepreneurs who founded firms before the reform or from non-985 universities. We explain this surprising finding as due to the fact that Project 985 was institutionally inconsistent with China’s broader institutional environment. An important implication is that institutional changes may alter beliefs and behavior, but they must be consistent with the broader institutional environment to improve firm performance.

    Other authors
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  • How entrepreneurs leverage institutional intermediaries in emerging economies to acquire public resources

    Strategic Management Journal

    Research Summary: Governments in emerging economies often use institutional intermediaries to promote entrepreneurship, and bridge the void between ventures and public funding. While prior literature describes what institutional intermediaries do, it leaves open how intermediaries support different types of entrepreneurs. By comparing science park and non-science park firms in Beijing and across China, we distinguish which entrepreneurs benefit from certification v. capability-building through…

    Research Summary: Governments in emerging economies often use institutional intermediaries to promote entrepreneurship, and bridge the void between ventures and public funding. While prior literature describes what institutional intermediaries do, it leaves open how intermediaries support different types of entrepreneurs. By comparing science park and non-science park firms in Beijing and across China, we distinguish which entrepreneurs benefit from certification v. capability-building through the introduction of two new constructs: skill adequacy and context relevance. Broadly, our study adds insights at the nexus of emerging economies and entrepreneurship research, and to the tie formation and institutional intermediaries literatures.

    Other authors
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  • Through the Mud or in the Boardroom: Activist Types and their Strategies in Targeting Firms for Social Change

    Strategic Management Journal

    Research summary (123 words): We examine the variety of activist groups and their tactics in demanding firms’ social change. While extant work does not usually distinguish among activist types or their variety of tactics, we show that different activists (e.g., social movement organizations versus religious groups and activist investors) rely on dissimilar tactics (e.g., boycotts and protests versus lawsuits and proxy votes). Further, we show how protests and boycotts drag companies “through…

    Research summary (123 words): We examine the variety of activist groups and their tactics in demanding firms’ social change. While extant work does not usually distinguish among activist types or their variety of tactics, we show that different activists (e.g., social movement organizations versus religious groups and activist investors) rely on dissimilar tactics (e.g., boycotts and protests versus lawsuits and proxy votes). Further, we show how protests and boycotts drag companies “through the mud” with media attention, whereas lawsuits and proxy votes receive relatively little media attention yet may foster investor risk perceptions. This research presents a multifaceted view of activists and their tactics and suggests that this approach in examining activists and their tactics can extend what we know about how and why firms are targeted.

    Managerial summary (71 words): The purpose of this study was to examine how different types of activist groups behave differently when targeting firms for social change. We find that traditional activist groups rely on boycotts and protests, whereas religious groups and activist investors rely more on lawsuits and proxy votes. Additionally, we find that protests and boycotts are associated with greater media attention, whereas lawsuits and proxy votes are associated with investor perceptions of risk.

    Other authors
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  • The Contingent Effects of Top Management Teams on Venture Performance: Aligning Founding Team Composition with Innovation Strategy and Commercialization Environment

    Strategic Management Journal

    How does the relationship between founding team composition and venture performance depend on the venture's strategy and business environment? Using data from a novel survey of 2,067 firms, we show that while diverse founding teams tend to exhibit higher performance, this is not universally true. We find that founding teams that are diverse are likely to achieve high performance in a competitive commercialization environment. On the other hand, technically focused founding teams are aligned…

    How does the relationship between founding team composition and venture performance depend on the venture's strategy and business environment? Using data from a novel survey of 2,067 firms, we show that while diverse founding teams tend to exhibit higher performance, this is not universally true. We find that founding teams that are diverse are likely to achieve high performance in a competitive commercialization environment. On the other hand, technically focused founding teams are aligned with a cooperative commercialization environment and when the enterprise pursues an innovation strategy. These results are robust to corrections for endogenous team formation concerns. The findings suggest that ventures cannot ignore founding team composition and expect to later professionalize their top management teams to align with their strategy and environment.

    Other authors
    • David Hsu, Edward Roberts
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  • Institutional Change And Venture Exit: Implications For Policy.

    20 Years of Entrepreneurship Research - From small business dynamics to entrepreneurial growth and societal prosperity. Edited by the Swedish Entrepreneurship Forum. pgs. 127-139.

    We examine the role that changes to the institutional environment play in the formation, exit, and performance of ventures. We do so by taking advantage of two natural experiments in Japan that relates to the exit of a venture: successful IPO, and failure in bankruptcy. In our first study, we examine lowering the “barriers to success” of IPO reform. In our second study, we look at lowering the “barriers to failure” of bankruptcy. We use the empirical context of Japan in an era of reform. While…

    We examine the role that changes to the institutional environment play in the formation, exit, and performance of ventures. We do so by taking advantage of two natural experiments in Japan that relates to the exit of a venture: successful IPO, and failure in bankruptcy. In our first study, we examine lowering the “barriers to success” of IPO reform. In our second study, we look at lowering the “barriers to failure” of bankruptcy. We use the empirical context of Japan in an era of reform. While results are preliminary, our work has implications for scholars and policymakers in showing that policies for entrepreneurship should give more import to the quality rather than the quantity of entrepreneurs, and to the second order effects of reforms not just their direct effects.

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  • Are You Experienced or Are You Talented?: When Does Innate Talent versus Experience Explain Entrepreneurial Performance

    Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal

    We explore whether entrepreneurial performance is due to innate talent or the accumulation of entrepreneurial experience. Using a novel data set with multiple observations of founding attempts per individual, we generate a unique measure of entrepreneurial talent. In contrast to prior findings, the relative importance of experience versus talent changes with the context. When the current market or technology is familiar, experience dominates. However, when the venture context is unfamiliar…

    We explore whether entrepreneurial performance is due to innate talent or the accumulation of entrepreneurial experience. Using a novel data set with multiple observations of founding attempts per individual, we generate a unique measure of entrepreneurial talent. In contrast to prior findings, the relative importance of experience versus talent changes with the context. When the current market or technology is familiar, experience dominates. However, when the venture context is unfamiliar, talent is more important. Individuals with experience and talent handle both familiar and unfamiliar aspects and may extract more from a given level of experience. The findings advance our understanding of how the drivers of venture performance shift with the broader technological and industry environment and places limits on when experience aids performance.

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  • Entrepreneurs from Technology-Based Universities: Evidence from MIT.

    Research Policy

    This paper analyzes major patterns and trends in entrepreneurship among technology-based university alumni since the 1930s by asking two related research questions: (1) Who enters entrepreneurship, and has this changed over time? (2) How does the rate of entrepreneurship vary with changes in the entrepreneurial business environment? We describe findings based on data from two linked datasets joining Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) alumni and founder information. New company…

    This paper analyzes major patterns and trends in entrepreneurship among technology-based university alumni since the 1930s by asking two related research questions: (1) Who enters entrepreneurship, and has this changed over time? (2) How does the rate of entrepreneurship vary with changes in the entrepreneurial business environment? We describe findings based on data from two linked datasets joining Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) alumni and founder information. New company formation rates by MIT alumni have grown dramatically over seven decades, and the median age of first time entrepreneurs has gradually declined from about age 40 (1950s) to about age 30 (1990s). Women alumnae lag their male counterparts in the rate at which they become entrepreneurs, and alumni who are not U.S. citizens enter entrepreneurship at different (usually higher) rates relative to their American classmates. New venture foundings over time are correlated with measures of the changing external entrepreneurial and business environment, suggesting that future research in this domain may wish to more carefully examine such factors.

    Other authors
    • David Hsu
    • Edward B. Roberts
    See publication

  • Firm Responses to Secondary Stakeholder Action.

    Strategic Management Journal

    In this paper, we explore the conditions under which secondary stakeholder groups are likely to elicit positive firm responses. To this end, we build upon and advance Mitchell, Agle, and Wood's (1997) stakeholder saliency and identification framework by defining saliency in terms of actions, not perceptions, and by proposing that power, legitimacy, and urgency arise out of the nature of stakeholder–request–firm triplets. To test this framework, we build a unique dataset of over 600 secondary…

    In this paper, we explore the conditions under which secondary stakeholder groups are likely to elicit positive firm responses. To this end, we build upon and advance Mitchell, Agle, and Wood's (1997) stakeholder saliency and identification framework by defining saliency in terms of actions, not perceptions, and by proposing that power, legitimacy, and urgency arise out of the nature of stakeholder–request–firm triplets. To test this framework, we build a unique dataset of over 600 secondary stakeholder actions within the United States, all concerning environmental issues over the period 1971–2003.

    Other authors
    • Michael Lenox
    See publication
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Honors & Awards

  • Stanford Impact Labs

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  • Research Excellence Award 2018

    Technical University of Munich

Languages

  • English

    Native or bilingual proficiency

  • STATA, Javascript, HTML

    Full professional proficiency

Organizations

  • Strategic Management Journal

    Editorial Board

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