Batten Institute

Studies show that gender bias in the venture capital (VC) industry hurts both female founders and has negative financial consequences for VC firms. Darden Professors Morela Hernandez and Roshni Raveendhran show how algorithm-aided, data-driven approaches can help investors mitigate bias and make better and more equitable funding decisions.

Technology is reshaping the way we live, work, play and interact. Darden Professor Roshni Raveendhran, whose research sits at the intersection of psychology and technology, shares her insights about the opportunities novel technologies, such as artificial intelligence, create for humanity and the risks they pose.

Despite its origins in manufacturing, lean thinking has shown the potential to transform other process-oriented industries, including healthcare. According to Darden Professor Elliott N. Weiss, when it comes to process improvement and eliminating waste, lean is as effective in the hospital as it is on the factory floor.

Odds of survival are slim when it comes to startups. One essential variable that goes into the equation: geography. New research supported by Darden’s Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation has produced the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem quality index, which measures the health of a location based on five key characteristics.

With a global population projected to reach 9.8 billion by 2050, food production will require innovative new methods for producing more food, more sustainably. Here, Darden Ideas to Action highlights one company trying to do just that: Beanstalk, founded by brothers Mike and Jack Ross in 2017.

The myth of the iconic founder amplified by the media is as misleading as it is seductive. David Touve, senior director of ventures at UVA Darden’s Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, dispels some of the most common misconceptions about entrepreneurs.

Digital technologies are redefining business landscape, disrupting markets and industries. Darden Professor Michael Lenox offers insights on how large incumbent firms can tackle the challenges of digital transformation.

The “exploding offer,” a job offer with a near-term expiration date, is a technique some hiring managers use to increase the likelihood of acceptance. But does it do what it’s designed to, and under what conditions? New research answers these questions based on game theory and mathematical modeling.

Most new ideas never evolve into profitable innovations. Darden Professor Raul Chao spells out an iterative process for increasing the odds of market success and shares insights on avoiding three all-too-common pitfalls.

To compete in today’s complex business environment, executives must excel at making decisions with an enterprise perspective. Darden Professor Elliott N. Weiss’ 9 Cs Enterprise-Perspective Model offers a useful decision-making framework.