Introduction:

This PhD project aims to study early-stage investments in biotech startups by focusing on the signals of quality the entrepreneur and the venture can send and especially on the effects of how the entrepreneur or venture are categorized, in terms of industry, technology, goal of the product etc. – or categorize themselves. 

The research will combine insights from management science, especially entrepreneurship and innovation, with those from categorisation theory, both in management science and in sociology, and apply a broad range of quantitative techniques that belong to the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI). This project also includes a secondment, which is a ten-month visit at Charles River in Leiden focused on gathering empirical data on the decision-making process of venture capitalists in the selection of new investments, especially concerning organoid technology.

This research project is part of Organovir consortium.