Dr Saurabh Lall

  • Senior Lecturer in International Business (Management)

Biography

Saurabh Lall is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Glasgow’s Adam Smith Business School. His research agenda focuses on entrepreneurship and society and follows two broad tracks: entrepreneurship in developing and emerging economies; and social entrepreneurship (including related concepts such as impact investing and venture philanthropy). He works closely with practitioner organizations to systematically collect data and test interventions to stimulate entrepreneurial growth. Most recently, Saurabh collaborated with the world’s largest online mentorship platform to test new ways to help entrepreneurs connect with potential mentors. Saurabh was previously on the faculty of the University of Oregon’s School of Planning, Public Policy and Management. Prior to that, he was Research Director of the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) at the Aspen Institute, where he co-founded the Global Accelerator Learning Initiative.

Saurabh is co-author of the book Observing Acceleration: Uncovering the Effects of Accelerators on Impact-Oriented Entrepreneurs and has also published research in journals like World Development, Business & Society, Public Administration Review, Public Management Review, and Voluntas. He serves as Associate Editor for Social Enterprise Journal and is on the editorial board of Voluntas. His research has been covered in Forbes and TechCrunch.

Saurabh received his PhD in Public Policy and Administration from the George Washington University's (GWU) Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration in 2015. Originally from Mumbai, Saurabh has a bachelor’s degree in electronics engineering from the University of Mumbai.

Research interests

Saurabh is a member of the School's International Business and Enterprise research cluster.

Areas of expertise:

  • Entrepreneurship in emerging markets
  • Comparative international entrepreneurship
  • Social Entrepreneurship and Impact Investing
  • Accelerators
  • Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Entrepreneurship

Publications

List by: Type | Date

Jump to: 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2013
Number of items: 18.

2023

Sahasranamam, S., Lall, S. , Nicolopoulou, K. and Shaw, E. (2023) Founding team entrepreneurial experience, external financing and social enterprise performance. British Journal of Management, (doi: 10.1111/1467-8551.12726) (Early Online Publication)

Lall, S. and Miller, A. (2023) Laying the groundwork for an equitable startup ecosystem: Improving the accuracy of evaluation processes for greater gender equity. Discussion Paper. International Growth Centre at London School of Economics and University of Oxford.

Miller, A. and Lall, S. (2023) Smarter Systems: How Tweaking Your Diligence Process Can Unlock Overlooked Opportunities – Key Insights Report. Technical Report. Village Capital.

Miller, A. and Lall, S. (2023) Smarter Systems: How Tweaking Your Diligence Process Can Unlock Overlooked opportunities - Accelerator Implementation Guide. Technical Report. Village Capital.

Miller, A. and Lall, S. (2023) Smarter Systems: How Tweaking Your Diligence Process Can Unlock Overlooked Opportunities - Investor Implementation Guide. Technical Report. Village Capital.

Miller, A. and Lall, S. (2023) Smarter Systems: How Tweaking Your Diligence Process Can Unlock Overlooked Opportunities - Research Methodology. Technical Report. Village Capital.

2022

Lall, S. A. , Chen, L.-W. and Mason, D. (2022) Digital platforms and entrepreneurial support: a field experiment in online mentoring. Small Business Economics, (doi: 10.1007/s11187-022-00704-8) (Early Online Publication)

Mason, D. P., Chen, L.-W. and Lall, S. A. (2022) Can institutional support improve volunteer quality? An analysis of online volunteer mentors. Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 33(3), pp. 641-655. (doi: 10.1007/s11266-021-00351-9)

Lall, S. A. and Park, J. (2022) How social ventures grow: understanding the role of philanthropic grants in scaling social entrepreneurship. Business and Society, 61(1), pp. 3-44. (doi: 10.1177/0007650320973434)

2021

Chowdhury, R., Siedler, B. and Lall, S. (2021) Entrepreneurship under extreme constraints: evidence of micro-bricolage from Rohingya refugee camps. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2021(1), 15152. (doi: 10.5465/ambpp.2021.30)

Kerlin, J. A., Lall, S. A. , Peng, S. and Cui, T. S. (2021) Institutional intermediaries as legitimizing agents for social enterprise in China and India. Public Management Review, 23(5), pp. 731-753. (doi: 10.1080/14719037.2020.1865441)

2020

Lall, S. A. , Chen, L.-W. and Roberts, P. W. (2020) Are we accelerating equity investment into impact-oriented ventures? World Development, 131, 104952. (doi: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.104952)

2019

Lall, S. A. , Chen, L.-W. and Davidson, A. (2019) The expat gap: are local-born entrepreneurs in developing countries at a disadvantage when seeking grant funding? Public Administration Review, 79(6), pp. 880-894. (doi: 10.1111/puar.13076)

Lall, S. A. (2019) From legitimacy to learning: how impact measurement perceptions and practices evolve in social enterprise–social finance organization relationships. Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 30(3), pp. 562-577. (doi: 10.1007/s11266-018-00081-5)

2018

Roberts, P. W. and Lall, S. A. (2018) Observing Acceleration: Uncovering the Effects of Accelerators on Impact-Oriented Entrepreneurs. Palgrave Macmillan: Cham. ISBN 9783030000417 (doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-00042-4)

2017

Lall, S. (2017) Measuring to improve versus measuring to prove: understanding the adoption of social performance measurement practices in nascent social enterprises. Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 28, pp. 2633-2657. (doi: 10.1007/s11266-017-9898-1)

Pandey, S., Lall, S. , Pandey, S. K. and Ahlawat, S. (2017) The appeal of social accelerators: what do social entrepreneurs value? Journal of Social Entrepreneurship, 8(1), pp. 88-109. (doi: 10.1080/19420676.2017.1299035)

2013

Lall, S. , Bowles, L. and Baird, R. (2013) Bridging the “pioneer gap”: the role of accelerators in launching high-impact enterprises. Innovations: Technology, Governance, Globalization, 8(3-4), pp. 105-137. (doi: 10.1162/inov_a_00191)

This list was generated on Fri Jun 9 11:13:11 2023 BST.
Number of items: 18.

Articles

Sahasranamam, S., Lall, S. , Nicolopoulou, K. and Shaw, E. (2023) Founding team entrepreneurial experience, external financing and social enterprise performance. British Journal of Management, (doi: 10.1111/1467-8551.12726) (Early Online Publication)

Lall, S. A. , Chen, L.-W. and Mason, D. (2022) Digital platforms and entrepreneurial support: a field experiment in online mentoring. Small Business Economics, (doi: 10.1007/s11187-022-00704-8) (Early Online Publication)

Mason, D. P., Chen, L.-W. and Lall, S. A. (2022) Can institutional support improve volunteer quality? An analysis of online volunteer mentors. Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 33(3), pp. 641-655. (doi: 10.1007/s11266-021-00351-9)

Lall, S. A. and Park, J. (2022) How social ventures grow: understanding the role of philanthropic grants in scaling social entrepreneurship. Business and Society, 61(1), pp. 3-44. (doi: 10.1177/0007650320973434)

Chowdhury, R., Siedler, B. and Lall, S. (2021) Entrepreneurship under extreme constraints: evidence of micro-bricolage from Rohingya refugee camps. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2021(1), 15152. (doi: 10.5465/ambpp.2021.30)

Kerlin, J. A., Lall, S. A. , Peng, S. and Cui, T. S. (2021) Institutional intermediaries as legitimizing agents for social enterprise in China and India. Public Management Review, 23(5), pp. 731-753. (doi: 10.1080/14719037.2020.1865441)

Lall, S. A. , Chen, L.-W. and Roberts, P. W. (2020) Are we accelerating equity investment into impact-oriented ventures? World Development, 131, 104952. (doi: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.104952)

Lall, S. A. , Chen, L.-W. and Davidson, A. (2019) The expat gap: are local-born entrepreneurs in developing countries at a disadvantage when seeking grant funding? Public Administration Review, 79(6), pp. 880-894. (doi: 10.1111/puar.13076)

Lall, S. A. (2019) From legitimacy to learning: how impact measurement perceptions and practices evolve in social enterprise–social finance organization relationships. Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 30(3), pp. 562-577. (doi: 10.1007/s11266-018-00081-5)

Lall, S. (2017) Measuring to improve versus measuring to prove: understanding the adoption of social performance measurement practices in nascent social enterprises. Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 28, pp. 2633-2657. (doi: 10.1007/s11266-017-9898-1)

Pandey, S., Lall, S. , Pandey, S. K. and Ahlawat, S. (2017) The appeal of social accelerators: what do social entrepreneurs value? Journal of Social Entrepreneurship, 8(1), pp. 88-109. (doi: 10.1080/19420676.2017.1299035)

Lall, S. , Bowles, L. and Baird, R. (2013) Bridging the “pioneer gap”: the role of accelerators in launching high-impact enterprises. Innovations: Technology, Governance, Globalization, 8(3-4), pp. 105-137. (doi: 10.1162/inov_a_00191)

Books

Roberts, P. W. and Lall, S. A. (2018) Observing Acceleration: Uncovering the Effects of Accelerators on Impact-Oriented Entrepreneurs. Palgrave Macmillan: Cham. ISBN 9783030000417 (doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-00042-4)

Research Reports or Papers

Lall, S. and Miller, A. (2023) Laying the groundwork for an equitable startup ecosystem: Improving the accuracy of evaluation processes for greater gender equity. Discussion Paper. International Growth Centre at London School of Economics and University of Oxford.

Miller, A. and Lall, S. (2023) Smarter Systems: How Tweaking Your Diligence Process Can Unlock Overlooked Opportunities – Key Insights Report. Technical Report. Village Capital.

Miller, A. and Lall, S. (2023) Smarter Systems: How Tweaking Your Diligence Process Can Unlock Overlooked opportunities - Accelerator Implementation Guide. Technical Report. Village Capital.

Miller, A. and Lall, S. (2023) Smarter Systems: How Tweaking Your Diligence Process Can Unlock Overlooked Opportunities - Investor Implementation Guide. Technical Report. Village Capital.

Miller, A. and Lall, S. (2023) Smarter Systems: How Tweaking Your Diligence Process Can Unlock Overlooked Opportunities - Research Methodology. Technical Report. Village Capital.

This list was generated on Fri Jun 9 11:13:11 2023 BST.

Grants

Supervision

  • Social entrepreneurship
  • Entrepreneurship in emerging markets
  • Gender and Access to Equity Finance
  • Entrepreneurial Resource Constraints in Emerging Economies

Professional activities & recognition

Prizes, awards & distinctions

  • 2022: Responsible Research in Management Award (Academy of Management)
  • 2021: Best Paper Award (Academy of Management Entrepreneurship Division)

Grant committees & research advisory boards

  • 2017 - 2021: The Kauffman Foundation, Evaluation Advisory Committee
  • 2020: MicroMentor, Advisory Board

Editorial boards

  • 2020: Social Enterprise Journal
  • 2021: Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations
  • 2023: Public Administration Review

Selected international presentations

  • 2022: London School of Economics - Colloquium on the Multi-dimensional Impacts of Business Accelerators (London)
  • 2019: The Omidyar Network - Presentation on "Observing Acceleration" (Bengaluru, India)
  • 2016: Global Entrepreneurship Congress (Medellin)

Additional information

Media coverage

External knowledge exchange activities

  • Member, The Kauffman Foundation Evaluation Advisory Committee (2017 - 2021)
  • Research network member, Innovation Growth Lab
  • Advisory Board Member, MicroMentor Program, Mercy Corps
  • Academic Working Group Member, United Nations Development Programme Impact Measurement and Management