Michaela
Nurturing aspiring and practicing entrepreneurs
I’m Michaela Hruskova from the Czech Republic and I’m in the third year of my PhD in Management, studying Entrepreneurial Ecosystems.
My ambition is to contribute to the development of thriving entrepreneurial ecosystems in Scotland and beyond.
I believe that entrepreneurs are future world changers – they are the innovators and job creators who make a difference not only to our economy, but also our society more broadly. Through entrepreneurial action, we can address some of the most pertinent issues in our society.
I am passionate about supporting entrepreneurship. As part of Enactus Glasgow, I launched and ran a skills development workshop to empower disadvantaged young people to improve their career prospects, and as part of my subsequent placement with Scottish Development International, I helped entrepreneurs across the country market their services at an international scale.
In 2017, I helped further develop Scottish entrepreneurial talent via the Saltire Fellowship Programme, and I recently launched Startup Grind at the University of Glasgow to educate, inspire, and connect entrepreneurially-minded students and staff at the university as well as in the broader ecosystem.
In the upcoming year, I aim to share my academic research with policymakers and practitioners so that they can build nurturing entrepreneurial ecosystems and make informed decisions about effectively supporting entrepreneurs on their journey.
Why Glasgow?
I have spent my entire academic career to date at the University of Glasgow which is a testament to what a great university it is. Originally, I came to undertake my undergraduate degree in Business & Management. I was particularly excited about the thriving student community on campus and the flexible degree structure which made it really stand out.
After my undergraduate degree, I decided to stay at UofG because of our world-leading research as well as the support available for doctoral students. I first completed my Master’s degree in Research Methods in Management before embarking on my current PhD research.
Over the past eight years, I have taken full advantage of the various academic, extra-curricular, and work-related opportunities available to me which helped me discover my passion for entrepreneurship and shaped my world changing ambition.
Why Entrepreneurial Ecosystems?
During my undergraduate studies in the Adam Smith Business School, I took a course on entrepreneurship and participated in a start-up weekend competition.
Through these experiences I developed a keen interest in entrepreneurship. To me, starting a business is an exciting adventure where you can use your creativity to solve a problem and hopefully also make a difference to people’s lives.
Initially, I planned to start my own business, but as I was working on my undergraduate dissertation, I discovered how much I enjoyed studying entrepreneurship from the academic side too. So when my supervisor Professor Colin Mason suggested that we continue working together on a doctoral project, it really was a no brainer.
Michaela is one of the University of Glasgow’s Future World Changers: students with ambitions to improve lives across the globe. Follow their journeys using #UofGFWC.
