Maija Renko, Ph.D.

I am a professor of entrepreneurship at Aalto University’s School of Business in Finland. Prior to Aalto, I spent seventeen years in Chicago, United States, where I first worked my way through tenure track (assistant professor, associate professor, to full professor) at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Then, between 2019-2024, I served as a professor and Coleman Chair of Entrepreneurship at DePaul University’s Driehaus College of Business.

As a researcher and educator, my focus is on how entrepreneurs build financially successful businesses that contribute to positive social change. I shed light on subjects such as crowdfunding strategies, social impact entrepreneurship, inclusive management styles, company values, leadership styles, early-stage startup success, and more, all detailed here.

I have dedicated much of my life to studying and helping entrepreneurs from historically disenfranchised backgrounds overcome barriers to successful business ownership and understand their unique strength in the market.

For example, at the University of Illinois at Chicago, I worked with scholars from disability studies to establish and run a training program for entrepreneurs with disabilities. Later, I served as a co-principal investigator on a $2.4M grant awarded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) for research on how entrepreneurship can help youth with disabilities.

To support social entrepreneurs, I co-built and co-taught the first UIC-SEA Social Enterprise Certificate Program. While at DePaul University, and in collaboration with their Coleman Entrepreneurship Center, I developed, launched, and grew the Social Impact Incubator program, which brings together students, alumni, and community entrepreneurs to build businesses with a purpose.