Harry Sapienza
Former Academic Director, Gary S. Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship/Professor
Carlson School of Management, Suite 3-312
Phone: 612-625-2442 Fax: 612-624-2056
sapienza@umn.edu

Harry Sapienza is the Curtis L. Carlson Chair in Entrepreneurial Studies and former academic director of the Center. He holds a PhD and MBA from the University of Maryland. His career covers more than a decade of research on inter-organizational relationships, venture capital, technology-based start-ups, strategic decision making, international entrepreneurship, and the creation of value in entrepreneurial ventures. He has published extensively in academic journals, and his work on venture capital has appeared for the last ten years in the well-known practitioner resource, Pratt’s Guide to Venture Capital Sources.

Dr. Sapienza has taught and conducted research at the University of South Carolina, was a visiting professor at the London Business School, and has conducted research in Belgium, Sweden, France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Finland, and Asia. He served as a dissertation advisor and external examiner for doctoral students in the United Kingdom and Finland. He is currently studying high-tech firms in the US and Europe, and is co-editing a two-volume set of readings on venture capital for the Cambridge University Press.

Dr. Sapienza is also an academic advisor for Carlson Ventures Enterprise class MBA 6503.

Shaker Zahra
Academic Director, Gary S. Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship/Professor
Carlson School of Management, Suite 3-428
Phone: 612-626-6623
zahra004@umn.edu

Shaker Zahra holds the Robert E. Buuck Chair in Entrepreneurial Studies and serves as the academic director for the Gary S. Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship. His research covers corporate entrepreneurship, technological entrepreneurship, and international entrepreneurship. He has published six books and his research has appeared in journals such as Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Academy of Management Executive, Strategic Management Journal, Journal of Management, Journal of Management Studies, Information Systems Research, Decision Sciences, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Entrepreneurship: Theory & Practice, and Journal of Business Venturing. Professor Zahra has been awarded several grants and has garnered dozens of honors and awards, including Best Paper awards from three divisions of the Academy of Management, Academy of Management Journal and Journal of Management, the 21st Century Entrepreneurship Academic Leadership Fellowship from The National Association for Centers of Entrepreneurship Directors, and the Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Advancement of Research on Global Competitiveness from the American Society for Competitiveness. His research has been also nominated for the best paper in the Academy of Management Review.

Prior to joining the Carlson School in 2005, Professor Zahra taught at Babson College, Georgia State University, and George Mason University. He has held visiting professorships at several institutions in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. He has conducted executive seminars for senior executives for several companies and organizations in the US and other countries. He has also taught in several EMBA and PhD programs in the US and elsewhere.

Professor Zahra has served as a member of 15 editorial review boards that include Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Management, Journal of Management Studies, Journal of Business Venturing, among others. He serves as a member of the board of the Southern Management Association. In addition, he has served as a track chair for three divisions of the Southern Management, track chair of the strategy area in the Decision Science Institute, and has been elected as the incoming Program Chair of the Entrepreneurship Division of the Academy of Management.

Shaker is also an academic advisor for Carlson Ventures Enterprise class MBA 6503.

John Stavig
Professional Director
Gary S. Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship
Carlson Schoolof Management, Suite 3 324
Phone: 612-625-2485
stavi003@umn.edu

John directs the activities within the Center and is primarily responsible for leading the outreach activities and implementation of new curriculum. He holds a BSB from the Carlson School and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. John has over 15 years of experience in management consulting, private equity and industry. Most recently, he served as the CFO of an early-stage communications firm acquired by Verizon. As a founding principal of a $100 million private equity fund, he sourced and managed investments in numerous early-stage communications firms. John also served as CEO, CFO and board member for several start-up and early-stage technology firms. In these roles, John raised more than $300 million in capital and led numerous investments, acquisitions and divestitures. As a Principal at Gemini Consulting and Arthur Andersen, he provided strategic and financial consulting services to senior executives in Fortune 1000 firms in the United States, Europe, Asia and South Africa. John also previously taught in the MBA program at the University of St. Thomas.

Roy Wetterstrom
Undergraduate Director
Gary S. Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship
Carlson Schoolof Management, Suite 3-318
Phone: 612-624-6817
wette015@umn.edu

Roy serves as an advisor to entrepreneurial students and alumni, supports the undergraduate Entrepreneur Club, and is actively involved in the new experiential curriculum. He has a BSB from the Carlson Schooland a background in corporate finance and information technology. Roy founded Plural, Inc., a New York City based information technology services company which served the financial services industry. After Plural was sold to Dell Computer, he went on to found Timberwolf Properties, a company engaged in real estate development. Roy is also an active investor in early-stage companies.

Dileep Rao
Carlson School of Management Suite 3-318
Phone: 763-588-6067
raoxx013@umn.edu

Dileep teaches entrepreneurship and venture financing in the MBA program. In his previous position as vice president of a development finance institution, he financed over 450 businesses using over $40 million of equity capital, subordinated and senior debt and leases; raised about $80 million from private and public financial institutions. Dr. Rao has started four businesses and managed turnaround businesses in furniture manufacturing; food processing; fast-food; agribusiness; and been an advisor to one in medical products. He has served as chairman of one firm and as a director of businesses and financial institutions.

Dileep is also a consultant to the federal and local governments, corporations, and area developers in venture-based development; and to businesses and ventures on their business and financial strategies. He has written business reference books including Business Financing: 25 Keys to Raising Money and the Handbook of Business Finance & Capital Sources. In addition to two engineering degrees, Dr. Rao has a doctorate in business administration from the University of Minnesota.