Sandeep Devanatha Pillai

Sandeep Devanatha Pillai is an Assistant Professor at the University of Bocconi. His research focuses on antecedents of entrepreneurial performance in uncertain contexts, such as early industry stages or transitional economies, and the consequences of entrepreneurial strategies on industry agglomeration. He examines historical contexts like the early American automobile industry (1895-1918), Maoist China (1964-1978), and the Italian fashion industry (1945-1980). His methodological work integrates historical methods with statistical analysis to improve inference to the best explanation in management research.

Research interests include entrepreneurship, industry evolution, organizational learning, philosophy of science, and the application of abduction in strategic inquiry. He contributes to theories of industry evolution, agglomeration, and research methodologies.

He teaches courses such as Entrepreneurship and Business Planning, Empirical Methods for Innovation Strategies, and Entrepreneurship Lab at Bocconi. His work bridges historical analysis with modern strategic management challenges.