Maria Rosa Giovanna Scarlata

Maria Rosa Giovanna Scarlata is an Associate Professor at the Department of Management, University of Bergamo, where she teaches courses in entrepreneurship, international business, and sustainable development. She serves as co-Director of StartCup, an educational program designed to transform entrepreneurial aspirations into action and guide participants through new venture creation. Her academic appointments include teaching Globalization and Sustainable Development, Applied Internationalization, New Business Venturing, Principles of Management and Social Analysis, and Start-Up and Ecosystems for Innovation.

Dr. Scarlata earned her PhD in Management Sciences from ESADE Business School in Barcelona, Spain, along with a Diploma of Advanced Studies (DEA) from the same institution. She also holds an MSc in Finance from Bocconi University. Her educational background provides a strong foundation for her interdisciplinary research that bridges business theory with practical entrepreneurial applications.

Her research primarily focuses on understanding resource acquisition mechanisms for new ventures and how diverse actors collaborate to foster entrepreneurial ecosystems. She has developed significant expertise in social ventures, impact investing, and social venture capital, particularly examining how organizations with multiple objectives secure resources. A substantial portion of her work investigates the role of global certifications like B Corp in shaping hybrid ventures and their performance outcomes. More recently, she has explored how universities can function as catalysts for new firm development, examining the emergence and evolution of university-based accelerators and entrepreneurial support systems.

Analysis of her recent publications (2021-2025) reveals a clear trajectory toward examining the intersection of traditional business models with social impact frameworks. Her work increasingly focuses on the identity challenges faced by hybrid organizations, the certification processes for socially responsible businesses, and gender dynamics in impact investing. The publications demonstrate a methodological diversity spanning qualitative case studies, quantitative analyses of venture performance, and theoretical frameworks for understanding organizational identity in socially oriented enterprises.

• Dale Mayer Award for the most impactful research on social entrepreneurship

As an active academic leader, Dr. Scarlata serves on the Board of the Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference (BCERC) and provides consulting services to organizations developing social business models to generate economic and social impact. She is an editorial board member for the Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Business Venturing, and Journal of Social Entrepreneurship, and serves as an ad-hoc reviewer for prestigious journals including Journal of Management, Technovation, and Technological Forecasting & Social Change. Her research has appeared in top-tier journals such as Journal of Business Ethics, Information Systems Journal, Technovation, and International Small Business Journal.

Dr. Scarlata is actively engaged in the entrepreneurial ecosystem through StartCup, which functions as both an educational program and practical support system for new ventures. Her work bridges academic research with practical entrepreneurship support, creating a feedback loop between theoretical understanding and real-world application in venture creation and development.