Michael Mödl

Michael Mödl serves as a visiting lecturer at KU Leuven's Department of Management, Strategy and Innovation, focusing on the intersection of entrepreneurial finance and strategic decision-making. His work examines how startups navigate complex funding ecosystems through innovative financing mechanisms.

Mödl's research centers on entrepreneurship, innovation, and strategic management with specialized expertise in venture capital dynamics and crowdfunding. He investigates signaling effects in financing choices, contractual compatibility between funding sources, and quality uncertainty in equity pecking orders. His framework analyzes how startups strategically position themselves within hierarchical investor landscapes to optimize funding outcomes.

Analysis of his 2017-2024 publications reveals consistent thematic progression in entrepreneurial finance research. Early work established crowdfunding's role in venture capital selection (2017), evolving to examine deal-breaker terms (2021) and quality uncertainty in funding hierarchies (2024). His scholarship bridges theoretical concepts like pecking order theory with practical applications in startup financing, frequently appearing in Small Business Economics and presented at Strategic Management Society conferences.

Mödl actively contributes to academic development through research supervision and project leadership. He serves as co-promotor for a PhD position in Entrepreneurship (Ref. BAP-2023-36, 2023-2027) and leads the 'New developments in innovation financing' project (2020-2025) as promotor. His grant portfolio demonstrates sustained engagement with entrepreneurial finance research questions and doctoral mentorship.