Ted Baker

Ted Baker is a Professor and George F. Farris Chair in Entrepreneurship at Rutgers Business School, where he directs the Rutgers Advanced Institute for the Study of Entrepreneurship and Development (RAISED). He co-founded the Collaborative for Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialization (CTEC) at Rutgers and previously led similar initiatives at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and North Carolina State University. As Honorary Professor at the University of Cape Town and Senior Fellow at the Bertha Centre for Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship, he bridges global entrepreneurship with social impact. His co-founded programs include RU-Flourishing (supporting formerly incarcerated entrepreneurs) and the Urban Solutions Lab (prosocial entrepreneurship).

• Ph.D., University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, Sociology
• MA, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, Sociology
• MBA, University of Chicago
• BA, University of Massachusetts – Amherst, Sociology

His research examines entrepreneurship under resource constraints, focusing on 'entrepreneurial bricolage' and Founder Identity Theory (FIT). Current work explores how identity and cultural norms influence entrepreneurial behavior in collectivist societies, particularly in rural Kenya. Publications span journals like Academy of Management Journal and Journal of Business Venturing, with a recent book co-authored with Friederike Welter.

Recent publications highlight the tension between capitalist entrepreneurship and collectivist cultural norms in poverty alleviation programs. His 2024 study in Journal of Business Venturing (co-authored with Erin Powell and others) analyzes how religious identity enables entrepreneurs to navigate social friction in rural Kenya.

• 2020 Foundation Paper Award for entrepreneurship

Ted has advised Ph.D. students like Eun Ki Ro and Andrew Fultz. His programs such as RAISED and CTEC emphasize hands-on entrepreneurship education. He collaborates with institutions in South Africa, South Korea, and the U.S., integrating social psychology with entrepreneurial theory.