MFI Entrepreneurship Research Conference
A page within Menard Family Initiative
Entrepreneurship Research Conference with an Emphasis on Occupational Regulations
Guest speakers Siri Terjesen and Diana Hechavarria
Join us for the fifth annual Entrepreneurship Research Conference, on Monday, October 19th - Tuesday, October 20th, 2026, which brings together leading scholars, students, entrepreneurs, and community members for thought-provoking conversations on entrepreneurship, research, and the regulatory environment that shapes opportunity and innovation.
Dr. Siri Terjesen is a Professor & Associate Dean for Research and External Relations at Florida Atlantic University. Dr. Terjesen is an internationally recognized expert in business and is amongst the world’s top 2% most cited scholars (Clarivate).
At the MFI Entrepreneurship Research Conference, Dr. Terjesen will be discussing Playing by the Rules? How Government Policy Helps and Hurts Entrepreneurs. This presentation will dissect how governments everywhere say they want more entrepreneurs. They offer grants, tax breaks, incubators, and loan guarantees, while also piling on permits, paperwork, and rules that change without warning.
So does policy help or hurt? Dr. Terjesen will discuss entrepreneurs who bent or broke the rules and changed the law in the process. The talk closes with what the next generation of founders should know about reading, navigating, and even rewriting the rules of the game.
Dr. Diana M. Hechavarria is a professor of entrepreneurship at Babson College who researches nascent entrepreneurship. Her work examines the intricate dynamics people encounter during the early stages of launching new ventures, with a particular emphasis on gender and minority perspectives.
During the MFI Entrepreneurship Research Conference, Dr. Hechavarria will talk on Who Becomes an Entrepreneur in America? Throughout, Dr. Hechavarria examines how the face of American entrepreneurship has changed dramatically. Drawing on 25 years of Global Entrepreneurship Monitor data covering more than 100,000 U.S. adults, this talk traces a striking reversal: Black and Latino Americans now start businesses at higher rates than any other group, yet they remain far less likely to own established firms.
The presentation will conclude with what policy can, and cannot, do when some barriers to entrepreneurship are rooted in deeply embedded cultural norms.
2025 Entrepreneurship Research Conference
On Wednesday, October 15th and Thursday, October 16th, the MFI hosted its fourth annual Entrepreneurship Research Conference. The conference included a Visionary Ventures poster session where students presented entrepreneurial ideas, two keynotes, two academic sessions on various entrepreneurship topics, and two panel discussions titled Unresolved Questions and Future Directions of Entrepreneurship Research and The Future of Self-Employment and Entrepreneurship.
The annual MFI Entrepreneurship Research Conference created an environment for dialogue between scholars, entrepreneurs, and students. Presentations and keynotes explored a wide range of important topics. The event brought together diverse voices from research, business, and education, creating a space where ideas could spark action. By fostering dialogue and partnership across sectors, the conference emphasized how collaboration is essential for driving innovation and shaping the future of entrepreneurship
2024 Entrepreneurship Research Conference
The Menard Family Initiative is pleased to announce we successfully hosted our Third Annual Entrepreneurship Research Conference that took place from Wednesday, October 9th to Thursday, October 10th, in Cleary Great Hall! This exciting two-day event brought together leading scholars from across the country to share groundbreaking research on entrepreneurship, innovation, and economic development.
Our two keynote speakers:
Dr. Frank Fossen from the College of Business, University of Nevada, Reno
Dr. Fossen is a Professor of Economics and the Charles N. Mathewson Professor in Entrepreneurship at the Department of Economics at the University of Nevada, Reno. He is also a Research Fellow of IZA. Before joining the University of Nevada, Reno in October 2016, he was an Assistant Professor of Public Economics at Freie Universität Berlin, Germany.
Dr. Christopher Boudreaux from the College of Business at Florida Atlantic University
Dr. Boudreaux is an associate professor of economics at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) and a research fellow for the Phil Smith Center for Free Enterprise. He earned his PhD from Florida State University and taught at Texas A&M International University before FAU. His teaching and research interests are primarily related to entrepreneurship and innovation.
