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FSB Directory

Anna-Katharina Lenz

Lance & Diane White Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship


Anna-Katharina Lenz

Contact Information

Office Hours

  • Mon 3:00-5:00pm

Links

* Accessible version of PDF available upon request.

Profile

Academic Background

  • Prior to joining Miami University, I was Lecturer in Entrepreneurship at the School of Management of RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. I earned my Ph.D. from Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV-EBAPE), where I also completed a Post-Doc in 2019. Prior to working in Brazil, I did my Master of Science in International Business and Politics at Copenhagen Business School. My undergrad studies were in Philosophy and Economics at the University of Bayreuth, Germany, with exchange terms at the National University of Singapore and Weber State University.
  • I am fluent in German, English, and Portuguese.

Academic & Professional Experience

  • My research interest lies in the intersection of entrepreneurship, poverty and inequality. I am particularly interested in how it is possible to facilitate entrepreneurship at the Base-of-the-Pyramid and what we can learn from the intersection of behavior theory and entrepreneurship in order to promote sustainable growth and entrepreneurial development. I believe in practice-influenced research and work closely with Sebrae, the biggest small business support service in Brazil, and several other private and not-for-profit organizations. Over the years, I have been conducting and managing a number of large Randomized Field Experiments directed to increase the formalization of entrepreneurs, their managerial capacity, growth, and tax compliance in Brazil. Together with Prof. Renata Brito, I founded the Center of Microentrepreneurship at PUC/Rio de Janeiro. I am also an affiliated researcher at the Center for Entrepreneurship and New Businesses (FGV-CENN) in Sao Paulo and a visiting researcher at FGV-EBAPE.
  • As a consultant, I count several years of experience in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of Development Projects. I recently worked with UNDP and the Ministry of Economics in Brazil on defining policy guidelines for the support of women entrepreneurs in Brazil. I actively support a number of social projects and NGOs in Brazil.

Recent Publications

  • Brito, R. P. D., Lenz, A. K., & Pacheco, M. G. M. (2022). Resilience building among small businesses in low-income neighborhoods. Journal of Small Business Management, 1-36.
  • Lenz, A. K., & Brito, R. (2022). Microentrepreneurship in Brazil: Mind the Gap. In Brazilian Entrepreneurship (pp. 11-25). Springer International.
  • Goldszmidt, R., Behr, P., Zucco, C., Lenz, A. K., Gonzalez, L., & Valdivia, M. (2022). Microcredit impacts: Evidence from a large-scale observational study in Brazil. The European Journal of Development Research, 34(4), 1940-1966.
  • Lenz, A. K., Sutter, C., Goldszmidt, R., & Zucco, C. (2021). Venture distress and problemistic search among entrepreneurs in Brazilian favelas. Journal of Business Venturing, 36(6), 106162.
  • Bruton, G., Sutter, C., & Lenz, A. K. (2021). Economic inequality - Is entrepreneurship the cause or the solution? A review and research agenda for emerging economies. Journal of Business Venturing, 36(3), 106095.
  • Zucco, C., Lenz, A. K., Goldszmidt, R., & Valdivia, M. (2020). Face-to-face vs. virtual assistance to entrepreneurs: Evidence from a field experiment in Brazil. Economics Letters, 188, 108922.
  • Barki, E., de Campos, J. G. F., Lenz, A. K., Kimmitt, J., Stephan, U., & Naigeborin, V. (2020). Support for social entrepreneurs from disadvantaged areas navigating crisis: Insights from Brazil. Journal of Business Venturing Insights, 14, e00205.

Honors & Awards

  • RMIT CoBL 2020 Learning & Teaching Award 

Biography

Courses

  • FALL 2023