Chiara Spina

Chiara Spina

INSEAD professor of entrepreneurship and family enterprise.

RECOGNITION

Top 40 Under 40 – Poets&Quants.

FUN FACT

An award-winning baker and global traveller.

Ideas

Chiara’s research examines how entrepreneurial firms use systematic decision-making and experimentation to drive innovation and growth. She studies emerging practices such as accelerators, hackathons, and crowdfunding, often working alongside government agencies and incubation hubs to understand how these mechanisms shape entrepreneurial outcomes. Chiara’s work highlights how adopting a scientific, evidence-based approach to decision-making can help founders reduce risk and improve the likelihood of success. Her recent studies also explore the inherent vulnerabilities of entrepreneurial activity and the tools that can help mitigate them. Through this research, she provides practical insights into how entrepreneurs can innovate more effectively and navigate uncertainty with greater confidence.

Bio

An assistant professor of entrepreneurship and family enterprise at INSEAD, Chiara is the director of pre-acceleration programs in Italy, the UK, and India, where she has worked with more than 1,500 start-ups. In this role, she combines the latest management practices with research insights to help deliver cutting-edge training and mentorship programs. Chiara is also the co-founder of Strategy Insight Lab, a business support program that has helped 250+ entrepreneurs adopt innovative practices that resulted in significant revenue growth. She has worked with governments, as well as with multinationals in commodities, technology, and in the financial sector across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and North America and received her PhD in business administration and management from Bocconi University.

Content

The Science Behind Entrepreneurial Failure and Success (TEDx Talks, 2022). ‘Pourquoi les startuppers devraient adopter le méthode scientifique’ (Harvard Business Review France, 2021);’ Using Science to Enhance the Customer Experience’ (INSEAD Knowledge, 2021); ‘Is there a scientific formula for start-up success?’ (INSEAD Knowledge, 2020); ‘Founders, Apply the Scientific Method to Your Startup’ (Harvard Business Review, 2020); ‘Can you teach entrepreneurship? (Voice of Fintech podcast, 2020). Chiara’s work has been published in leading academic journals including Management Science and Strategic Management Journal.

Media picks

Icon of an open book.

Article:

Founders, Apply the Scientific Method to Your Startup

Verdict

“Unpicking the data behind startup success.”

– Thinkers50

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