About

I am a Professor of Management Science & Engineering at Stanford University, Co-Director for International Entrepreneurship at the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP), and the W.M. Keck Foundation Faculty Scholar.

My research examines how institutional environments, industrial policy, export controls, and platform design shape entrepreneurial outcomes. Recent and ongoing work spans US export controls and the global reallocation of venture capital, the effects of the Inflation Reduction Act on cleantech entrepreneurship, China's industrial subsidies and prefecture-level entrepreneurship, the algorithmic financing of online misinformation (published in Nature), and a long-running collaboration with Bill Miller estimating the global economic impact of Stanford alumni-founded companies. My methods range from quasi-experimental causal inference to LLM-based text analysis of regulatory and policy corpora.

Through STVP's global programs I have taught and run field research across six continents, reaching more than 200,000 students. I teach MS&E 272 (Entrepreneurship Without Borders, co-taught with Vimbayi Kajese) and MS&E 379 (a PhD-level course on causal inference), and serve as faculty advisor to BASES, Stanford's largest entrepreneurship student organization.

Beyond Stanford, I am an independent non-executive director and Remuneration Committee chair at Vobile Group (HKEX: 3738), a Venture Partner and LP at Brave Capital, and an active angel investor. I co-founded NovoEd (acquired by Devonshire Investors/Fidelity) and co-founded the Zhou & Eesley Family Foundation with my wife Lijie Zhou, supporting computer science training, entrepreneurship training, and mission-related investments for underserved communities globally. I'm also an annual rider for the American Diabetes Association's Tour de Cure and the National MS Society's Waves to Wine.

Education

PhD, Management - 2009

MIT Sloan School of Management, Cambridge, MA: Advisor: Edward B. Roberts

BS, Neuroscience - 2002

Duke University, Durham, NC

Honors
  • Stanford Social Impact Labs Design Fellowship (2024)
  • IACMR-RRBM Responsible Research in Management Award (2020)
  • Technical University of Munich Research Award (2018)
  • Industry Studies Association Giarratani Rising Star Award, Runner-Up (2018)
  • W.M. Keck Foundation Faculty Scholar (2017)
  • Inaugural Richard Schulze Distinguished Professorship (2015)
  • Best Dissertation Award, Business Policy and Strategy Division, Academy of Management (2009)
  • Kauffman Foundation Dissertation Fellowship (2009)
National Service
  • National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine — GUIPRR Workshop participant, presenter on macroeconomics of research investment (April 2026)
  • National Science Foundation — Advisor, Enhancing NSF's Impact on STEM Translation and Commercialization Success (Award #2337688) (2023–2026)
  • National Science Foundation — I-Corps Pre- and Post-Program Trainer (2023–2026)
  • National Science Foundation — Reviewer, I-Corps Program Special Project, Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (2024)
  • National Science Foundation — Grant Review Panel Member, Future of Work at the Human-Technology Frontier (2020)
Editorial Service
  • Editorial Board, Strategic Management Journal (2014–present)
  • Editorial Board, Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal (2021–present)
For Prospective Students
I advise PhD students in MS&E whose work intersects entrepreneurship, institutional design, industrial policy, AI's effects on innovation, or the global political economy of technology. I'm most useful to students who already have a research question they're chasing and want sharp methodological feedback. Prospective Stanford PhD applicants should apply through the MS&E PhD program directly; I do not pre-screen applications. For undergraduate research opportunities, I typically hire through the MS&E REU program, the King Center on Global Development, and the Doerr School Sustainability Accelerator (EcoRamp); please apply through those programs directly. I host visiting scholars and visiting PhD students only rarely and on a case-by-case basis; I am not able to respond individually to most such inquiries.
Selected Roles

Professor of Management Science & Engineering

Stanford University · 2009–present

Tenured faculty member at Stanford School of Engineering. W.M. Keck Foundation Faculty Scholar. Co-Director for International Entrepreneurship at the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP). Faculty advisor to BASES.

Independent Non-Executive Director, Remuneration Committee Chair

Vobile Group (HKEX: 3738) · 2018–present

Independent board director at a Hong Kong-listed technology company specializing in digital content protection and monetization.

Venture Partner & LP

Brave Capital · 2023–present

Venture partner and limited partner. Active angel investor across approximately two dozen early-stage technology companies.

Co-Founder

Zhou & Eesley Family Foundation · 2021–present

Co-founded with Lijie Zhou. Supports computer science training, entrepreneurship training, and mission-related investments for underserved communities globally. Foundation site.

Co-Founder

NovoEd (acquired by Devonshire Investors / Fidelity) · founded 2013

Co-founded the online learning platform spun out of Stanford research, later acquired by Devonshire Investors, the private equity arm of Fidelity.

Co-Director

Advancing Technology Ventures Program (Stanford Engineering × ITRI) · 2013–present

A 12-week Stanford Engineering program developed in partnership with Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute, mentoring deep-tech startup teams on commercial development and global market entry.

Faculty Director

Stanford BOSP Shenzhen Global Seminar · August 2026

Faculty director for Stanford's Bing Overseas Studies Program seminar based at InnoX Academy in Shenzhen, examining China's innovation ecosystem.

Steering Committee Member

Stanford King Center on Global Development · 2024–present

Steering committee member at Stanford's hub for research on poverty alleviation and global development through entrepreneurship and policy.

Advisor

Blackbird Technologies (acquired by Etsy, 2016)

Advisor to the AI/ML search and recommendation startup, founded by Nikhil Raghavan and Manju Rajashekar; acquired by Etsy in 2016 to power Etsy's search platform.

Associate

Flagship Ventures, Cambridge, MA · 2007–2009

Associate at the early-stage biotech and sustainability venture capital firm, while completing PhD studies at MIT Sloan.

Associate

Lux Capital · 2006–2007

Associate at the deep-tech venture firm. Worked on Lux's investment in Genocea Biosciences, the cancer immunotherapy and vaccine platform; Genocea later went public on NASDAQ (GNCA).

Founder

Lobby 10 Consulting · 2006–2009

Founded Lobby 10, a strategy consulting practice, while a PhD student at MIT Sloan.

Early Employee

NeuroCog Trials / VeraSci (acquired by WCG, 2021)

Joined as an early employee of the cognitive assessment company founded in 2004 by Duke psychiatry professor Richard Keefe, for whom Chuck had been a research assistant at Duke. The company developed standardized cognitive measures for clinical trials in schizophrenia and other neuropsychiatric conditions; rebranded from NeuroCog Trials to VeraSci, and acquired by WCG (now WCG VeraSci) in July 2021.

Consulting & Advisory Engagements

Evaluation & Benchmarking of the World Food Programme Accelerator

United Nations World Food Programme · 2024–2025

Independent evaluation and competitive benchmarking of the United Nations World Food Programme's accelerator for food-systems and humanitarian-context startups. Engagement included program design review, comparison against peer accelerators in emerging-market and fragile-state settings, and recommendations on cohort selection, mentorship structure, and capital deployment. Engagement managed by a Big Four advisory firm.

Speaking & Convenings (Recent)
  • National Academies, GUIPRR Workshop — Washington, DC (April 2026)
  • Nanyang Technological University — Singapore (January 2026)
  • UNLV Troesh Research Conference (2026)
  • Aramco Lab7 Corporate Innovation Program — multi-session keynote series
Research Interests
  • Entrepreneurship & innovation
  • Institutional environments
  • Industrial policy
  • Export controls
  • Venture capital
  • Platform design
  • Causal inference
  • LLM-based text analysis
  • US-China comparative analysis
  • Higher education & entrepreneurship
© 2026 Chuck Eesley