Born in Milan, on 12/16/1958.

Graduated cum laude in Electronic Engineering at Politecnico di Milano in 1983.

1984-1991: CNR (National Research Council) research fellow, Centro di Teoria dei Sistemi, Politecnico di Milano.

1988-1989 and 1989-1990: contract professor of "Industrial Organization and Technical Change" at Politecnico di Milano.

1984-1991: teaching activity at postgraduate level in Industrial Economics and Economics of Technical Change (MBA course, MIP- Politecnico di Milano).

1992: Associate Professor of Industrial Economics at Politecnico di Milano.

1994: Full Professor of Applied Economics at University of Pavia.

2003: Full Professor of Economics of Technical Change at Politecnico di Milano.

2007-2012: Dean of the Doctoral Program in Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering, Politecnico di Milano

Since 2013: Deputy Director for Research and Rankings, School of Management, Politecnico di Milano

Since 2019: Deputy Director for Research, School of Management, Politecnico di Milano

Other appointments

Since 2008: Coordinator of the EIASM Doctoral seminar on Innovation management and economics

2010: Doctoral course in Economics of innovation and entrepreneurship, ETH Zurich

1992-1997: Member of the Board of the Association Internationale de Management Stratégique (AIMS).

1995-2000: Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of DRUID, Copenhagen.

1996-2012: Member of the Advisory Board of CIRET-Politecnico di Milano.

Since 1999: Member of the Advisory Board of CRORA-Università Bocconi.

2005-2008: Elected Representative al large, Knowledge and Innovation Interest Group, Strategic Management Society

2007-2022: Associate Editor of the Journal of Small Business Management.

2008-2021: Member of the Editorial Board, Journal of Business Economics and Management

2009-2011: Member of the Editorial Board, Journal of Management Studies.

Since 2010: Member of the Editorial Board, Journal of Technology Transfer.

2011-2021: Member of the Editorial Board, Entrepreneurship Research Journal

2014-2023: Chief editor of Journal of Business and Industrial Economics - Economia e Politica Industriale

Since 2015: Member of the Editorial Board, Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal

Since 2016: Member of the Editorial Board, CERN IdeaSquare Journal of Experimental Innovation

2017-2019: President of the Associazione Italiana di Ingegneria Gestionale.

Since 2020: Member of the Board, MIP (POLIMI Graduate School of Management).

Since 2021: Member of the Board, University of Trento.

2023-: Member of the Editorial Board, Venture Capital.

2023.: President of the Bureau of Entrepreneurial Finance

2024-: President of the Entrepreneurial Finance Association.

The main areas of research of Massimo G. Colombo are as follows:

1. Entrepreneurship: founders’ characteristics, start-ups’ organization and post-entry innovation and growth performances,
2. Entrepreneurial finance: venture capital, crowfunding, policy in support of high-growth entrepreneurial ventures and SMEs;
3. Alliances, acquisitions and open innovation: alliance governance; implementation of high-tech acquisitions;
4. Diffusion of advanced technologies and organizational innovations;
5. Economics of organizational design.

Massimo G. Colombo has participated in numerous research projects, promoted by the European Commisison, the Italian CNR (National Research Council), the Italian Ministry of Research (MIUR), and various private and public institutions. In particular, he was one of the coordinator of the Prospective Dossier n. 2 "Globalisation of Economy and Technology", Fast-Monitor project, EC-DG XII; was a member of the Steering Committee of the study contract on “Mergers and acquisitions and science and technology policy”, EC-DG Research; was the chairman of the steering committee of the FP6 PICO research project on “Academic entrepreneurship from knowledge creation to knowledge diffusion”; was the scientific coordinator of the FP7 VICO research project on “Financing entrepreneurial ventures in Europe: Impact on innovation, employment growth, and competitiveness”; and was member of the Facility Governance Board of the FP 7 RISIS project on “Research infrastructure for research and innovation policy studies”. He coordinated the CNR Research Project on “The determinants of the post-entry performances of new firms in ICT industries” and the MIUR National Research Project on “New technologies and entrepreneurship”. He has conducted consultancy work for governmental departments and international institutions, such as the European Investment Fund and the European Court of Auditors. In 2007 he has been member of the EC expert group on “Entrepreneurship in higher education institutions”. In 2018 he was appointed as Co-Chair of the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Policy Task Force for Think20 (T20) Summit in Tokyo in May, 2019.

Massimo G. Colombo is author (or co-author) of nine books and more than 120 peer reviewed publications in international journals. In particular, he published in journals such as Science, the Strategic Management Journal, Research Policy, the Journal of Business Venturing, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, the Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, the Journal of Management Studies, the Human Resource Management Journal, the Journal of Industrial Economics, the International Journal of Industrial Organization, the Journal of Economics and Management Strategy, the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, Cambridge Journal of Economics, Economics Letters, Industrial and Corporate Change, the Journal of Banking and Finance, Small Business Economics, the Journal of Small Business Management, and others.

1. Colombo, M.G., D’Adda, D., Piva, E., “The contribution of university research to the growth of academic start-ups: an empirical analysis”, Journal of Technology Transfer, 2010, 35,113–140
2. Colombo, M.G., Mustar, P., Wright, M., “Dynamics of science-based entrepreneurship”, Journal of Technology Transfer, 2010, 35, 1-15
3. Bertoni, F., Colombo, M.G., Croce, A., “The effect of venture capital financing on the sensitivity to cash flow of firm’s investments”, European Financial Management, 2010, 16, 528–551.
4. Colombo, M.G., Grilli, L., “On growth drivers of high-tech start-ups: The role of founders’ human capital and venture capital”, Journal of Business Venturing, 2010, 25, 610-626.
5. Colombo, M.G., Luukkonen, T., Mustar, P., Wright, M., “Venture capital and high-tech start-ups”, Venture capital, 2010, 12, 261-266.
6. Colombo, M.G., Grilli, L., Murtinu, S., “R&D subsidies and the performance of high-tech start-ups”, 2011, Economic Letters, 112, 97–99.
7. Colombo, M.G., Laursen, K., Magnusson, M., Rossi Lamastra, C., “Organizing Inter- and Intra-firm Networks: What is the impact on innovation performance?”, Industry & Innovation, 2011, 18, 531-538.
8. Bertoni, F., Colombo, M.G., Grilli, L., “Venture capital financing and the growth of high-tech start-ups: Disentangling treatment from selection effects”, 2011, Research Policy, 40 (7), 1028-1043.
9. Colombo, M.G., Rabbiosi, L., Reichstein, T., “Organizing for external knowledge sourcing”, European Management Review, 2011, 8, 111–116 .
10. Colombo, M.G., Piva, E., “Firms’ genetic characteristics and competence-enlarging strategies: A comparison of academic and non-academic high-tech start-ups”, Research Policy, 2012, 41, 79– 92.
11. Colombo M.G., Laursen K., Magnusson M., Rossi-Lamastra C. “Small business and networked innovation: organizational and managerial challenges”, Journal of Small Business Management, 2012, 50(2), 181–190.
12. Colombo, M.G., Piva, E., Rentocchini, F., “The effects of incubation on academic and non-academic high-tech start-ups: evidence from Italy”, Economics of Innovation and New Technology, 2012, 21(5-6) ,505-527.
13. Colombo, M.G., Croce, A., Guerini, M., “Is the Italian government effective in relaxing the financial constraints of high technology firms?”, Prometeus, 2012, 30, 73-96.
14. Colombo, M.G. Piva, E., Rossi Lamastra, C., “Authorizing employees to collaborate with communities during working hours: When is it valuable for firms?”, Long Range Planning, 2013, 46(3), 236-257.
15. Colombo, M.G., Grilli, L., “The creation of a middle-management level by entrepreneurial ventures: Testing economic theories of organizational design”, Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, 2013, 22(2), 390-422
16. Bertoni, F., Colombo, M.G., Grilli, L., “Venture capital investor type and the growth mode of new technology-based firms”, Small Business Economics, 2013, 40 (3), 527-552.
17. Colombo, M.G., Giannangeli, S., Grilli, L., “Public subsidies and the employment growth of high-tech start-ups: assessing the impact of selective and automatic support schemes”, Industrial & Corporate Change, 2013, 22(5), 1273–1314.
18. Colombo, M. G., Croce, A., Grilli, L., “ICT services and small businesses’ productivity gains: an analysis of the adoption of broadband Internet technology”, Information Economics and Policy, 2013, 25(3), 171–189
19. Bonaccorsi, A., Colombo, M.G., Guerini, M., Rossi Lamastra, C., “University specialization and new firm creation across industries”, Small Business Economics, 2013, 41, 837–863
20. Colombo, M.G., Croce, A., Guerini, M., “The effect of public subsidies on firms’ investment-cash flow sensitivity: transient or persistent?”, Research Policy, 2013, 42, 1605– 1623.
21. Colombo, M.G., Croce, A., Murtinu, S., “Ownership Structure, Horizontal Agency Costs and the Performance of High-Tech Entrepreneurial Firms”, Small Business Economics, 2014, 42, 265–282.
22. Colombo, M.G. Piva, E., Rossi Lamastra, C., “The sensitivity of high-tech entrepreneurial ventures’ employment to a sales contraction in a negative growth scenario: The moderating role of venture capital financing”, Managerial and Decision Economics, 2014, 35, 73-87.
23. Colombo, M.G., Croce, A., Guerini, M., “Does informal risk capital relax the financial constraints of high-tech entrepreneurial ventures?”, Applied Economics Letters, 2014, 21 (5), 335–339.
24. Colombo, M.G., De Massis, A., Piva, E., Rossi Lamastra, C., Wright, M., “Sales and Employment Changes in Entrepreneurial Ventures with Family Ownership: Empirical Evidence from High-tech Industries”, Journal of Small Business Management, 2014 52(2), 226–245
25. Colombo, M.G. Piva, E., Rossi Lamastra, C., “Open innovation and within-industry diversification in small and medium enterprises: The case of Open Source software firms”, Research Policy, 2014, 43, 891-902.
26. Colombo, M.G., Rabbiosi, L., “Technological similarity, post-acquisition R&D reorganization, and innovation performance in horizontal acquisitions”, Research Policy, 2014, 43, 1039-1054.
27. Bonaccorsi, A., Colombo, M.G., Guerini, M., Rossi Lamastra,C., “The impact of local and external university knowledge on the creation of knowledge-intensive firms: Evidence from ther Italian case”, Small Business Economics, 2014, 43(2), 261-287.
28. Battisti, G., Colombo, M.G., Rabbiosi, L., “Simultaneous versus sequential complementarity in the adoption of technological and organizational innovations: the case of innovations in the design sphere”, Industrial & Corporate Change, 2015, 24(2), 345-382.
29. Colombo, M.G., Franzoni, C., Rossi Lamastra, C., “Internal social capital and the attraction of early contributions in crowdfunding”, Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, 2015, 39 (1), pp. 75-100.
30. Colombo, M.G., Franzoni, C., Crossi Lamastra, C., “Cash from crowd”, Science, 2015, 12 (June), pp. 1201-1202.
31. Colombo, M.G., Franzoni, C., Veugelers, R., “Going Radical: Producing and Transferring Disruptive Innovation”, Journal of Technology Transfer, 2015, 40(4), 663-669.
32. Colombo, M.G., Doganova, L., Piva, E., D'Adda, D., “Hybrid alliances and radical innovation: the performance implications of integrating exploration and exploitation”, Journal of Technology Transfer, 2015, 40(4), 696-722.
33. Bertoni, F., Colombo, M.G., Quas, A., "The Patterns of Venture Capital Investment in Europe", Small Business Economics, 2015, 45(3), 543-560.
34. Colombo, M.G., Rossi Lamastra, C., Matassini, B., 2015 “The organizational design of high-tech entrepreneurial ventures”, Foundations and Trends in Entrepreneurship, 2016, 11 (6), p. 427-523.
35. Colombo, M.G., Shafi, K., “The impact of patenting on the size of high-tech firms: the role of venture capital and product market regulation”, Economia e Politica Industriale – Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, 2016, 43(1), 85-103
36. Colombo, M.G., Cumming, D., Vismara, S., “Governmental venture capital for innovative young firms”, Journal of Technology Transfer, 2016, 41(1), 10-24
37. Colombo, M.G., Cumming, D., Mohammadi, A., Rossi Lamastra, C., Wadwha, A., “Open business models and venture capital finance”, Industrial and Corporate Change, 2016, 25 (2), 353-370
38. Colombo, M.G., D’Adda, D., Pirelli, L., “The participation of new technology-based firms in EU-funded R&D partnerships: The role of venture capital”, Research Policy, 2016, 45(2), 361-375
39. Colombo, M.G., Shafi, K., “Initial Trust And The Collaborations Between New Ventures And Corporate Venture Capitals”, Academtìy of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings, 2016 (1), 141-152.
40. Colombo, M.G., Shafi, K., “Swimming with sharks in Europe: When are they dangerous and what can new ventures do to defend themselves?”, Strategic Management Journal, 2016, 37(11), 2307-2322
41. Colombo, M.G., Piva, E., Quas, A., Rossi Lamastra, C., How high-tech entrepreneurial ventures cope with the global crisis: changes in product innovation and internationalization strategies, 2016, Industry & Innovation, 23(7), 647-671ù
42. Colombo, MG, Moreira, S., Rabbiosi, L., Learning-By-Being-Acquired: Post-Acquisition R&D Team Reorganization and Knowledge Transfer, 2016, Academy of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings (1):17359
43. Colombo, M.G., Murtinu, S., “Venture Capital Investments in Europe and Portfolio Firms' Economic Performance: Independent versus Corporate Investors”, Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, 2017, 26(1), 35-66
44. Butticè, V., Colombo, M.G., Wright, M., “Serial crowdfunding, social capital, and project success”, Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, 2017, 41(2), 183-207 doi:10.1111/etap.12271
45. Aghasi, K., Colombo, M.G., Rossi Lamastra C., “Acquisitions of small high-tech firms as a mechanism for external knowledge sourcing: The integration-autonomy dilemma”, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2017, 120, pp. 334-346
46. Colombo, M.G., Rossi Lamastra, C., Stephan, P., Von Krogh, G., “Organizing for Radical Innovation: Exploring Novel Insights”, Journal of Product Innovation Management, 2017, 34(4), pp. 394-405
47. Block, J.H., Colombo, M.G., Cumming, D.J., Vismara, S. “New players in entrepreneurial finance and why they are there”, Small Business Economics, 2018, 50(2), pp. 239-250
48. Colombo, M. G., Dagnino, G. B., Lehmann, E. E., Salmador, M. P. ”The Governance of the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem”, Small Business Economics, 2019, 52(2), pp. 419-428
49. Colombo, M.G., Meoli, M., Vismara, S. “Signaling in science-based IPOs: The combined effect of affiliation with prestigious universities, underwriters, and venture capitalists”, Journal of Business Venturing, 2019, 34(1), pp. 141-177.
50. Butticè, V., Colombo, M.G., Fumagalli, E., Orsenico, C., “Green Oriented Crowdfunding Campaigns: Their Characteristics and Diffusion in Different Institutional Settings”, Technological Forecasting & Social Change, 2019, 141, pp. 85-97.
51. Colombo, M.G., D’Adda, D., Quas, A. “The geography of venture capital and entrepreneurial ventures' demand for external equity”, Research Policy, 2019, 48(5), pp. 1150-1170.
52. Colombo, M.G., Piva, E. “Knowledge misappropriation risks and contractual complexity in entrepreneurial ventures’ non-equity alliances”, Small Business Economics, 2019, 53(1), 107-127.
53. Bertoni, F., Colombo, M.G., Quas, A. "The role of Governmental Venture Capital in the Venture Capital ecosystem: An organizational ecology perspective", Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, 2019, 43(3), 611-628.
54. Bertoni, F., Colombo, M.G., Quas, A., Tenca, F., “The changing patterns of venture capital investments in Europe”, Journal of Industrial and Business Economics-Economia e Politica Industriale, 2019, 46(2), 229–250.
55. Burton, D., Colombo, M.G., Rossi Lamastra, C., Wasserman, N., “The organizational design of entrepreneurial ventures”, Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, 2019, 13(3), pp. 243-255.
56. Colombo, M.G., Piva, E., “Student entrepreneurs: the impact on entrepreneurial entry of university education in STEM fields”, Research Policy, 2020, 49(6), 103993.
57. Colombo, M.G., Piva, E., Quas., A. Rossi Lamastra, C. “Dynamic capabilities and high-tech entrepreneurial ventures’ performance in the aftermath of an environmental jolt”, 2021, Long Range Planning, 2020, 102026.
58. Colombo, M.G. Shafi, K., “Receiving External Equity Following Successfully Crowdfunded Technological Projects: An Informational Mechanism”, Small Business Economics, 2021, 56(4), pp.1507-1529.
59. Colombo, M.G., Foss, N.J., Lyngsie, J., Rossi Lamastra., C. “What drives the delegation of innovation decisions? The roles of firm innovation strategy and the nature of external knowledge“, 2021, Research Policy, 50(1), 104134.
60. Ughetto E., Croce, A., Schwienbacher, A., Colombo, M.G., Brem, A., “Digital technologies and the changing entrepreneurial finance landscape: Status quo and perspectives for future research”, Technological Forecasting & Social Change, 2021, 68, 120768
61. Colombo, M.G., Guerini, M., Rossi Lamastra, C., "The “first match” between high-tech entrepreneurial ventures and universities: The role of founders’ social ties", Journal of Technology Transfer, 2022, 47(1), pp. 270–306
62. Aghasi, K., Colombo, M.G., Rossi-Lamastra, C., “Post-Acquisition Retention of Target Founder-CEOs: Looking Beneath the Surface”, Journal of Management Studies, 2022, 59(4), 958-997.
63. Colombo, M.G., Guerci, M., Rovelli, P., “The effects of firm financialization on human resource management: How financialization affects the design of managerial jobs”, Human Resource Management Journal, 2022, 32(3), pp. 647–663
64. Colombo, M.G., Fisch, C., Momtaz, P.P., Vismara, S., “The CEO beauty premium: Founder CEO attractiveness and firm valuation in initial coin offerings”, Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, 2022, 16(3): 491–521
65. Bertoni, F., Bonini, S., Capizzi, V., Colombo, M.G., Manigart, S., “Digitization in the Market for Entrepreneurial Finance: Innovative Business Models and New Financing Channels”, Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, 2022, 46(5): 1120–1135.
66. Colombo, M.G., Montanaro, B., Vismara, S. “What drives the valuation of entrepreneurial ventures? A map to navigate the literature and research directions”. Small Business Economics, 2023, 61(1), pp. 59–84.
67. Colombo, M.G., Guerini, M., Hoisl, K., Zeiner, N., “The Dark Side of Signals: Patents Protecting Radical Inventions and Venture Capital Investments”, Research Policy, 2023, 52(5), 104741.
68. Bertoni, F., Colombo, M.G., Quas, A., “The long-term effects of loan guarantees on SME performance”, Journal of Corporate Finance, 2023, 80.102408.
69. Pierrakis, Y., Berbegal-Mirabent, J., Dolors Gil-Doménech, Colombo, M.G., “Academic institutions and the changing entrepreneurial finance landscape”, Venture Capital, 2023, 25(3), 205-217.
70. Colombo, M.G., Hoisl, K., Reichstein, T., Torrisi, S., “Open innovation, value creation and value capture: An introduction”, Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, 2023, 50(4), 731–742.
71. Aghasi, K., Colombo, M.G., Piscitello., L., Rossi Lamastra, C., “Cultural distance and the permanence of acquired CEOs in cross-border high-tech acquisitions: Combining the acquirer's and CEO's perspectives”, R&D Management, 2024, 54(3), pp. 450–469.
72. Butticè, V., Colombo, M.G., Rovelli, P., “Venture capital and the delegation of decision authority in startups: an exploratory study”, Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, 2024, published on line.
73. Colombo, M.G., Montanaro, B., Shafi, K., “Dancing with strangers? Initial trust and the formation of initial ties between new ventures and corporate venture capitalists”, Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, 2024, 48(5), 1223-1265.
74. Colombo, M.G., Lucarelli, C., Marinelli, N., Micozzi, A., “Emergence of new firms: A test of the resource-based view, signaling and behavioral perspectives”, International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 2024, 20(2), 1153–1196.
75. Colombo, M.G., Shafi, K., "Firms' venture capital affiliation, platforms' "skin in the game", and the success of equity crowdfunding campaigns", Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, 2025, published on line.
76. Cavallo, A., Colombo, M.G., Foss, N.J., “Internal organization and absorptive capacity in open innovation contexts: the roles of gatekeeping, task specialization, and delegation”, 2025, Industrial and Corporate Change, forthcoming
77. Li, J., Colombo, M.G., Rossi Lamastra, C., Brush, C.G., "Gender disparities in entrepreneurial finance: Drivers, mechanisms, boundary conditions, and future research avenues", Journal of Technology Transfer, forthcoming

1. Papers selected for the Proceedings of the 2016 Academy of Management Meeting (Best Papers). Colombo, M.G., Moreira, S., Rabbiosi, L., "Learning-By-Being-Acquired: Post-Acquisition R&D Team Reorganization and Knowledge Transfer".
2. Best paper award, EDIM 2015 conference. Spina, L., Bartezzaghi, E., Cagliano, R., Colombo, M.G., Longoni, A., Rossi Lamastra, C., Rovelli, P., “Opportunity Exploitation and TMT’s Organizational Configurations”.
3. Best Paper Award, “Uddevalla Symposium 2013”. Bonaccorsi A., Colombo M.G., Guerini M., Rossi Lamastra C. The role of geographical, social and cognitive proximity in collaborations between high-tech entrepreneurialventures and universities. Kansas City, USA, 13-15 June, 2013.
4. Best Paper Award ‘Runner up’, “First international entrepreneurship research AOM exemplars conference”. Colombo M.G., Franzoni C., Rossi-Lamastra C. What determines the success of crowdfunding projects? The crucial role of early backers. Catania, Italy, 23-25 May, 2013.
5. 2009 Award of the UAM-Accenture Chair in Economics and Management of Innovation. Colombo, M.G., D’Adda, D., Evila, P., Rossi Lamastra, C., “The innovation impact of the allocation of decision authority in the acquisition of high-tech start-ups: integrating competence-and resource-based theories with multi-task agency theory”.
6. 2006 RENT Conference, Bruxelles. Gate2Growth 2006 First Best Paper Award.
7. 2006 RENT Conference, Bruxelles. Gate2Growth 2006 Second Best Paper Award. Bertoni, F., Colombo M.G., Croce A., “Venture Capital and the Investments of New Technology Based Firms”.

Member of the ANVUR GEV (expert group on research evaluation), 2016.

Member of the ANVUR workgroup on the evaluation of the third mission of universities, 2015.

Member of the expert group on entrepreneurial education, European Commission, 2004.