Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University
Question: What are your key areas of research?
Giuseppe Criaco: My research examines how founders’ preferences, motivations, and experiences shape the early strategies and outcomes of new ventures. I am particularly interested in how the personal backgrounds of entrepreneurs, whether rooted in their values, career paths, or prior affiliations, translate into strategic choices that influence firm growth and survival. I study these dynamics across different contexts, such as international entrepreneurship (IE), academic entrepreneurship and family business.
Question: What are you currently working on?
Giuseppe Criaco: At the moment, I am involved in several projects across my research areas. In the IE space, two stand out. The first examines how employment in foreign-owned firms can shape employees’ future entrepreneurial behavior and performance. These experiences may expose individuals to new ways of thinking, which can in turn inspire them to identify and pursue opportunities they might not have otherwise recognized. The second project is more conceptual and seeks to position IE as a transdisciplinary, phenomenon-driven domain. Rather than anchoring the field solely in international business or entrepreneurship, we argue that it can be enriched by integrating perspectives from adjacent social sciences. By doing so, we hope to build a more holistic and nuanced theoretical foundation for IE.
Question: What are a few of your personal hobbies?
Giuseppe Criaco: Cooking is one of my favorite ways to unwind, especially when I can experiment with new recipes. I also enjoy music and film, which offer fresh perspectives and a chance to disconnect. And then there’s soccer: whether it’s watching a tense match or kicking the ball around casually, it’s something I never tire of.
Question: What advice would you give to someone new to IE research?
Giuseppe Criaco: My advice would be to embrace theoretical and methodological pluralism when studying IE. The field has made great strides by building on entrepreneurship and international business research, but to truly capture the richness of the IE phenomenon, we should not limit ourselves to these two anchor disciplines. Drawing on insights from sociology, history, geography, and political science, for example, opens up new lenses for asking questions and interpreting findings. This openness also encourages the use of diverse research designs that allow us to study IE from multiple angles. Such breadth not only strengthens the robustness of our insights but also makes the field even more vibrant, innovative, and relevant.
Question: Where will we see you next? (conference?)
Giuseppe Criaco: You will likely see me at the AIB annual conference in Manchester in 2026 and at the Academy of Management meeting in Philadelphia later that year.