2026 Agenda
Sunday, May 17, 2026
| Time | Description | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 6:00-8:00 p.m. | Social Dinner | Lula and Sadie’s 2022 Chapel Hill Rd, Durham, NC 27707 |
Monday, May 18, 2026
The conference will take place in the Esbenshade Meeting Room of the Fuqua School of Business, 100 Fuqua Dr, Durham, NC 27708.
| Time | Description |
|---|---|
| 8:30-9:00 a.m. | Breakfast |
| 9:00-9:10 a.m. | Introductions, Conference Overview |
| 9:10 a.m.-10:10 p.m. | Session 1: Markets for Technology Dafna Bearson (HBS, Harvard) - When Knowing Less Is More: Evidence from Licensing and Sale Agreements on the Commercialization of Invention Discussant: Jiaqi (Vikki) Yuan Binxin Gao (Robert H. Smith, Maryland) - Buy to Build or Buy to Bluff? Patent Purchases by Startups before IPO Discussant: Elaine Pak |
| 10:10-10:20 a.m. | Coffee/Tea Break |
| 10:20-11:20 a.m. | Session 2: Markets for Technology Qian Wang (SC Johnson, Cornell) - An Adult in the Room? Young Founders and Venture Financing Discussant: Farnam Mohebi Zeyang Xue (Questrom, Boston) - Common Venture Capital Ownership and Startup Innovation Discussant: Hyung-Kun “HK” Park |
| 11:20-11:30 a.m. | Coffee/Tea Break |
| 11:30-12:20 a.m. | Welcome and Keynote Speech (Sharon Belenzon, Duke Strategy Area Chair) |
| 12:20-1:20 p.m. | Lunch |
| 1:20-2:20 p.m. | Session 3: Global Environment and Firm Strategy Mingyao Lyu (J. Mack Robinson, Georgia State & Renmin) - Code Beyond Borders: Open-Source Engagement as a Strategic Bypass to Technonationalism Discussant: Dalbert Ma Hyung-Kun “HK” Park (Jones, Rice) - Evolving Expectations and Corporate Environmental Practices: Evidence from Sustainable Infrastructure Development in the Global South Discussant: Qian Wang |
| 2:20-2:30 p.m. | Coffee/Tea Break |
| 2:30-3:30 p.m. | Session 4: Human Capital and Entrepreneurship Elaine Pak (Wharton, UPenn) - Owning With Style: How Corporate Owners Shape Firm Strategies Discussant: Binxin Gao Jiaqi (Vikki) Yuan (Carlson, Minnesota) - When the Wind Picks Up: Technology Hype and Entrepreneurial Survival Outcomes Discussant: Zeyang Xue |
| 3:30-3:40 p.m. | Coffee/Tea Break |
| 3:40-4:40 p.m. | Session 5: Automation and AI Dalbert Ma (LBS) - The System-Level Cost of Algorithmic Coordination Discussant: Dafna Bearson Farnam Mohebi (Haas, UC Berkeley) - Automating Supplemental Work Disrupts the Microfoundations of Professional Core Expertise Discussant: Mingyao Lyu |
| 4:40-4:50 p.m. | Closing Remarks |
| 4:50-5:30 p.m. | Tour of Fuqua/Campus (Optional) |