Entrepreneurship
Gender
Public Policy
Strategy
Migration
Vidhula Venugopal
Associate Professor, StrategyVidhula Venugopal holds a doctoral degree in corporate strategy and policy from the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB) and a master’s in public policy from the London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE). Previously, she was an assistant professor of strategy and entrepreneurship at the Indian Institute of Management Nagpur (IIMN), a postdoctoral fellow in entrepreneurship and innovation at RMIT University, Melbourne, and a visiting research fellow (entrepreneurship) at Griffith Business School, Brisbane. She was also an Urban Scholar with the United Nations Global Compact Cities Programme.
Her research interest spans the areas of entrepreneurship, strategy, gender, public policy, and migration. She has published her work in top-tier peer-reviewed journals in her area and has presented her work at leading international conferences. She has taught courses in entrepreneurship as well as strategy with a focus on the future of work. In her previous roles, she has led, designed, and implemented various research, incubation, and skill development projects in multiple geographies with multi-stakeholder engagement, including academic institutions, government bodies, and the private sector. She has also mentored start-ups in various sectors and is particularly passionate about enabling social and financial inclusion of all through education and entrepreneurship.
Education
Indian Institute of Management Bangalore
Ph.D.
Focus: Corporate Strategy and Policy
London School of Economics & Political Science
Master of Public Policy
Major: Public Policy
Mangalore University
Master of Science
Major: Mathematics
St. Aloysius College, Mangalore University
Bachelor of Science
Majors: Physics, Computer Science, Mathematics
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Research interests
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Selected publications
Douglas, E.J., Venugopal, V. (2025). The complex causality of gender and entrepreneurship: to grow or not to grow?. Small Business Economics, Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-025-01047-w
Douglas, E. J., Shepherd, D. A., & Venugopal, V. (2021). A multi-motivational general model of entrepreneurial intention. Journal of Business Venturing, 36(4), 106107. https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jbvent/v36y2021i4s0883902621000173.html
Venugopal, V., & Huq, A. (2022). Migrant trailing spouses: Career adaptability and occupational downshifting. International Migration, 60(2), 143-159. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/imig.12864
Huq, A., & Venugopal, V. (2021). DIY Entrepreneurship–Self‐reliance for Women Refugees in Australia. International Migration, 59(1), 126-142. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/imig.12727
Huq, A., Tan, C. S. L., & Venugopal, V. (2020). How do women entrepreneurs strategize growth? An investigation using the social feminist theory lens. Journal of Small Business Management, 58(2), 259-287. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/345381254_How_do_women_entrepreneurs_strategize_growth_An_investigation_using_the_social_feminist_theory_lens
Delaney, A., Ng, Y. F., & Venugopal, V. (2018). Comparing Australian garment and childcare homeworkers’ experience of regulation and representation. The Economic and Labour Relations Review, 29(3), 346-364. https://research.monash.edu/en/publications/comparing-australian-garment-and-childcare-homeworkers-experience
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Books/Book chapters
Venugopal, V., & Rituraj, V. (2022). “Beyond Siri and Alexa: gender and AI policy”. In “Gender, Diversity and Innovation”, edited by Owalla, B., Vorley, T., & Lawton Smith, H., Edward Elgar Publishing, 2022,125-147. http://elgaronline.com/edcollchap/book/9781800377462/book-part-9781800377462-17.xml
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Conferences
Venugopal, V. (2024). To integrate or isolate: Policy & entrepreneurship for Australian refugee women. Paper presented at the 2024 Diana International Research Conference, Babson College & ESBRI, Sweden.
Venugopal, V. (Presenter), & Tomer, G., European Group for Organizational Studies (EGOS) 2020 Colloquium, No Worries? A Study of Refugee Women Entrepreneurs and Acculturative Stress in Australia, EGOS, University of Hamburg, Germany.
Huq, A.; Tan, C. & Venugopal, V (Author)., Australian Centre for Entrepreneurship Research Exchange Conference 2017, Women in Australian Fast Growth SMEs: How do they approach growth as a deliberate choice?, Australian Centre for Entrepreneurship Research Exchange, Melbourne, Australia.
Venugopal, V. (Presenter), & Huq, A., Conforming to be or not to be – Gendered Work Role Choices of Migrant Women in Australia, Gender, Work & Organisation Conference 2016, Gender, Work, & Organisation, Keele University, Staffordshire, United Kingdom.
Venugopal, V. (Presenter); Douglas, E; Weaven, S; & Wright, O., Australian Centre for Entrepreneurship Research Exchange Conference 2016, Sex, Gender, and Androgyny as Antecedents of Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy, Australian Centre for Entrepreneurship Research Exchange, Gold Coast, Australia.
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Periodicals
Gouda, S.K. & Venugopal, V. (May 28, 2022). “Sustainable fashion for the post COVID world” in Business World India
Venugopal, V., Delaney, A., and Ng, YF. (July 26, 2018). “Childcare shake-up neglects family day care workers, but we can learn from garment workers’ experience” in The Conversation Australia
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Courses
Understanding Entrepreneurship
Future of Work and Strategy
Entrepreneurship Minor
Strategic Management
Design Thinking
Business and Society
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Awards and honours
Developing Research Leaders Best Proposal Award 2016 for project titled “Migrant Women and Precarious Work: Mapping the Regulatory Field of Migrant Women Homeworkers in Australia” (RMIT University; Prize amount: AUD 10,000)
Teaching excellence award 2017, 2018, RMIT University
Prof Pradip Khandwalla Award at IIMB Management Review Doctoral Conference 2012 for the paper “Growth Aspirations of Women Entrepreneurs” (with Prof R Srinivasan, IIMB)
Awarded the Deustscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst (DAAD) Scholarship by Government of Germany for a research stay at the University of Cologne, Germany from (January – March, 2011).
Prof K A Krishnamoorthy Gold Medal for securing highest marks in the university examinations of April 2005
Ganapathy Bhat Memorial Prize for outstanding performance in curricular and extra-curricular activities, leadership and constructive activities during the years 2002-‘05
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Teaching interest
Entrepreneurship
Strategy
Future of Work
Public Policy
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Work experience
Academic Faculty
Assistant Professor, Strategy & Entrepreneurship, Indian Institute of Management Nagpur (2019-2022)
Postdoctoral Fellow, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, RMIT University, Melbourne (2015-2018)
Visiting Research Fellow, Griffith Business School, Griffith University, Brisbane (2014-2015)
Administrative Assignments
Programme Director, Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship, Indian Institute of Management Nagpur
Programme Director, Women Start-Up Programme, Indian Institute of Management Nagpur
Executive Director, IIM Nagpur Foundation for Entrepreneurship Development (InFED), Indian Institute of Management Nagpur
Chairperson, Centre for Entrepreneurship, Indian Institute of Management Nagpur
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Professional positions
Tata Ltd (May 2023 – June 2023)
Government & Corporate Affairs Intern
NeevJivan Foundation (2020 – 2022)
Advisor
United Nations Global Compact Cities Programme (2015 – 2021)
Cities Programme Urban Scholar, Ambassador to Cities Programme
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MDPS/FDPS
‘Design Thinking & Entrepreneurial Opportunity’ for Women Entrepreneurship Development Programme conducted by IIM Nagpur Foundation for Entrepreneurship Development in partnership with Department of Science & Technology, Government of India, (January – February, 2021)
‘How to Pitch – Art of Storytelling’ for Women Start-Up Programme at IIM Nagpur Foundation for Entrepreneurship Development, May 2021
Faculty Development Workshop on Social Enterprise Management funded by the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) Training and Learning (ATAL) Academy, October 2020
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Capacity Building Programme on Urban Resilience and Liveability by UN Global Compact Cities Programme and AECOM: Workshop on migration and economy, June 2017
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Reviewer experience
Academy of Management
International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship
Journal of Advances in Management Research
International Journal of Training and Development
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Social impact
Pro bono consulting for women led start-ups.
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Contracts, grants and sponsored research
Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship Programme, Grant from Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship under World Bank assisted SANKALP scheme
AICTE Training and Learning (ATAL) Academy Grant 2020 for Faculty Development Workshop on Social Enterprise Management )
Developing Research Leaders Best Proposal Award Grant 2016 for project titled “Migrant Women and Precarious Work: Mapping the Regulatory Field of Migrant Women Homeworkers in Australia”
RMIT College of Business Research Grant 2016 for project titled “New Hopes on New Shores – Women Entrepreneurship among Refugees in Australia”.
RMIT School of Management Research Grant 2016 for project titled “Conforming to be or not to be – Gendered Work Role Choices among Migrant Women in Australia”.