Mahdi Shahriari

My research focuses on the intersection of entrepreneurship and financial markets, particularly examining how scale-ups engage with capital markets. My three-paper dissertation, "High Growth and Scaling as Double-Edged Swords," aims to enhance our understanding of the antecedents and outcomes of scaling, by exploring four main areas: (1) the distinction between high growth and scaling, (2) the short- and long-term market performance of high-growth firms, (3) the antecedents of sustained high growth, and (4) the behavioral motivations for prioritizing growth versus profitability and vice versa. I primarily use empirical, quantitative methods, concentrating on newly public firms in my research.

I have conducted research visits at the Gies College of Business, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and the Terry College of Business, University of Georgia. Throughout my studies, I have been honored with several grants and awards, including a €2,000 research grant from the Erasmus Trustfonds, one of 25 scholarships covering registration for the SMS Doctoral Workshop and Annual Conference, the Best Reviewer Award in the ENT Division at the 83rd Academy of Management, recognition as a finalist for the "Best Accepted Papers" (top 10%) at the same conference, and graduated ranked 1st in the MBA program at Sharif University of Technology.

Besides research, I have co-developed and taught the elective course "Scaling Up & Strategies for High Growth" for graduate students in the Strategic Management and Entrepreneurship programs, and I have also supervised numerous M.Sc. and B.Sc. theses, as well as internships. You can learn more about my work through the YouTube link below:

https://www.youtube.com/Mahdi_Shahriari