Mikko Rönkkö is a Professor of Entrepreneurship at Jyväskylä University School of Business and Economics (JSBE) and a Docent at Aalto University School of Science in the field of statistical methods in management research, where he also completed his doctorate. He is recognized as one of the leading quantitative research experts in management, with research interests spanning growth entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial software companies, and quantitative research methods in management research. He is currently the most cited professor in business studies at JSBE according to ISI Web of Science data, and ranks as the highest impact researcher at JSBE in the Stanford/Elsevier's Top 2% Scientist Rankings.
Dr. Rönkkö serves as an Associate Editor for *Organizational Research Methods*, as a consulting editor for *Journal of Applied Psychology* and is on the editorial board of *Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice*. Previously, he served as department editor in the *Journal of Operations Management*. His excellence in reviewing has been recognized through multiple awards, including the Distinguished Service Award from the Journal of Operations Management.
He maintains an influential research methods-focused YouTube channel with over 10,000 subscribers and more than 1 million views at (https://www.youtube.com/mronkko), providing extensive digital learning materials including over 300 professional-quality video lectures.
In addition to his academic career, Dr. Rönkkö has significant entrepreneurial experience, having founded three companies. Most notably, he founded aTalent Recruiting, which now has consolidated revenues in the €5-10M class and continues to fulfill its social mission of connecting companies with the right talent.
My research looks at the questions founders, funders and policymakers ask about growing companies, and at whether the evidence they rely on can be trusted.
Growth and internationalization of software companies: Why do some software companies grow and expand abroad while others stall? For over a decade I have been involved with the National Software Industry Survey, which tracks how Finnish software companies grow, internationalize and develop their business models. The survey is funded by Business Finland and the Federation of Finnish Technology Industries, with Software Finland as the main partner. Alongside the survey, I have studied dozens of software SMEs and how they build new business models in international markets, and I regularly present these findings to entrepreneurs in keynotes.
Support for entrepreneurs: Do accelerators, growth programs and public funding actually help companies grow? I work with organizations that support and finance entrepreneurs, including KasvuOpen, Yritystehdas and Invesdor, to study how well their programs foster growth and business model renewal. I have also consulted on Business Finland impact evaluations. The aim is to give program designers, funders and policymakers evidence on what works.
AI and entrepreneurship: How is AI changing what it takes to start and grow a company? My Wallenberg Foundation funded project (2026-2028) studies how founders use AI and how it changes the way new companies are started and grown.
Evidence you can trust: Business research increasingly relies on advanced statistics that are misused or misinterpreted, while the basics are less well understood. I study these problems and develop practical guidelines for better research practice and data analysis. My Academy of Finland project (2024-2028) continues this work with a focus on entrepreneurship research. This work matters to anyone who makes decisions based on research findings, and it has been published in leading journals in entrepreneurship, organizational behavior, operations management and information systems.
I am happy to discuss collaboration with companies, entrepreneur support organizations, funders and policymakers who want to understand growth, internationalization or the use of AI in new ventures, or who need to evaluate whether their programs work. I also welcome invitations to speak to entrepreneurs and practitioners about recent research findings. Contact: mikko.ronkko@jyu.fi
