Ph.D. from Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (Israel)
Postdoctoral fellowship with focus on entrepreneurship (Harvard University, USA)
MBA with a thesis (Bar Ilan University, School of Business Administration, Israel)
BA in mathematics, computer science, and education (University of Haifa, Israel)
Dynamics of entrepreneurship, sustainability, development of innovation, leadership, strategic decisions and founding team composition and processes
Duration
7 months, February - September 2026
Host at the University of Passau
Prof. Dr. Suleika Bort , School of Business. Economics and Information Systems
Exploring the Duality of New Venture's Sustainability Commitment and Performance in Israel and Germany
New ventures are increasingly addressing social and ecological challenges, driven by global pressure for sustainable development. These ventures adopt various sustainable practices, such as identifying sustainable opportunities, developing eco-friendly business models, and driving innovation. However, new ventures committed to sustainability often face the challenge of balancing ambitious sustainability goals with high performance and growth. For instance, efforts to adopt sustainable supply chains or reduce carbon footprints may come at the expense of cost savings or operational efficiency in the short term. The ongoing debate about whether "it pays to be green" has produced mixed results in management and entrepreneurship literature. Our primary objective is to contribute to management and entrepreneurship research by examining how sustainability commitment (SC) impacts new ventures' performance. Specifically, we will explore how institutional contexts and new ventures’ stakeholders (e.g., investors, board of directors) influence the relationship between SC and performance. To achieve this, we will analyze the drivers, interactions, and outcomes of SC in new ventures across two distinct settings: Germany and Israel. In Germany, organizations such as the Social Entrepreneurship Network Deutschland (SEND) and the Purpose Foundation have been advocating for more sustainable entrepreneurship regulations, including the creation of new legal forms. In contrast, Israel's highly innovative, short-term-oriented entrepreneurial ecosystem offers a dynamic, high-tech-driven environment where new ventures often entitle to produce profitable technological innovation. By comparing these two countries, we can uniquely explore how different environmental and institutional factors affect the relationship between SC and firm performance in the short and long term.
