Dr. Srivardhini K. Jha

Dr. Srivardhini K. Jha is a Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB) and Chairperson of NSRCEL, the Institute’s acclaimed startup incubator. Her research interests lie at the intersection of innovation and entrepreneurship in emerging country contexts, with a particular focus on corporate entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship and hybrid organising. She joined IIMB in December 2015, bringing with her a unique combination of rigorous academic training as well as distinguished industry experience. Before her move to academia, Dr. Jha held senior managerial roles at globally recognised technology companies such as Microsoft, Sun Microsystems, and Infosys, giving her a strong industry orientation that enriches her teaching and research. She also worked as a researcher with the McGill Centre for the Convergence of Health and Economics.

At IIMB, Dr. Jha teaches courses including Entrepreneurial Mindset and Action (MBA), Contemporary Entrepreneurship (doctoral programme), Strategic Partnerships, New Age Business Models, and Entrepreneurial Mindset and Methods (online BBA-DBE programme). She has co-edited the 2021 book Shifting Orbits: Decoding the Trajectory of the Indian Start-up Ecosystem, which offers an in-depth analysis of India's evolving innovation landscape.

Dr. Jha’s contributions go far beyond the classroom. She has been actively involved in shaping entrepreneurship policy at the state, national and international levels, including serving as a member of the Startup20 task force under India’s G20 Presidency, contributing to the National Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP) 2020 and participating in the task force that formulated Karnataka’s Research, Development and Innovation Policy.

For her exemplary contributions to teaching, research, outreach and institution-building, Dr. Jha was conferred the National Teachers’ Award 2025 by the President of India, one of only 21 faculty members across the country to receive this distinction.

Dr. Jha holds a B.Tech in Information Science and Engineering from Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), an MS in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University, and a PhD in Corporate Strategy and Policy from IIM Bangalore.