Shirah Foy

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

SKILLS

ABOUT SHIRAH FOY

My research investigates how culture and individual factors (such as identity, perception, worldview) shape entrepreneurship, technology commercialization and organizational behavior in various contexts. I teach bachelor, master and (post)doctoral level courses on entrepreneurship, strategy, business model innovation, tech. commercialization, design thinking, and qualitative research methods. Some relevant buzzwords: understanding users and customers, business model development, strategy, human-centric design in the product development process, finding product-market fit. Special focus on cultural and creative industries. Special interest in entrepreneurs\' mental, emotional, and relational health throughout the startup process. I especially enjoy coaching on sensemaking amid uncertainty in early stage entrepreneurship: the foundations of deciding what you\'re going to produce, with whom, and for whom. I blog about research, teaching, and how every experience changes the way we see the world: medium.com/no-journey-wasted *Other lives I\'ve lived: Prior to pursuing doctoral studies, I spent 13 nomadic years in 60+ countries. I studied Strategy at Aalto Univ.(Helsinki). My previous home was in Nepal\'s Himalaya region, as a volunteer teacher in a monastery. I earned a BBA in International Entrepreneurship in 2012 and was the recipient of a Benjamin A. Gilman scholarship to study Russian language and entrepreneurship in Russia and Ukraine, during which time I interned in Public Diplomacy at the U.S. Consulate in St. Petersburg, Russia, and conducted research for my thesis on the formation of entrepreneurial intentions in a transitional sociopolitical-economic context. Previously worked in the offices of an Ore. State Rep, a U.S. Congressman, the Leadership Institute, and Depts of State and Commerce; then changed gears and launched a branding strategy and public relations boutique (now inactive). All these adventures have left me speaking French, Russian (though somewhat rusty), getting by in Finnish, Spanish and German, and I limit my discussions in a Nepali-Sherpa dialect to food and agricultural topics. I have grown to love the creativity of early mornings and late nights, steep mountains and milk tea. The travel blog from my nomad years is at: