Personal profile
About
James Bort is an assistant professor in the Management & Entrepreneurship department at the Driehaus College of Business. Prior to joining academia, James was a software engineer, information technology manager, and serial entrepreneur. His work experiences span several industries, including technology, hospitality, and music.
James' current research interests include the start-up workforce, neurodiverse / underdog entrepreneurs, socially oriented start-ups, innovation, and computational approaches to social science. His work has been published in Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Journal of Business Research, and Industrial and Corporate Change. His research has also received best paper awards from The Annual Social Entrepreneurship Conference (2018), Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference (2017, 2019, 2021), and the Academy of Management, Entrepreneurship Division (2019).
James serves on the editorial review boards of Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice and the Journal of Business Venturing. His hobbies outside of academia include music, culinary arts, and travel.
Education/Academic qualification
BS, Computer & Information Science, State University of New York Polytechnic Institute
PhD, Business Administration (Enterpreneurship), Syracuse University
MBA, Syracuse University
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A conceptualization of the cultic start-up
Bort, J. & Wiklund, J., Jun 2026, In: Journal of Business Venturing Insights. 25, e00616.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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THE PROMISE AND PERILS OF CO-CONSTRUCTION: A REPLY TO “CO-CONSTRUCTIVE START-UP ILLUSIONS”
Bort, J., Jan 2026, In: Academy of Management Review. 51, 2, p. 426-428 3 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Firm growth and the job satisfaction of the startup workforce
Bort, J., Wiklund, J. & Yu, W., 2025, (Accepted/In press) In: Strategic Management Journal.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Financing A Free-for-All: Crowdfunding Open-Source Software
Bort, J., Meoli, A. & Sullivan, D. W., Dec 2024, In: Small Business Economics. 63, 4, p. 1449-1469 21 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Legitimacy spillovers and hybrid rhetoric in crowdfunded microloans
Bort, J., Moss, T. W. & Renko, M., Oct 2024, In: International Small Business Journal. 42, 7, p. 841-862 22 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Press/Media
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End-of-Quarter Synopsis Q4/2025 : Monthly: Aon (AON: $352.88) dips 1.8% in past quarter
12/31/25
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
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How Aon Has Fared Since Its Recent Analyst Ratings Changes - what Analysts are saying
11/7/25
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
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DePaul University, Aon and NFP launch national research initiative to power community banks, support underserved and women-owned small businesses
11/5/25 → 11/6/25
2 items of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
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