Harry Sapienza

Harry Sapienza is Professor Emeritus at the Carlson School of Business, University of Minnesota. Harry grew up in the Washington, D.C. area. He played drums in a rock band while in high school, received an undergraduate degree in literature from the University of Maryland and a Master’s in mediaeval literature from Boston College.

After teaching English for 10 years in the Boston area, Harry returned to the University of Maryland to obtain a Master’s and a PhD in Business. He spent ten years at the University of South Carolina, one year at the London Business School, and 20 years at the University of Minnesota, including a sabbatical in Sevilla, Spain.

His early scholarship examined relationships between entrepreneurs and investors in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Inspired by emerging research on “born global” firms, he developed an interest in the internationalization of entrepreneurial ventures. This work utilizes knowledge and learning theories to study the effects of early internationalization on the growth and the learning trajectories of entrepreneurial firms.

Harry has published over 60 papers with colleagues from across the U.S., Finland, England, Canada, Belgium, Spain, and other countries. His greatest joys as an academician have been mentoring doctoral students and enjoying friendships with colleagues and co-authors all over the world.

Harry and his wife live in Portland, Oregon, where his daughter (Julianna), son-in-law (Eric) and granddaughter (Lelea) also reside. Harry teaches the occasional poetry class, plays bridge competitively, is an avid baseball fan and a lover of blues and R&B music.

Visit https://www.aib.world/frontline-ib/harry-sapienza/ for the original video interview.