# Scott Shane

> Scott Andrew Shane is one of the most cited entrepreneurship scholars alive, holding the A. Malachi Mixon III Professorship at Case Western Reserve University while simultaneously running Comeback Capital, a pre-seed VC fund backing Heartland startups, and advising Right Side Capital Management. He has written or edited 16 books, published over 94 scholarly articles, won the 2009 Global Award for Entrepreneurship Research, and manages a personal angel portfolio of 50+ companies - all while arguing, with data, that most things people believe about entrepreneurship are wrong.

- **Role:** Advisor at Right Side Capital Management; Managing Partner at Comeback Capital; A. Malachi Mixon III Professor at Case Western Reserve University
- **Organizations:** Right Side Capital Management, Comeback Capital, Case Western Reserve University - Weatherhead School of Management, Global Entrepreneurship Network
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** PhD, University of Pennsylvania (Wharton School), M.S., University of Pennsylvania, M.S., Georgetown University, A.B., Brown University
- **Known for:** Won the Global Award for Entrepreneurship Research (2009) - the field's top international prize, Named most influential entrepreneurship scholar 2000-2015 by the New England Journal of Entrepreneurship, Written or edited 16 books on entrepreneurship, including multiple award-winners

## Career timeline

- **1986** — Graduated from Brown University
- **1988** — Completed M.S. at Georgetown University
- **1991-1992** — Completed M.S. and PhD at Wharton, University of Pennsylvania; doctoral thesis on cultural differences in innovation championing strategies
- **2003** — Joined Case Western Reserve University's Weatherhead School of Management
- **2005** — Published 'Finding Fertile Ground' (Pearson Prentice Hall)
- **2008** — Published 'Illusions of Entrepreneurship' (Yale University Press)
- **2009** — Won the Global Award for Entrepreneurship Research
- **2010** — Published 'Born Entrepreneurs, Born Leaders: How Your Genes Affect Your Work Life' (Oxford University Press)
- **2015** — Received Weatherhead Enduring Impact Award
- **2016** — Named most influential entrepreneurship scholar 2000-2015 by New England Journal of Entrepreneurship
- **2017** — Received CWRU Faculty Distinguished Research Award
- **2018** — Founded Comeback Capital, pre-seed VC fund focused on Heartland startups
- **2021** — Won Best Paper Award, Academy of Management Neuroscience Interest Group
- **2024** — Serving as Advisor at Right Side Capital Management; Managing Partner at Comeback Capital (3 funds fully deployed)

## Achievements

- Won the Global Award for Entrepreneurship Research (2009) - the field's top international prize
- Named most influential entrepreneurship scholar 2000-2015 by the New England Journal of Entrepreneurship
- Written or edited 16 books on entrepreneurship, including multiple award-winners
- Published over 94 scholarly articles
- Most highly cited faculty member at Weatherhead School of Management
- Books won Best Business Book Award, Best Small Business Book Award, and Taiwan's Golden Book Award
- Built a personal angel portfolio of 50+ direct investments
- Founded Comeback Capital, deploying three funds in Heartland pre-seed startups
- Received CWRU Faculty Distinguished Research Award (2017)
- Received Weatherhead Enduring Impact Award (2015)
- Doctoral thesis on cultural differences in innovation under Sankaran Venkataraman at Wharton
- Pioneered use of twin studies to understand genetic basis of entrepreneurial behavior

## Latest updates

- **2024-01** — Comeback Capital has fully deployed three funds, continuing to invest in pre-seed startups outside major coastal VC hubs
- **2023-01** — Continues as Advisor/Venture Partner at Right Side Capital Management, focusing on pre-seed investments in Robotics, IoT, Logistics, and Health
- **2021-01** — Won Best Paper Award at Academy of Management Neuroscience Interest Group for research on genetics and entrepreneurship

## Links

- Website: https://case.edu/weatherhead/about/faculty-and-staff-directory/scott-shane

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/scott-shane
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-06