Honoring Andrew ‘Zach’ Zacharakis for 20 Years as BCERC Director
Andrew “Zach” Zacharakis got his first exposure to the Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Program & Conference (BCERC) in 1993, participating in a doctoral consortium for future entrepreneurship educators.
The connections he made with future colleagues and collaborators then—including the future president of Babson College—helped pave the way for a career as a renowned entrepreneurship educator and researcher.
That journey also led the Babson professor of entrepreneurship back to BCERC, where he has forged relations with colleagues and collaborators. He has attended every conference since 1995, and he has served as director for the past 20 years.
Zacharakis, also the John H. Muller Jr. Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies at Babson, was celebrated this month for his dedication to BCERC as the 45th annual conference returned to Babson’s campus for the first time since 2019, during the College’s Centennial celebration.
This year, 291 entrepreneurial scholars from 24 countries joined together on campus, as more than 249 research papers were presented. Founded by Babson in 1981, BCERC is considered the premier entrepreneurship research conference in the world.
At the conference’s celebration dinner, Andrew Corbett, the Paul T. Babson Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies, and Candida Brush P’14, the F.W. Olin Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship, took to the stage to honor Zacharakis with a tribute video (see below) and a special award, commemorating his 20 years of service to BCERC.
“I was caught by total surprise when Andrew and Candy jumped up for the recognition,” Zacharakis said. “Unbeknownst to me, Beth Peterson (BCERC manager) and Tamara Lamenzo (program specialist) had been working on this for months. And they got everyone to keep their mouths shut. Wow!”
Zacharakis took a few moments to share some reflections of his time as the director of BCERC and its continuing influence among entrepreneurship researchers.
What are your favorite memories that illustrate the impact of BCERC?
“Like most of us who were fortunate to be selected to participate in the Doctoral Consortium, my favorite memories of BCERC start there. It was a way to quickly meet fellow PhD students and to start collaborations that lasted for years. A funny sidenote, in my consortium back in 1993 was a younger Steve Spinelli (the future president of Babson). That may be one of the reasons that Babson recruited me. Of course, Steve and I collaborated in teaching, books, and articles over the last 30 years. Some of the academics who participated in that consortium by leading sessions included (Babson Professors) Bill Gartner, Bill Bygrave, and Candy Brush. Leading lights, all. Through the conference, I also met many other future collaborators, including Dean Shepherd (Notre Dame University), Mariarosa Scarlata (University of Bergamo, Italy), Jennifer Walske (University of California, Berkeley), among many others. These collaborations helped me build my research stream and reputation in entrepreneurial finance. Most of those collaborations were cemented through the sharing of a beer or coffee during BCERC breaks or receptions.”
How important is BCERC for the advancement of entrepreneurship research? And for Babson’s position as the No. 1 school for entrepreneurship?
“The conference is highly regarded. In a typical year, we have 600–1,000 applicants for only 225 slots. Researchers come year after year from universities around the world. Universities compete to co-host the conference, and in the recent past, we have had the Technical University of Munich, University of Tennessee, and Baylor University co-host, and the University of Alabama will be hosting in 2026. The conference is considered a pipeline to the ultimate publication of cutting-edge research. Scholars present their work, get feedback that helps them shape the work and then they ultimately submit it to a research journal.
“As for contribution to our ranking, considering the number of academics who attend or submit, and factoring in requests from their deans to attend, the conference has a direct impact on our rankings, especially those that ask deans and academics to rank entrepreneurship programs.”
What are the most valuable takeaways from BCERC’s influence over the past 20 years?
“One, it is the leading venue for top scholars to test their research ideas. When you scan the people who have the most Google citations, like Per Davidsson, Bill Gartner, Dean Shepherd, etc., they have regularly attended the conference.
“Two, it is the place where you can identify other academics pursuing similar research as you and form collaborations for future joint research.
“And, three, the Doctoral Consortium and the relatively small size of the conference allow young academics to meet leading scholars and get their names out there.”
What does the future hold for BCERC?
“Probably a new director considering I’ve been doing this for over 20 years, although I’m happy to do it until the day I die. Considering that we’ve lined up co-host universities for the next five years, the conference is on strong footing. As the world of entrepreneurship, by its very nature, is always transforming, we will see more and more research around AI and how entrepreneurs can leverage that capability. I also expect more and more research on the negative spillover effects of AI, for example, energy usage. We’ll even see research on how academics are using AI for their own research and teaching. Whatever else happens in the future, you can be sure that scholars will investigate it and make sense of what it is today and where it might be going tomorrow.”
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