Jon Eckhardt

Jon Eckhardt is the Pyle Bascom Professor in Business Leadership and an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. At the WID he is currently managing a team of researchers who are improving entrepreneurship and innovation in academia. He has taught in the undergraduate, MBA, Ph.D. and executive education programs. He is also the Editor in Chief at Entrepreneur and Innovation Exchange—an online publication bridging research and practice in entrepreneurship.

Dr. Eckhardt is involved in leadership, research, and business. From 2012-2019, he was the Executive Director for the Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship where he revitalized the program, transforming it into a campus-wide program with an annual enrollment of over 1,800 students. This work included engaging alumni, fundraising, launching academic programs, and improving existing programs.

Dr. Eckhardt’s involvement in business includes roles as a cofounder of the gener8tor business accelerator, which has helped to build over 91 companies that have gone on to raise over $300 million dollars in venture funding and employ over 3,000 people. He serves on profit and non-profit boards and advises on entrepreneurship, innovation, and the application of data science to business. He has given talks on entrepreneurship and innovation to business groups including at business retreats and c-suite board meetings.

Dr. Eckhardt involves business leaders and entrepreneurs in his research projects. His research involves the study of various aspects of entrepreneurship and innovation, including venture finance, initial public offerings, the role of information in entrepreneurship, and student entrepreneurship.

Dr. Eckhardt has won several awards for teaching and researching entrepreneurship, including a $50,000 fellowship from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and a Schulze Distinguished Professorship (2015-21) for establishing a record of scholarship that is making significant contributions to the body of research in the field of entrepreneurship.

Prior to becoming a professor, Dr. Eckhardt served in the U.S. Army, he analyzed fixed income securities for Legg Mason Capital Management and Legg Mason Funds Advisor, and he worked in economic consulting. He is also an avid amateur cyclist. He enjoys debating the topics of the day while cycling with students, alumni, and fellow faculty up and down the rolling hills of South Central Wisconsin.