Lakshmi Balachandra

Lakshmi Balachandra is an Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship at Babson College and an International Diana Institute Research Fellow at Babson’s Center for Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership. Her research examines the impact of trust, gender, and other entrepreneurial characteristics on acquiring early-stage funding. She was a co-author of the Diana Report (2014), a comprehensive analysis of venture capital investments in women entrepreneurs. Balachandra has also been an entrepreneur herself; worked at the largest women-owned, women-focused venture capital firm in the country; and founded the Women’s Venture Capital Network.