Ivy Profile

Bio

I am a Ph.D. candidate in Entrepreneurship at Iowa State University. My research agenda centers on three interrelated areas: (1) purpose-driven entrepreneurial initiatives (e.g., social entrepreneurship, purpose in life, stakeholder engagement), (2) entrepreneurial resource acquisition and mobilization, and (3) entrepreneurial communication strategies for stakeholder support (e.g., entrepreneurial framing, rhetorical strategies). My research interests are deeply informed by my previous work in the non-profit and startup sectors. I am interested in understanding how entrepreneurial firms with social initiatives interact with diverse stakeholders to create societal impact and bring about social changes, as well as how these social value-embedded positioning and practices facilitate their access to critical resources.

Expertise

• Social Entrepreneurship

• Resource Acquisition

• Stakeholder Relationships

• Purpose

Selected Publications

• Lerman, M., Ju, H., & Nikolaev, B. (2025) "Towards a Coping-in-Combination Approach: The Benefits of Combining Coping Strategies for Purpose in Life of the Self-Employed", BRQ Business Research Quarterly, 28 (3):600-617. Link to Paper