Staff profile: Dr. Marissa Kaloga – Hynds Lecturer of Entrepreneurship

Dr. Marissa Kaloga

Tell us a little about your background and how you ended up at the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE).

I’m a transdisciplinary scholar focusing on developing inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems that work for every aspiring founder, no matter their identity or circumstances.

I’m originally from the US, and did my PhD at the Ohio State University in Macro Social Work and Global Health. My PhD Thesis focussed on the social and solidarity economy, and used social network analysis to examine the social capital networks that are the foundation of women’s urban market cooperatives in Conakry, Guinea.

Following my PhD, I was keen to implement programmes informed by this knowledge, a commitment I made to the study participants. I joined the Economic and Community Development Institute, the largest SBA microlender in the US, as their Direction of Innovation. My team led ECDI’s incubators and accelerators, and I was able to co-design and implement several impactful programmes including: Lending Circles – group microlending programmes for resettled refugee women, and Capital for Construction – a collective impact initiative that established a new generation of African American construction contractors, with 50% women owned businesses.

I then returned to Guinea as a U.S. Fulbright Scholar at UGLC Université Sonfonia, on the topic of Financial Inclusion and Entrepreneurial Ecosystems. While in Guinea, I worked with Osez Innover (Dare to Innovate) on the World Bank’s Femmes Sans Barrières programme for women entrepreneurs, where I designed and conducted gender sensitization workshops.

I made my way to Aotearoa New Zealand in 2019 for a lecturer position in the Social and Community Work programme at University of Otago. While at Otago, I explored the intersection between Macro Social Work, and Entrepreneurship and Innovation by: integrating design thinking into community development classes, co-creating SWIN (Social Work Innovation Network) a global network of social work scholars in E&I, and establishing STARlab (Systems Transformation Action Research Lab) which focuses on the role of social entrepreneurship and social innovation in the transition to a more just and sustainable future.

The work I did at University of Otago directly led me to my current position as Hynds Lecturer of Entrepreneurship at University of Auckland this past June. It’s an absolute honour to join the teams at CIE and the Business School, and I look forward to working with colleagues across the University in the coming years.

What does your job Involve?

I’m a Lecturer, which means I have both teaching and research aspects of my role.

In my role as Hynds Fellow, I partner with faculties and diverse disciplines across the university to co-create opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship throughout the curriculum. This can happen in lots of different ways, from guest lectures to module development to co-designing curriculum and more.

In my role as Lecturer of Entrepreneurship, my programme of community-engaged research continues to explore the role of social entrepreneurship and social innovation in the transition to a more just and sustainable future. I am particularly interested in developing inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems to support this mission.

What is your favourite part of your job?

I can’t narrow it down to just one favourite part. I am unendingly curious, and love to follow that curiosity wherever it leads me. Being an academic allows me to do just that. As an educator I try to spark that curiosity in my students, introducing new ideas and ways of seeing the world. As a researcher, I ask big questions and work with community partners to look for answers together using creative and rigorous research methods.

Why is it important that the University of Auckland and other institutions around the world invest in teaching innovation and entrepreneurship?

Collectively, we are all facing challenging and complex problems like climate change, pervasive poverty, and multiple forms of inequality. There is no one solution for these wicked problems, and no one person or government is going to “solve” them. It will take millions of people, thinking innovatively, drawing from traditional and new knowledges, working collaboratively, learning from both success and failures to make a better tomorrow for future generations. Teaching innovation and entrepreneurship is a way to help students develop the mindset and frameworks to leverage their knowledge for creative, impactful problem solving.

What are some highlights from your time with CIE so far?

It has been a pleasure getting to know the people at CIE and in the Entrepreneurship group at the Business School. University of Auckland is lucky to have attracted brilliant educators and researchers who are also highly interdisciplinary and collaborative. In my first two months in my role, a highlight for me was attending the recent Business School Awards gathering to see the amazing work my colleagues have done over the past year, and cheer on CIE’s own Naomi Bradshaw who received an award!

Any words of advice for students and staff at the beginning of their entrepreneurial journeys?

I would advise students and staff to join a CIE programme, and explore their ideas with us. There are a lot of pervasive myths about entrepreneurship that discourage people starting out, like the myth of the solo founder, the idea that tech startups are the only path, or entrepreneurship is all about money. In reality no founder journey is the same, founders are often primarily interested in problem solving for impact, and entrepreneurship hinges on relationships. In my career I have spent years supporting people from all walks of life to follow their vision and start their own business or non-profit. There is no typical founder – entrepreneurship is for everyone.

If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, who would it be and why?

My grandmother, Rosemary Bare, was a seminal figure for me and the most unwavering supporter. She went through a lot of hardships in her life, faced them bravely, and was the epitome of kindness, generosity, and elegance. She passed away several years ago, but it would be delightful to have dinner with her again and tell her what I’ve been up to. I’m sure she would be impeccably dressed.

When you’re not working, what would we find you doing?

I was raised in a musical family, and can’t remember a time when I wasn’t making music of one form or another. I’m a singer-songwriter, so I can always find some time in my week to sit at the piano or pick up the guitar and work on my music.