Hilary Ahn
Assistant Professor of International Business & Management
Jack C. Massey College of Business
Ph.D. - Strategy & Entrepreneurship, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, J.D. - Korea University, B.B.A. - Advanced Business Major, Korea University
Location: Barbara Massey Hall 439
(615) 460-5154hilary.ahn@belmont.edu
Biography
Hilary Ahn is an Assistant Professor of International Business & Management at the Jack C. Massey College of Business at Belmont University. She received her Ph.D. in Strategy & Entrepreneurship from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and holds a J.D. And B.B.A from Korea University. Dr. Ahn's teaching interests center on International Business, Strategy, and Entrepreneurship, with a strong emphasis on experiential learning. She incorporates simulations, case studies, and discussions to teach students the strategic implications for firms in a global environment filled with uncertainties.
Her research explores fundamental questions in the contexts of Venture Capital and Entrepreneurship, including structural constraints in decision-making and the emphasis on growth potential and profitability of VC-backed startups. She utilizes a mixed-methods approach, combining methods such as text analysis and natural language processing on a rich text dataset.
Prior to her career in academia, Dr. Ahn worked as a startup consultant at Deloitte Korea, where she led the establishment of a Startup Advisory Group. In this role, she collaborated across borders with Deloitte Japan, Deloitte U.S., and external partners including venture capital firms, accelerators, universities, and government agencies. She also designed and executed Deloitte Demo Day (D3), a pitch competition for Korean startups in both Korea and Japan.
- Ph.D., Strategy & Entrepreneurship, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
- J.D., Korea University, Seoul, Korea
- B.B.A., Advanced Business Major, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
- Deloitte Korea - Seoul, Korea - Startup Consultant
- Ahn, H. and Nerkar, A., "Signaling Path to Unicorn: VC-backed Ventures’ Emphasis on Growth and Profitability," Academy of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings. June 2025
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