PhD alumna Dr. Sonal Nayak wins AOM ONE Best Dissertation Award 2026
The winning paper is titled ‘Essays on Strategies for Sustainable Entrepreneurship’
5 August, 2026, Bengaluru: Dr. Sonal Nayak, a 2026 doctoral programme alumna from the Strategy Area at IIM Bangalore, has been conferred the AOM ONE Best Dissertation Award 2026 by the Organizations and the Natural Environment (ONE) Division of the Academy of Management (AOM). The award was presented to her at the AOM Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, USA.
Her award-winning dissertation, ‘Essays on Strategies for Sustainable Entrepreneurship’, tackles how startups survive, secure funding and gain market legitimacy for long-term growth and commercial viability in the sustainability space.
Through a set of three essays, the dissertation explores the evolving dynamics of sustainable entrepreneurship. The first essay investigates the challenges faced by green ventures in balancing the expectations of producers, resource providers and market audiences; the second examines how venture capitalists and consumers evaluate sustainability-oriented businesses; and an analysis of how startups shape their organizational identities to gain acceptance in mainstream markets forms the focus of the final essay.
Dr. Sonal draws on a novel, multi-source dataset from the U.S. food and agriculture sector, finding that increasing consumer interest in sustainability is associated with higher venture capital investment in sustainability-focused startups. Her research shows that startups operating across closely related segments of the farm-to-fork value chain are more likely to attract funding than those spanning more distant segments. It also highlights that investment decisions vary across investor types, with specialized investors relying more on their domain expertise than broader sustainability trends.
Using extensive AI/ ML-based analysis on the vegan space and the startups operating within it, Dr. Sonal explores the plurality of motives behind veganism and how startups within these markets selectively internalize these motives to carve out their own organizational identities.
Beyond its academic contributions, her work offers actionable insights for green entrepreneurs trying to raise capital, sustainable investors looking for genuine impact, and policymakers aiming to strengthen the green business ecosystem.
Dr. Sonal completed her dissertation under the guidance of her Dissertation Advisory Committee comprising Strategy area faculty, including Prof. P. D. Jose (Chair), Prof. Vijay Venkataraman and Prof. Ludvig Levasseur. The late Prof. Ganesh Prabhu also served as Chair during the initial stages of her doctoral journey.
Chapters of this dissertation have already featured at prestigious global conferences including the AOM, the European Group for Organizational Studies (EGOS) and the Strategic Management Society (SMS) and are being targeted for publication in top-tier academic journals.
On her recognition, Dr. Sonal shared with her alma mater: “I would like to sincerely thank the doctoral programme office for their support, guidance, and encouragement throughout my PhD journey. I wanted to share this achievement with you as a reflection of the strong foundation and support I received during my time in the program”.
PhD alumna Dr. Sonal Nayak wins AOM ONE Best Dissertation Award 2026
The winning paper is titled ‘Essays on Strategies for Sustainable Entrepreneurship’
5 August, 2026, Bengaluru: Dr. Sonal Nayak, a 2026 doctoral programme alumna from the Strategy Area at IIM Bangalore, has been conferred the AOM ONE Best Dissertation Award 2026 by the Organizations and the Natural Environment (ONE) Division of the Academy of Management (AOM). The award was presented to her at the AOM Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, USA.
Her award-winning dissertation, ‘Essays on Strategies for Sustainable Entrepreneurship’, tackles how startups survive, secure funding and gain market legitimacy for long-term growth and commercial viability in the sustainability space.
Through a set of three essays, the dissertation explores the evolving dynamics of sustainable entrepreneurship. The first essay investigates the challenges faced by green ventures in balancing the expectations of producers, resource providers and market audiences; the second examines how venture capitalists and consumers evaluate sustainability-oriented businesses; and an analysis of how startups shape their organizational identities to gain acceptance in mainstream markets forms the focus of the final essay.
Dr. Sonal draws on a novel, multi-source dataset from the U.S. food and agriculture sector, finding that increasing consumer interest in sustainability is associated with higher venture capital investment in sustainability-focused startups. Her research shows that startups operating across closely related segments of the farm-to-fork value chain are more likely to attract funding than those spanning more distant segments. It also highlights that investment decisions vary across investor types, with specialized investors relying more on their domain expertise than broader sustainability trends.
Using extensive AI/ ML-based analysis on the vegan space and the startups operating within it, Dr. Sonal explores the plurality of motives behind veganism and how startups within these markets selectively internalize these motives to carve out their own organizational identities.
Beyond its academic contributions, her work offers actionable insights for green entrepreneurs trying to raise capital, sustainable investors looking for genuine impact, and policymakers aiming to strengthen the green business ecosystem.
Dr. Sonal completed her dissertation under the guidance of her Dissertation Advisory Committee comprising Strategy area faculty, including Prof. P. D. Jose (Chair), Prof. Vijay Venkataraman and Prof. Ludvig Levasseur. The late Prof. Ganesh Prabhu also served as Chair during the initial stages of her doctoral journey.
Chapters of this dissertation have already featured at prestigious global conferences including the AOM, the European Group for Organizational Studies (EGOS) and the Strategic Management Society (SMS) and are being targeted for publication in top-tier academic journals.
On her recognition, Dr. Sonal shared with her alma mater: “I would like to sincerely thank the doctoral programme office for their support, guidance, and encouragement throughout my PhD journey. I wanted to share this achievement with you as a reflection of the strong foundation and support I received during my time in the program”.