The research proposal by Davide Moiana and Antonio Ghezzi, focused on coordination mechanisms in venture studios, received the Best Proposal Award at the first European edition of the SEJ-ESSEC Paper Development Workshop.

At the 2025 edition of the SEJ-ESSEC Paper Development Workshop, held in Paris, the research project from the POLIMI School of Management of Politecnico di Milano by Davide Moiana and Antonio Ghezzi received the Best Proposal Award. The proposal focuses on coordination in the startup creation processes within venture studios.

Organized by the Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, one of the leading international journals in the fields of entrepreneurship and strategy, in collaboration with ESSEC Business School, the workshop was held in Europe for the first time. The initiative brought together scholars from around the world to present and discuss early-stage research projects, fostering scientific dialogue and the development of innovative contributions in the fields of strategy and entrepreneurship.

In this stimulating environment, the proposal by Davide Moiana and Antonio Ghezzi stood out for its potential. Their work examines the complex dynamics of coordinating experimentation activities within venture studios, an emerging entrepreneurial model in which an organization acts as both co-founder and investor, providing strategic and operational support for the development of a portfolio of startups. The goal is to shed light on the mechanisms that enable these organizations to manage serial entrepreneurial processes while maintaining strategic coherence and operational effectiveness.

The jury, composed of ESSEC faculty members and Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal editors Sam Garg, Yong Li, and Pinar Ozcan, recognized the originality of the approach and the potential impact of the project, encouraging the team to further develop it with a view to future submission to a scientific journal. Following this important achievement, Davide Moiana and Antonio Ghezzi will continue to advance their research.

The award not only highlights the academic excellence of the POLIMI School of Management, but also underscores its ability to make a significant contribution to the global debate on strategic entrepreneurship and new organizational models for startup creation.