Linda Darragh's professional and volunteer experience has focused on enhancing entrepreneurship in Chicago for four decades. In 2018, she was awarded the 'Entrepreneurial Champion Award' by 1871 and in 2021 received the Richard J. Daley award from the Illinois Venture Capital Association for an individual who has given direct and extraordinary support to the State of Illinois by participating in or being an advocate for the venture capital and private equity industry.

As the Larry Levy Executive Director of the Kellogg Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative, Darragh rebuilt the entrepreneurship program at Kellogg.  Darragh updated and enhanced the curriculum, expanded the faculty and increased engagement opportunities for students and alumni. Darragh retired from this position in the fall of 2021 but will continue to teach a course on global entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Previously, Darragh was the Director of Entrepreneurial Programs at the Booth School of Business. Darragh taught several courses and coached for the New Venture Challenge and Social Venture Challenge, and launched the Global New Venture Challenge. 

Darragh started her academic career in 1999 as an adjunct professor at Kellogg and later became Assistant Director of Entrepreneurship.

Darragh has always explored new avenues to bring together the Chicago entrepreneurial ecosystem to create avenues of opportunity, investment and community engagement.  As the Finance Director of the Women’s Business Development Center, she organized Springboard: Mid-West 2001 and 2003, a nationally recognized investor forum for women entrepreneurs. The forums raised more than $85 million for participants. In 2011, through a Kellogg – Booth partnership, Darragh organized the first Impact Investment conference in Chicago and then launched Impact Engine as a for-profit social impact accelerator.  Impact Engine has since grown into an impact venture capital and private equity firm investing in companies and funds that align financial and social returns.  Darragh serves as a board member.

Darragh has been a long-time board member of the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center/1871 and a board member for the Golden Apple Foundation and Injustice Watch. In 2021, she received the ‘Legacy Award from the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers.  

Darragh is blessed to have a wonderful husband, Alex, three children, their spouses and three grandchildren. In her free time, Ms. Darragh will be on the golf course or paddle tennis court or in her garden.

 

• M.Sc.(Pl.), 1978, University of Toronto
• B.A., 1976, Queen's University

• Director of Entrepreneurship Programs, Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship; Clinical Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship, Booth School of Business, University of Chicago , 2005-2012
• Assistant Clinical Professor of Entrepreneurship, Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University, 2003-2005
• Adjunct Professor, Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University, 1999-2003

• Co-Founder, Impact Engine, 2011-present
• Vice President, Women's Business Development Center, 1989-2003
• President, EconoTech, 1983-1988
• Staff Member, City of Chicago, 1979-1983
• Staff Member, Metropolitan Toronto Planning Department, 1978-1979

• Legacy Award, Global Consortium for Entrepreneurship Centers, 2021
• Richard J. Daley Award, Illinois Venture Capital Association, 2021
• Richard J. Daley Award, Illinois Venture Capital Association, 2021
• Legacy Award, Global Consortium for Entrepreneurship Centers, 2021
• Entrepreneurial Champion Award, 1871/Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center, 2018
• Educator of the Year, Social Entrepreneurship Alliance
• Chicago 50 on Fire, Chicago Inno
• Chicago Tribune 'Blue Network' Top 100 Tech and Innovation Leaders, 2015
• Illinois Technology Association, 2009
• Finalist for the Most Outstanding Professor Award at Kellogg, 2004-05
• U.S. Small Business Administration, Women, 2002
• U.S. Small Business Administration, Financial Services Advocate (for Illinois and the Midwest), 1998
• Illinois State Treasurer, 2002
• Chicago Sun-Times Top 100 People Influencing Technology in Chicago, 2001, 2002, 2003

Entrepreneurship and Innovation

INTL-473 Entrepreneurial Ecosystems in Emerging Markets

The purpose of this course is to understand the impact of history, culture, politics and economics on the development of entrepreneurial ecosystems. Class sessions explore various frameworks that evaluate global entrepreneurship as well the importance of various stakeholders and factors that foster successful ecosystems – universities, accelerator/incubators, venture capital, banks, labor laws, intellectual property rights, etc. This year, students will research the ecosystems in Peru and Colombia.

EMBA Capstone Course

The purpose of this experiential learning course is to provide EMBA students an opportunity to apply their Kellogg knowledge and experience. Students work with local growth stage companies. Students interview key stakeholders, analyze company data and then develop a strategic plan focused on a specific issue.

Entrepreneurial Ecosystems in Emerging Markets: Brazil and Mexico (INTLX-930-0)
"It seems that every country and major city in the world is trying to become the next Silicon Valley. The focus is on building an ‘ecosystem’ that will stimulate innovation and create jobs through increased entrepreneurship. There are many theories and strategies on how to build a successful ecosystem that effectively integrates seed and venture capital, accelerators and incubators, universities, government, corporations and other entities in the business community. Why do some countries and cities achieve this and others do not? For the GIM trip, we will be exploring this question in class and then visiting some of the most successful new technology ecosystems in Latin America. Students will not only meet some of the leaders that have created these new ecosystems but will also be interviewing entrepreneurs and investors to learn more about current opportunities and challenges they are facing."

Global Initiatives in Management (GIM) (INTLX-473-0)
Energy, Development and Climate Change: "Electricity is a critical element of industrialized life—perhaps the most critical. Without it, nothing else works. Water, sanitation, food, healthcare, education, entertainment: without power these activities grind to a halt. There are roughly 1.5 billion global citizens who have no electricity at all. There are another couple of billion whose access is inadequate. There is a strong relationship between energy usage and economic well-being. Reliable, cost-effective electricity is widely seen as a necessary precursor to economic development. In the OECD—the coalition of 36, mainly Western, developed economies—per capita electricity consumption is around 8,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year. By contrast, in North Africa, this figure is closer to 1,600 kWh per year. And in sub-Saharan Africa, the average is a mere 500 kWh/year. These stark differences are mirrored by similar gaps in per capita GDP and income. By 2050, the world is expected to need about twice the total energy we now consume. Almost all this growth is expected to take place in developing economies, and for this development to occur, electricity supply will need to be vastly expanded. In the past couple of decades, the economy of China has roared ahead. Chinese GDP and income per capita have grown, along with a vast expansion of energy supply, much of it in the form of electric power. Many developing nations aspire to follow the Chinese path. A different drama is playing out in the developed world, but one that has implications for developing economies. Electricity markets in the developed world are in the midst of a transformation that began in the late 1970s. At that time, nations and states began to change the ways in which electricity markets are structured and regulated, with the goal of increasing competition and reducing monopoly. Technology has evolved, and the development and deployment of new supply-side technologies (including renewables) is also a main driver of transformation. Innovations on the demand-side, such as energy efficiency, demand management, energy storage, and “smart” technologies, are also key agents of change. Finally, environmental regulations have altered the landscape, and efforts to reduce man-made greenhouse gas emissions have moved to center stage in the global political theater. The most aggressive deployment of renewable energy has occurred in the developed world, best exemplified by Germany and several US states, including California and Texas. In the same vein, the most aggressive policies aimed at reducing emissions linked to climate change have also emanated from the developed West. There is often an explicit link assumed between these initiatives. Renewable energy is assumed to equal climate mitigation. There is also an assumption that international economic development must occur in a way that does not adversely affect global climate. In fact, there are advocates would argue that energy options for developing nations should be restricted to wind, solar and storage. There is tension between the behavior and policy objectives of the wealthy west and the poorer, developing world; one of the key objectives of this course will be to better understand the dimensions of this tension. We will visit two African countries to better understand the electricity-development-climate nexus. Morocco, the westernmost country in North Africa is mainly reliant on fossil-fuel for electricity production,

Global Initiatives in Management (GIM) (INTL-473-0)
All FT GIM classes will hold a final, mandatory class session. Please refer to each class's syllabi for the date and time.

Global Initiatives in Management (GIM) is an international experiential learning course designed to provide students with an introduction to the unique business opportunities, management practices and market dynamics of a specific region or global industry. The course combines in-class lectures, reading discussions and case studies during the winter quarter with ten days of international field research over spring break. Immersed in the culture and language of their host countries, students will have the opportunity to meet with local business and government leaders, conduct interviews and collect data for their group research projects, and experience some of the unique social and cultural facets of the region. Final presentations and written research reports are due in spring quarter after completion of the overseas portion of the class. Each class section is taught by a faculty member with deep knowledge of the region or industry and supported by an advisor from the Kellogg staff who assists students in planning the field experience. Students are financially responsible for their travel costs, and financial aid is available to those who qualify.

Field Study (ENTR-498-5)
Field Studies include those opportunities outside of the regular curriculum in which a student is working with an outside company or non-profit organization to address a real-world business challenge for course credit under the oversight of a faculty member.

Field Study (ENTR-498-0)
Field Studies include those opportunities outside of the regular curriculum in which a student is working with an outside company or non-profit organization to address a real-world business challenge for course credit under the oversight of a faculty member.