Faculty & Staff Directory

Bio

Professor Drover is the Chair of Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Dr. Drover specializes in new venture finance, serving as an educator, researcher, investor, and consultant. In the classroom, Drover has received several teaching awards, including the Roberson Award for Teaching Excellence. He has delivered multiple invited talks, such as a keynote at the largest symposium for angel investors at Microsoft in Silicon Valley. Dr. Drover's research has been published in premier peer-reviewed journals, as well as media outlets such as Forbes. He also served as Field Editor for the Journal of Business Venturing. Beyond teaching and research, Dr. Drover has practical experience in entrepreneurship and remains an active investor in real estate and startup investing, focusing on robotics and medical tech. He has also led consulting projects for the U.S. State Department, including assignments for U.S. consulates in Germany (Munich), Mexico (Ciudad Juarez), USAID, and the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs. He regularly instructs innovation courses for the U.S. Department of Defense on U.S. and NATO bases situated in Europe. Drover is a sports enthusiast who actively kiteboards, wakeboards, and has completed 10 triathlons. During his time at the University of Missouri, he was also a pole vaulter. Prior to TCU, Dr. Drover spent eight years at OU, where he was a tenured Associate Professor and held the Price Professorship of Entrepreneurship.

Selected Publications

• Clingingsmith, D., Drover, W., Shane, S. (2023) “Examining the Outcomes of Entrepreneur Pitch Training: An Exploratory Field Study” Small Business Economics. 60 (3), 947–974  
• Bacq, S., Drover, W., Kim, P. (2021) “Writing Bold, Broad and Rigorous Review Articles in  Entrepreneurship.” Journal of Business Venturing. 36(6), 106147.  
• Shane, S., Drover, W., Cerf., M., Clingingsmith, D. (2020) “Founder Passion, Neural Engagement and Investor Interest in Startup Pitches: an fMRI Study.” Journal of Business Venturing. 35(4).
• Anglin, A., Short, J., Drover, W., Stephenson, R., McKinney, A., Allison, T. (2018) “The Power of  Positivity? The Influence of Positive Psychological Capital Language on Crowdfunding Performance” Journal of Business Venturing. 30(4), 470-492.        
• Drover, W., Busenitz, L., Matusik, S., Townsend, D., Anglin, A, Dushnitsky, G. (2017). “Venture Capital, Corporate Venture Capital, Angel Investment, Crowdfunding and Accelerators: A Review and Roadmap of Entrepreneurial Equity Financing Research” Journal of Management. 43(6), 1820-1853.

Honors and Awards

• Field Editor, the Journal of Business Venturing
• Roberson Award for Teaching Excellence
• Tamara Pullin Partners in Learning Program Award
• OU Entrepreneurship Research Excellence Award
• Academy of Management ‘Best Published Paper’ Award (NEU Division)
• Research featured in Forbes, and other media outlets  
• Instructor, SBA/Department of Defense's Boots to Business Military Training Program (on international military bases)
• Consulting Project Lead (x4): U.S. Department of State
• OU Junior Faculty Fellow
• Risser Innovative Teaching Fellow
• Invited Speaker on Venture Finance at Baylor, Virginia Tech, Veteran Edge Conference, Keiretsu Forum, among others.
• Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference Doctoral Consortium co-lead • AOM Entrepreneurship Division Doctoral Consortium co-lead
• OU Innovator’s Prize Faculty Mentor
• Visiting Scholar, Babson College
• Selected for best paper proceedings: Academy of Management and the Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference
• Best Doctoral Student Paper Award: Academy of Management Entrepreneurship Division