Jon Fjeld

Professor of the Practice

Jon Fjeld serves as the Director of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative at Duke University. The I&E initiative is a university-wide effort to stimulate and teach innovation and entrepreneurship to students, faculty and staff across the university.

He has been teaching entrepreneurship and strategy, and leading the entrepreneurship efforts at Fuqua since 2005.

Before returning to academia, he spent over twenty years in marketing, engineering and general management in start-ups and public companies.

From December, 2000, until July, 2004, he served as vice president of engineering for Align Technology in Santa Clara, CA. Between 1995 and 2000, he served as CEO of two RTP venture backed firms: Geomagic, a 3D software company and NetEdge Systems, a data networking equipment company. Prior to that, Fjeld spent 13 years at IBM, where he served in a number of management and executive positions within the networking and software business units. He began his professional career as an assistant professor in the philosophy department at Duke University.

Fjeld holds a Ph.D. and MA in philosophy from the University of Toronto, an MBA from Duke University, an MS in computer science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a BA in mathematics and philosophy from Bishop's University.

Appointments and Affiliations

  • Professor of the Practice
  • Professor of the Practice in the Department of Philosophy
  • Core Faculty in Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Contact Information

  • Office Location: A105F Fuqua School, Durham, NC 27708
  • Office Phone: +1 919 660 8052
  • Email Address: fjeld@duke.edu
  • Websites:

Education

  • B.A. Bishop's University (Canada), 1973
  • Ph.D. University of Toronto (Canada), 1977

Courses Taught

  • STRATEGY 899: Independent Study
  • STRATEGY 851: New Ventures Delivery 1
  • STRATEGY 845: Entrepreneurial Execution and Planning
  • MMS 396: New Ventures Delivery
  • I&E 800: Business and Organization Fundamentals for Entrepreneurial Action
  • I&E 791: Independent Study
  • I&E 752: New Ventures Delivery
  • I&E 590: Special Topics in Innovation & Entrepreneurship
  • I&E 499: Innovation and Entrepreneurship Capstone: Ideas into Action
  • I&E 396: New Ventures Delivery
  • I&E 391: Independent Study in Innovation and Entrepreneurship
  • ENVIRON 590: Special Topics
  • ENTREPRN 897E: Concentration Project
  • ENERGY 590: Special Topics in Energy

In the News

Representative Publications

  • Fjeld, Jon, Kyle Jensen, Tom Byers, and Laura Dunham. “Entrepreneurs and the Truth.” Harvard Business Review, July 2021.
  • Cummings, Jonathon N., Wesley Cohen, Jon Fjeld, and Christian Mealey. “Coherence between Firm Innovation Strategy and Structuring Innovation Projects: A Framework.” Academy of Management Proceedings 2019, no. 1 (August 1, 2019): 17817–17817. https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2019.17817abstract.
  • Fjeld, Jon. “How to Test Your Assumptions.” MIT SLOAN MANAGEMENT REVIEW 59, no. 2 (December 1, 2018): 89–90.
  • Cohen, W. M., and J. Fjeld. “The three legs of a stool: Comment on Richard Nelson, “The sciences are different and the differences matter”.” Research Policy 45, no. 9 (November 1, 2016): 1708–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2016.06.002.
  • Fjeld, Jon. “Experiential entrepreneurship programs at universities: Are they all the same?” National Science Foundation, n.d.
  • Fjeld, Jon, Kyle Jensen, Tom Byers, and Laura Dunham. “Entrepreneurs and the Truth.” Harvard Business Review, July 2021.
  • Cummings, Jonathon N., Wesley Cohen, Jon Fjeld, and Christian Mealey. “Coherence between Firm Innovation Strategy and Structuring Innovation Projects: A Framework.” Academy of Management Proceedings 2019, no. 1 (August 1, 2019): 17817–17817. https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2019.17817abstract.
  • Fjeld, Jon. “How to Test Your Assumptions.” MIT SLOAN MANAGEMENT REVIEW 59, no. 2 (December 1, 2018): 89–90.
  • Cohen, W. M., and J. Fjeld. “The three legs of a stool: Comment on Richard Nelson, “The sciences are different and the differences matter”.” Research Policy 45, no. 9 (November 1, 2016): 1708–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2016.06.002.
  • Fjeld, Jon. “Experiential entrepreneurship programs at universities: Are they all the same?” National Science Foundation, n.d.
  • Fjeld, Jon, Kyle Jensen, Tom Byers, and Laura Dunham. “Entrepreneurs and the Truth.” Harvard Business Review, July 2021.
  • Cummings, Jonathon N., Wesley Cohen, Jon Fjeld, and Christian Mealey. “Coherence between Firm Innovation Strategy and Structuring Innovation Projects: A Framework.” Academy of Management Proceedings 2019, no. 1 (August 1, 2019): 17817–17817. https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2019.17817abstract.
  • Fjeld, Jon. “How to Test Your Assumptions.” MIT SLOAN MANAGEMENT REVIEW 59, no. 2 (December 1, 2018): 89–90.
  • Cohen, W. M., and J. Fjeld. “The three legs of a stool: Comment on Richard Nelson, “The sciences are different and the differences matter”.” Research Policy 45, no. 9 (November 1, 2016): 1708–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2016.06.002.
  • Fjeld, Jon. “Experiential entrepreneurship programs at universities: Are they all the same?” National Science Foundation, n.d.