In nascent markets, deciding what to measure
is one of the most consequential strategic choices there is.

I am an Assistant Professor of Strategy at UCLA, where I am intrigued by how measurement shapes innovation and entrepreneurship, particularly when a technology is new and there is no agreed-upon way to gauge quality or progress. My work spans regulatory metrics, entrepreneurial strategy, and how investors and entrepreneurs evaluate one another when hard data is scarce. I actively bridge research and practice as a faculty affiliate of the Price Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation and the Easton Technology Management Center.
I received my PhD and SM from MIT, and a BCom and BA from Queen’s University. Prior to academia, I co-founded an education technology startup (out of a leading Canadian entrepreneurship program and accelerator), worked in venture capital in Toronto and Boston, and conducted research at the Harvard Business School ISC.
A Familiar Face: Measuring Visual Similarity in Venture Capital
Using facial recognition to measure "face distance" across 93,000+ potential deals, this paper documents a powerful preference for a familiar face: facial similarity between entrepreneur and investor predicts early-stage funding — especially under uncertainty — yet those investments underperform at exit.
Read the summary →Measurement for Dummies? Exploring the Role of Regulatory Metrics and Firm Strategy
When regulators pick a metric, firms respond — but not all in the same way. Set in automotive safety, this paper traces how a regulatory test procedure channels firm attention, and which firms merely meet the standard versus exceed it.
Read the summary →Peer-Reviewed Publications N = 3
Measurement for Dummies? Exploring the Role of Regulatory Metrics and Firm Strategy
Foundations of Entrepreneurial Strategy
Working Papers N = 4
Reversing the Herd: Binding Caps and the Direction of Innovation
Measuring the Frontier: How Figures of Merit Shape Innovation
Selling Science: The Role of Framing in the Market for Innovative Ideas
Some Simple Economics of AGI
jane.wu (a) anderson.ucla.edu
110 Westwood Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90095

