1,255 research outputs found
Going online: Peer entrepreneur networks in a startup accelerator before and during the COVID-19 pandemic
No full textA key value proposition of startup accelerators is the creation of social networks among participating entrepreneurs. The formation of these so-called “peer entrepreneur networks” is assumed to be strengthened by physical proximity within the accelerator, which facilitates the creation of trust and opportunities for informal, and often serendipitous, interactions. However, in response to the global spread of COVID-19, accelerators abruptly shifted their programs online, thereby allowing a rare opportunity to test the veracity of the assumptionthat physical proximity drives social connectivity. To understand how this shift affected peer entrepreneur networks, we compare longitudinal network data of two consecutive cohorts of the same accelerator: one offline-before, and one online-during, the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing from the literature on physical proximity and interaction ritual theory, we show that in the online (compared to the offline) program, peer entrepreneur networks became less dense, entrepreneurs reached fewer peers via indirect connections, and clusteringincreased. We discuss contributions to theory on peer entrepreneur networks and startup accelerators
Social Networks and Entrepreneurial Passion: Selection or Contagion?
No full textEntrepreneurial passion is contagious such that social interaction leads to passion convergence. However, do entrepreneurs also select whom they interact with based on passion similarity? The complex interdependencies between social networks and passion remain undertheorized and empirically puzzling. Using a stochastic actor-oriented model (SIENA) and four waves of panel data, we test hypotheses about the co-evolution of social networks and entrepreneurial passion during a 5-months university-based acceleration program. We find that entrepreneurs select social network ties based on similar levels of passion for founding and inventing but that only passion for founding is socially contagious. We discuss theoretical, empirical, and practical implications
Going Online: Entrepreneurial Peer Networks in a Startup Accelerator before and during the Covid-19 Pandemic
No full textStartup accelerators – fixed-term, cohort-based entrepreneurship program(s) – aim to support entrepreneurial activity (Bergman & McMullen, 2021; Chan et al., 2020; Cohen & Hochberg, 2014; Dushnitsky & Sarkar, 2018). Key to this support is accelerators’ ability to create “social capital surrounding entrepreneurial efforts” (Hochberg, 2016, p. 33). To do so, accelerators invest significant resources in facilitating a supportive peer environment and forging social networks among entrepreneurs through an array of formal and informal social events such as weekly dinners or guest speakers but also through the unique cohort approach that has entrepreneurs from different teams work alongside throughout the program (Cohen, 2013; Cohen & Hochberg, 2014). The resulting peer entrepreneur networks are powerful conduits to the flow of resources that include knowledge, advice, referrals, but also emotional support, generally representing one of the most important mechanisms through which accelerators deliver value (e.g., Amezcua et al., 2013; Hallen et al., 2020; Yu, 2020)
Mentors selecting mentees: The effects of founder characteristics and startup mentor motivations.
No full textStartup mentoring is widely recognized as a crucial service for founders in accelerators. However, mentors are a scarce resource and only support a small proportion of the startups that solicit their services. In this paper, we propose that startup mentors select potential mentees based on indicators of competence and relationship quality. Using a conjoint experiment, we examine the extent to which startups' external recognition and founders' entrepreneurial experience serve as indicators of competence, and coachability and gender concordance serve as indicators of relationship quality, and how these factors influence mentors' willingness to mentor. Additionally, based on self-determination theory, we test hypotheses about how mentors' motivational dispositions shape their responses to founders' attributes. In line with our hypotheses, we find that intrinsic mentoring motivations buffers against lower relationship quality indicators whereas prosocial mentoring motivation buffers against lower competence indicators
Peer Entrepreneur Networks in a Startup Accelerator Before and During the Covid-19 Pandemic
No full textIn response to the global spread of COVID-19, startup accelerators have shifted all activities online. To understand how this shift affects peer entrepreneur networks – a key constituent of accelerators value proposition to participating entrepreneurs – we draw on longitudinal network data from two editions of the same startup accelerator program before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on interaction ritual theory and the physical proximity principle, we hypothesize and test how online acceleration limits social connectivity. We find that in the online, compared to the offline cohort, networks became less dense, entrepreneurs reached fewer peers via indirect connections; and clustering increased. We highlight the impact of physical distancing on entrepreneurship and discuss contributions to theory on peer networks and startup acceleration
Team Entrepreneurial Network(ing)
No full textWe argue that the combination of co-founders’ personal networks forms an impactful network
structure between the individual and organizational level: team entrepreneurial network, that
is, the team-level configuration of entrepreneurial team members’ individual networks. This
team entrepreneurial network is not just a function of networking behavior by a single entrepreneur,
but rather reflects the complex interplay of all team members’ networking behaviors:
team entrepreneurial networking—the team-level configuration of entrepreneurial team members’
networking activities. We aim to explain how the team entrepreneurial network—a teamlevel
social structure—is shaped by team entrepreneurial networking—a team activity, and vice
versa. We go on to argue that the team entrepreneurial network influences resource access,
and that team entrepreneurial networking shapes this team entrepreneurial network
Who gets a mentor? The effects of founder characteristics and startup mentor motivations on founder selection
No full textsj-pdf-1-etp-10.1177_10422587231178865 – Supplemental material for Benevolent Sexism and the Gender Gap in Startup Evaluation
No full textSupplemental material, sj-pdf-1-etp-10.1177_10422587231178865 for Benevolent Sexism and the Gender Gap in Startup Evaluation by Nhu Nguyen, Ivona Hideg, Yuval Engel and Frédéric Godart in Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice</p
Supplementary Material 1 - Supplemental material for Self-Compassion When Coping With Venture Obstacles: Loving-Kindness Meditation and Entrepreneurial Fear of Failure
No full textSupplemental material, Supplementary Material 1, for Self-Compassion When Coping With Venture Obstacles: Loving-Kindness Meditation and Entrepreneurial Fear of Failure by Yuval Engel, Stephany Noordijk, Afra Spoelder and Marco van Gelderen in Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice</p
Network to passion or passion to network? Disentangling entrepreneurial passion selection and contagion effects among peers and teams in a startup accelerator
No full textEntrepreneurial passion is socially contagious. However, do entrepreneurs also select whom they interact with based on passion similarity? The complex interdependencies between social networks and entrepreneurial passion remain undertheorized and empirically puzzling. Using a stochastic actor-oriented model (SIENA) and four waves of panel data, we test hypotheses about the co-evolution of social networks and entrepreneurial passion during a 5-month startup accelerator program. We observe that social ties occur more frequently among peer entrepreneurs who are similar in levels of passion for founding. Initial homophily selection explains 34% of this observed similarity whereas social contagion explains 57%. Finally, we find that passion for founding is more contagious among members of startup teams than across other peer ties. Surprisingly, none of these effects are significant for passion for inventing. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings
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