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A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing: Entrepreneurial experience and new venture disengagement

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  • Toft-Kehler, Rasmus Vendler
  • Wennberg, Karl
  • Kim, Phillip H.

Abstract

Existing research has offered conflicting narratives of how entrepreneurial experience influences whether founders will continue working on or disengage from their ventures. We theorize and test how entrepreneurs with varying levels of experience disengage from early-stage companies. Findings reveal a U-shaped relationship, such that novices and highly experienced entrepreneurs are more likely to quit their ventures, while moderately experienced entrepreneurs are more likely to persist in their pursuits. We offer both theoretical and empirical explanations for how the propensity to disengage from new ventures evolves with entrepreneurial experience.

Suggested Citation

  • Toft-Kehler, Rasmus Vendler & Wennberg, Karl & Kim, Phillip H., 2016. "A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing: Entrepreneurial experience and new venture disengagement," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 6(C), pages 36-46.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jobuve:v:6:y:2016:i:c:p:36-46
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbvi.2016.10.001
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    3. Ryan W. Angus, 2019. "Problemistic search distance and entrepreneurial performance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(12), pages 2011-2023, December.
    4. Singaram, Raja & Radu-Lefebvre, Miruna & Gartner, William B., 2023. "Gordian knot uncut: Understanding the problem of founder exit in social ventures," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 19(C).
    5. Wang, Tang & Libaers, Dirk & Yang, Xiaoming & Hu, Lingshu, 2025. "Publishing top entrepreneurship research: A dilemma for entrepreneurship scholars," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 23(C).
    6. Afrahi, Bahare & Zaefarian, Reza & Oghazi, Pejvak & Mostaghel, Rana, 2025. "Understanding entrepreneurial disengagement: Exploring the role of team vision and emotional support," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 212(C).
    7. George Bogdan Drăgan & Andrei Alexandru Panait & George Cristian Schin, 2022. "Tracking precursors of entrepreneurial intention: the case of researchers involved in eco-label industry," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 18(4), pages 1605-1622, December.
    8. Fan, Terence & Schwab, Andreas & Geng, Xuesong, 2021. "Habitual entrepreneurship in digital platform ecosystems: A time-contingent model of learning from prior software project experiences," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 36(5).
    9. Chandra, Yanto & Luo, Yiyun, 2025. "Celebrating a decade of entrepreneurship research in JBVI (2014–2024): Taking the pulse of the past to chart the future," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 23(C).
    10. Shahid, Pirzada Syed Rizwan, 2023. "Founder's Human Capital and the Entrepreneurial Process Duration," OSF Preprints yf6mg, Center for Open Science.

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