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Human capital and new venture performance: the industry choice and performance of academic entrepreneurs

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  • Kristian Nielsen

Abstract

New venture formation by academics has recently been recognized as an important source of knowledge spillover and technology transfer. However, the majority of studies have focused on the factors leading to academic entrepreneurship, while only few study the performance of these ventures. Moreover, this strand of the literature has focused solely on start-ups by university faculty. This study adds to these by including university graduates in the definition of academic entrepreneurs and controlling for the industry environment in which the new venture is founded; both aspects, which are recommended in recent studies. Longitudinal register data combined with responses from 1,151 first-time entrepreneurs in 2004 are used to explore the self-selection of individuals into certain industry environments and their subsequent performance—survival and growth—in the chosen environment. This study works from the hypothesis that university education (technical and non-technical) and industry experience increase new venture performance in high-profit and high-uncertainty industries, respectively, because of increased knowledge and skills; in addition, education and experience engender higher absorptive capacities and adaptability. The analysis controls for personal traits, social capital, and financial capital. Technical academics are found to perform better in both profitable and uncertain industries, whereas non-technical academics perform better only in profitable industries. Nevertheless, both types of academics are more likely to enter uncertain industries. The absorptive capacities of technical academics make these individuals particularly important in technology transfers to new ventures in unstable environments, which are important in developed economies. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015

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  • Kristian Nielsen, 2015. "Human capital and new venture performance: the industry choice and performance of academic entrepreneurs," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 40(3), pages 453-474, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jtecht:v:40:y:2015:i:3:p:453-474
    DOI: 10.1007/s10961-014-9345-z
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    4. Elisabeth Bublitz & Kristian Nielsen & Florian Noseleit & Bram Timmermans, 2018. "Entrepreneurship, human capital, and labor demand: a story of signaling and matching," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 27(2), pages 269-287.
    5. Carolin Bock & Christian Landau & Moritz Orendt & Maximilian Schmidt, 2018. "Are Public Financing Schemes Beneficial For University Spin-Offs And The Technology Transfer Of Innovations?," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 22(06), pages 1-30, August.
    6. Braunerhjelm, Pontus & Lappi, Emma, 2023. "Employees' entrepreneurial human capital and firm performance," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(2).
    7. Guido Buenstorf & Kristian Nielsen & Bram Timmermans, 2017. "Steve Jobs or No Jobs? Entrepreneurial activity and performance among Danish college dropouts and graduates," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 48(1), pages 179-197, January.
    8. Francisco Javier Miranda & Antonio Chamorro & Sergio Rubio, 2018. "Re-thinking university spin-off: a critical literature review and a research agenda," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 43(4), pages 1007-1038, August.
    9. Zhi-Guang Li & Yanrui Wu & Yao-Kuang Li, 2023. "Technical Founders, Digital Transformation and Corporate Technological Innovation: Empirical Evidence from Listed Companies in China’s STAR Market," Economics Discussion / Working Papers 23-03, The University of Western Australia, Department of Economics.
    10. David R. Williams & Betty S. Coffey & Carlton C. Young, 2018. "Human capital and agency effects on CEO compensation of IPO biopharmaceutical firms and the market’s response," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 22(2), pages 315-337, June.
    11. Stefan Marc Hossinger & Xiangyu Chen & Arndt Werner, 2020. "Drivers, barriers and success factors of academic spin-offs: a systematic literature review," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 70(1), pages 97-134, February.
    12. Daniel Ratzinger & Kevin Amess & Andrew Greenman & Simon Mosey, 2018. "The impact of digital start-up founders’ higher education on reaching equity investment milestones," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 43(3), pages 760-778, June.
    13. Tali Hadasa Blank & Abraham Carmeli, 2021. "Does founding team composition influence external investment? The role of founding team prior experience and founder CEO," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 46(6), pages 1869-1888, December.
    14. Alex Coad & Kristian Nielsen & Bram Timmermans, 2017. "My first employee: an empirical investigation," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 48(1), pages 25-45, January.
    15. Silveli Cristo-Andrade & João J. Ferreira, 2020. "Knowledge spillovers and strategic entrepreneurship: what researches and approaches?," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 16(1), pages 263-286, March.
    16. Mariluz Fernández-Alles & Dara Hernández-Roque & Mercedes Villanueva-Flores & Mirta Díaz-Fernández, 2022. "The impact of human, social, and psychological capital on academic spin-off internationalization," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 433-473, September.
    17. Rosa Caiazza & Aileen Richardson & David Audretsch, 2015. "Knowledge effects on competitiveness: from firms to regional advantage," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 40(6), pages 899-909, December.
    18. Bárbara Larrañeta & José Luis Galán González & Rocio Aguilar, 2017. "Early efforts to develop absorptive capacity and their performance implications: differences among corporate and independent ventures," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 42(3), pages 485-509, June.
    19. Petra Moog & Christian Soost, 2022. "Does team diversity really matter? The connection between networks, access to financial resources, and performance in the context of university spin-offs," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 58(1), pages 323-351, January.
    20. Patel, Pankaj C. & João Guedes, Maria & Pagano, Michael S. & Olson, Gerard T., 2020. "Industry profitability matters: The value of sustainable growth rate and distance from bankruptcy as enablers of venture survival," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 80-92.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Entrepreneurship; Industry environment; Human capital; Firm performance; J24; L25; L26; M13; O31;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • L25 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Performance
    • L26 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Entrepreneurship
    • M13 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - New Firms; Startups
    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives

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