Performance of spin-offs and Brazilian startups: a study on technological evolution based on entrepreneurship and networks

Authors

DOI:

10.14211/ibjesb.e2103

Keywords:

knowledge-intensive companies, entrepreneurship, collaboration networks, ability to convert knowledge, organizational performance

Abstract

Objective: to understand the relationships in advance of technological maturity and organizational performance in academic spin-offs and Brazilian startups. Method: quantitative research, with the application of 62 questionnaires, 17 of which were used as a pre-test. Originality/Relevance: this paper develops an approach oriented towards knowledge-intensive entrepreneurship in the context of a developing country, using data obtained from academic spin-offs and startups, based on an original model that relates the studied constructs. Results: empirical results made it possible to highlight the importance of Entrepreneurial Orientation as an antecedent of both Knowledge Conversion Capacity and Network Capacity. Theoretical/methodological contributions: aspects related to Entrepreneurial Orientation, Knowledge Conversion Capacity, Network Capacity and Technological Maturity were articulated in a conceptual model with a view to ultimately identifying the determinant mechanisms of Organizational Performance. Social/Management Contributions: the findings underscore the role of the ecosystem as a critical meta-structure for entrepreneurial development. This is because the components of the Entrepreneurial Orientation at the firm level are intrinsically connected with the diffusion of a culture of entrepreneurship in the agents. Additionally, both the Knowledge Conversion Capacity and the Network Capacity encompass the dynamics of interactions and knowledge flows between the firm and agents with complementary capacities. Thus, the results of this research underscore the need to develop a systemic orientation for understanding new knowledge-intensive enterprises.

JEL Code: 030, 032

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Brenno Buarque de Lima, State University of Ceará (UECE), Fortaleza, CE, Brazil

is PhD Candidate and Master in Management at the State University of Ceará (UECE).

Samuel Façanha Câmara, State University of Ceará (UECE), Fortaleza, CE, Brazil

is Adjunct Professor of the Graduate Program in Management at the State University of Ceará (UECE).

Bruno Brandão Fischer, State University of Campinas (Unicamp), Campinas, SP, Brazil

is Associate Professor at the Faculty of Applied Sciences at the State University of Campinas

Rafaela Cajado Magalhães, State University of Ceará (UECE), Fortaleza, CE, Brazil

is Master in Management at the State University of Ceará (UECE).

References

Abreu, M., & Grinevich, V. (2013). The nature of academic entrepreneurship in the UK: Widening the focus on entrepreneurial activities. Research Policy, 42(2), 408-422. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2012.10.005

Ács, Z., Autio, E., & Szerb, L. (2014). National Systems of Entrepreneurship: Measurement issues and policy implications. Research Policy, 43(3), 476-494. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2013.08.016

Alves, A. C., Fischer, B., Schaeffer, P. R., & Queiroz, S. (2019). Determinants of student entrepreneurship: An assessment on higher education institutions in Brazil. Innovation & Management Review, 16(2), 96-117. https://doi.org/10.1108/INMR-02-2018-0002

Audretsch, D., & Belitski, M. (2021). Knowledge complexity and firm performance: evidence from the European SMEs. Journal of Knowledge Management, 25(4), 693-713. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-03-2020-0178

Audretsch, D., Colombelli, A., Grilli, L., Minola, T., & Rasmussen, E. (2020). Innovative start-ups and policy initiatives. Research Policy, 49(10), 104027. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2020.104027

Auerswald, P. E., & Branscomb, L. M. (2003). Valleys of death and Darwinian seas: Financing the invention to innovation transition in the United States. The Journal of Technology Transfer, 28(3-4), 227-239. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024980525678

Balestrin, A., & Verschoore, J. (2010). Aprendizagem e inovação no contexto das redes de cooperação entre pequenas e médias empresas. Organizações & Sociedade, 17(53), 311-330. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1984-92302010000200005

Bathelt, H., Kogler, D. F., & Munro, A. K. (2010). A knowledge-based typology of university spin-offs in the context of regional economic development. Technovation, 30(9-10), 519-532. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2010.04.003

Baum, J. A., Calabrese, T., & Silverman, B. S. (2000). Don't go it alone: Alliance network composition and startups' performance in Canadian biotechnology. Strategic management journal, 21(3), 267-294. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0266(200003)21:3%3C267::AID-SMJ89%3E3.0.CO;2-8

Belso-Martinez, J., & Diez-Vial, I. (2018). Firm’s strategic choices and network knowledge dynamics: how do they affect innovation? Journal of Knowledge Management, 22(1), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-12-2016-0524

Bercovitz, J., & Feldman, M. (2006). Entrepreneurial universities and technology transfer: A conceptual framework for understanding knowledge-based economic development. The Journal of Technology Transfer, 31(1), 175-188. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-005-5029-z

Bido, D., & da Silva, D. (2019). SmartPLS 3: especificação, estimação, avaliação e relato. Administração: Ensino e Pesquisa, 20(2), 1-31. https://doi.org/10.13058/raep.2019.v20n2.1545

Bortolini, R. F., Cortimiglia, M. N., Danilevicz, A. D. M. F., & Ghezzi, A. (2018). Lean Startup: a comprehensive historical review. Management Decision, 59(8), 1765-1783. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-07-2017-0663

Bradley, S. R., Hayter, C. S., & Link, A. N. (2013). Models and methods of university technology transfer. Foundations and Trends in Entrepreneurship, 9(6), 571-650. https://doi.or/10.1561/0300000048

Brown, R., & Mason, C. (2014). Inside the high-tech black box: a critique of technology entrepreneurship policy. Technovation, 34(12), 773-784. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2014.07.013

Câmara, S. F., de Lima, B. B., da Gama Mota, T. L. N., e Silva, A. L., & Padilha, P. (2018). The Management of Innovation Networks: Possibilities of Collaboration in Light of Game Theory. Business and Management Studies, 4(2), 24-34. https://doi.org/10.11114/bms.v4i2.3003

Choi, Y. R., & Shepherd, D. A. (2004), Entrepreneurs' decisions to exploit opportunities. Journal of Management, 30(3), 377-395. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jm.2003.04.002

Civera, A., Meoli, M., & Vismara, S. (2020). Engagement of academics in university technology transfer: Opportunity and necessity academic entrepreneurship. European Economic Review, 123, 103376. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroecorev.2020.103376

Clarysse, B., & Moray, N. (2004). A process study of entrepreneurial team formation: the case of a research-based spin-off. Journal of Business Venturing, 19(1), 55-79. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0883-9026(02)00113-1

Cowling, M. (2016). You can lead a firm to R & D but can you make it innovate? UK evidence from SMEs. Small Business Economics, 46(4), 565-577. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-016-9704-2

Debackere, K., & Veugelers, R. (2005). The role of academic technology transfer organizations in improving industry science links. Research Policy, 34(3), 321-342. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2004.12.003

Deeds, D. L., Decarolis, D., & Coombs, J. (2000), Dynamic capabilities and new product development in high technology ventures: An empirical analysis of new biotechnology firms. Journal of Business Venturing, 15(3), 211-229. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0883-9026(98)00013-5

Diánez-González, J. P., & Camelo-Ordaz, C. (2016). How management team composition affects academic spin-offs’ entrepreneurial orientation: the mediating role of conflict. The Journal of Technology Transfer, 41(3), 530-557. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-015-9428-5

Diánez-González, J. P., & Camelo-Ordaz, C. (2019). The influence of the structure of social networks on academic spin-offs’ entrepreneurial orientation. Industrial Marketing Management, 80, 84-98. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-015-9428-5

Dullius, A. C., & Schaeffer, P. R. (2016). As capacidades de inovação em startups: contribuições para uma trajetória de crescimento. Revista Alcance, 23(1), 34-50. https://doi.org/alcance.v.23n.1.p34-50

Duranton, G. (2007). Urban evolutions: the fast, the slow and the still. American Economic Review, 97(1), 197-221. http://doi.org/10.1257/aer.97.1.197

Eslava, M., Haltiwanger, J. C., & Pinzón, A. (2019). Job creation in Colombia vs the US: “up or out dynamics” meets “the life cycle of plants” (Working Paper nº 25550). Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research. Working Paper nº 25550. https://doi.org/10.3386/w25550

Ferreira, J., Fayolle, A., Fernandes, C., & Raposo, M. (2017). Effects of Schumpeterian and Kirznerian entrepreneurship on economic growth: panel data evidence. Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, 29(1-2), 27-50. https://doi.org/10.1080/08985626.2016.1255431

Fini, R., Grimaldi, R., Santoni S., & Sobrero, M. (2011). Complements or substitutes? The role of universities and local context in supporting the creation of academic spin-offs. Research Policy, 40(8), 1113-1127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2011.05.013

Fischer, B., Queiroz, S., & Vonortas, N. (2018). On the location of knowledge-intensive entrepreneurship in developing countries: lessons from São Paulo, Brazil. Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, 30(5-6), 612-638. https://doi.org/10.1080/08985626.2018.1438523

Fischer, B., Salles-Filho, S., Zeitoum, C., & Colugnati, F. (2021). Performance drivers in knowledge-intensive entrepreneurial firms: a multidimensional perspective. Journal of Knowledge Management, 26(5), 1342-1367. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-03-2021-0264

Fischer, B., Schaeffer, P., Vonortas, N., & Queiroz, S. (2018). Quality comes first: university-industry collaboration as a source of academic entrepreneurship in a developing country. Journal of Technology Transfer, (43), 263-284. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-017-9568-x

Fryges, H., & Wright, M. (2014). The origin of spin-offs: a typology of corporate and academic spin-offs. Small Business Economics, 43(2), 245-259. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-013-9535-3

Gimenez-Fernandez, E. M., Sandulli, F. D., & Bogers, M. (2020). Unpacking liabilities of newness and smallness in innovative start-ups: Investigating the differences in innovation performance between new and older small firms. Research Policy, 49(10), 104049. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2020.104049

Guerrero, M., & Urbano, D. (2017). The impact of triple helix agents on entrepreneurial innovations' performance: An inside look at enterprises located in an emerging economy. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 119, 294-309. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2016.06.015

Hahn, D., Minola, T., & Eddleston, K. A. (2019). How do Scientists Contribute to the Performance of Innovative Start-ups? An Imprinting Perspective on Open Innovation. Journal of Management Studies, 56(5), 895-928. https://doi.org/10.1111/joms.12418

Hair, J. F., Bush, R. P., & Ortinau, D. J. (2000). Marketing research: A practical approach for the new millennium. Burr Ridge, IL, USA: Irwin Professional Publishing.

Hayter, C. (2016a). A trajectory of early-stage spinoff success: the role of knowledge intermediaries within an entrepreneurial university ecosystem. Small Business Economics, 47(3), 633-656. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-016-9756-3

Hayter, C. (2016b). Constraining entrepreneurial development: A knowledge-based view of social networks among academic entrepreneurs. Research Policy, 45(2), 475-490. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2015.11.003

Hayter, C. S., Nelson, A. J., Zayed, S., & O’Connor, A. C. (2018). Conceptualizing academic entrepreneurship ecosystems: A review, analysis and extension of the literature. The Journal of Technology Transfer, 43(4), 1039-1082. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-018-9657-5

Héder, M. (2017). From NASA to EU: the evolution of the TRL scale in Public Sector Innovation. The Innovation Journal, 22(2), 1-23. https://doi.org/eprints.sztaki.hu/9204/

Hernández-Perlines, F., Moreno-García, J., & Yañez-Araque, B. (2016). The mediating role of competitive strategy in international entrepreneurial orientation. Journal of Business Research, 69(11), 5383-5389. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.04.142

Hsieh, C.-T., & Klenow, P. J. (2014). The life cycle of plants in India and Mexico. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 129(3), 1035-1084. https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qju014

Huynh, T., Patton, D., Arias-Aranda, D., & Molina-Fernández, L. M. (2017). University spin-off's performance: Capabilities and networks of founding teams at creation phase. Journal of Business Research, 78, 10-22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2017.04.015

Hyytinen, A., Pajarinen, M., & Rouvinen, P. (2015). Does innovativeness reduce startup survival rates? Journal of Business Venturing, 30(4), 564-581. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2014.10.001

Jain, S., George, G., & Maltarich, M. (2009). Academics or entrepreneurs? Investigating role identity modification of university scientists involved in commercialization activity. Research Policy, 38(6), 922-935. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2009.02.007

Jolly, V. K. (1997). Commercializing new technologies: Getting from mind to Market. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press.

Katila, R., Chen, E. L., & Piezunka, H. (2012). All the right moves: How entrepreneurial firms compete effectively. Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, 6(2), 116-132. https://doi.org/10.1002/sej.1130

Lederman, D., Messina, J., Pienknagura, S., & Rigolini, J. (2014). Latin American entrepreneurs: many firms but little innovation. Washington, DC: World Bank Publications.

Lee, L., Petter, S., Fayard, D., & Robinson, S. (2011). On the use of partial least squares path modeling in accounting research. International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, 12(4), 305-328. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.accinf.2011.05.002

Leyden, D. P., & Link, A. N. (2015). Toward a theory of the entrepreneurial process. Small Business Economics, 44(3), 475-484. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-014-9606-0

Li, M., Goetz, S. J., Partridge, M., & Fleming, D. A. (2016). Location determinants of high-growth firms. Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, 280(1-2), 97-125. https://doi.org/10.1080/08985626.2015.1109003

Little, T. D., Lindenberger, U., & Nesselroade, J. R. (1999). On selecting indicators for multivariate measurement and modeling with latent variables: When" good" indicators are bad and" bad" indicators are good. Psychological methods, 4(2), 192-211. https://doi.org/10.1037/1082-989X.4.2.192

Lumpkin, G. T., & Dess, G. G. (1996), Clarifying the entrepreneurial orientation construct and linking it to performance. Academy of Management Review, 21(1), 135-172. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1996.9602161568

Maia, M. M. (2016). Características dos empreendedores de startups brasileiras de base tecnológica. Revista de Empreendedorismo, Negócios e Inovação, 1(2), 52-69. https://doi.org/10.36942/reni.v1i2.165

Malerba, F., & McKelvey, M. (2020). Knowledge-intensive innovative entrepreneurship integrating Schumpeter, evolutionary economics, and innovation systems. Small Business Economics, 54(2), 503-522. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-018-0060-2

Mathisen, M. T., & Rasmussen, E. (2019). The development, growth, and performance of university spin-offs: A critical review. The Journal of Technology Transfer, 44(6), 1891-1938. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-018-09714-9

McGrath, H., Medlin, C. J., & O'Toole, T. (2019). A process-based model of network capability development by a start-up firm. Industrial Marketing Management, 80, 214-227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2017.11.011

Mosey, S., & Wright, M. (2007). From human capital to social capital: A longitudinal study of technology – based academic entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship theory and practice, 31(6), 909-935. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6520.2007.00203.x

O’Shea, R. P., Chugh, H., & Allen, T. J. (2008). Determinants and consequences of university spinoff activity: a conceptual framework. The Journal of Technology Transfer, 33(6), 653-666. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-007-9060-0

Oehler, A., Höfer, A., & Schalkowski, H. (2015). Entrepreneurial education and knowledge: empirical evidence on a sample of German undergraduate students. Journal of Technology Transfer, 40(3), 536-557. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-014-9350-2

Perez, M. P., & Sánchez, A. M. (2003). The development of university spin-offs: early dynamics of technology transfer and networking. Technovation, 23(10), 823-831. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0166-4972(02)00034-2

Protogerou, A., & Caloghirou, Y. (2015). Dynamic capabilities in young knowledge-intensive firms: an empirical approach. In: Dynamics of Knowledge Intensive Entrepreneurship (pp. 263-288. London: Routledge.

Qian, H. (2018). Knowledge-Based Regional Economic Development: A Synthetic Review of Knowledge Spillovers, Entrepreneurship, and Entrepreneurial Ecosystems. Economic Development Quarterly, 32(2), 163-176. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891242418760981

Qian, H., & Haynes, K. E. (2014). Beyond innovation: The small business innovation research program as entrepreneurship policy. Journal of Technology Transfer, 39(4), 524-543. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-013-9323-x

Radosevic, S., & Yoruk, E. (2013). Entrepreneurial propensity of innovation systems: theory, methodology and evidence. Research Policy, 42(5), 1015-1038. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2013.01.011

Rasmussen, E., Mosey, S., & Wright, M. (2014). The influence of university departments on the evolution of entrepreneurial competencies in spin-off ventures. Research Policy, 43(1), 92-106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2013.06.007

Rasmussen, E., Mosey, S., & Wright, M. (2015). The transformation of network ties to develop entrepreneurial competencies for university spin-offs. Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, 27(7-8), 430-457. https://doi.org/10.1080/08985626.2015.1070536

Rasmussen, E., & Wright, M. (2015). How can universities facilitate academic spin-offs? An entrepreneurial competency perspective. Journal of Technology Transfer, 40(5), 782-799. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-014-9386-3

Rocha, R. O., Olave, M. E. L., & Ordonez, E. D. M. (2019). Estratégias de Inovação para Startups. Revista Pretexto, 20(2), 87-99. https://doi.org/10.21714/pretexto.v20i2.5996

Rompho, N. (2018). Operational performance measures for startups. Measuring Business Excellence, 22(1), pp. 31-41. https://doi.org/10.1108/MBE-06-2017-0028

Rothaermel, F. T., Agung, S., & Jiang, L. (2007). University entrepreneurship: a taxonomy of the literature. Industrial and Corporate Change, 16(4), 691-791. https://doi.org/10.1093/icc/dtm023

Scuotto, V., Del Giudice, M., & Carayannis, E. G. (2017). The effect of social networking sites and absorptive capacity on SMES’ innovation performance. Journal of Technology Transfer, 42(2), 409-424. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-016-9517-0

Scuotto, V., Del Giudice, M., Garcia-Perez, A., Orlando, B., & Ciampi, F. (2020). A spillover effect of entrepreneurial orientation on technological innovativeness: an outlook of universities and research-based spin offs. The Journal of Technology Transfer, 45(6), 1634-1654. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-019-09760-x

Siegel, D. S., & Wessner, C. (2012). Universities and the success of entrepreneurial ventures: Evidence from the small business innovation research program. Journal of Technology Transfer, 37(4), 404-415. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-010-9186-3

Siepel, J., Cowling, M., & Coad, A. (2017). Non-founder human capital and the long-run growth and survival of high-tech ventures. Technovation, 59, 34-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2016.09.001

Silva, D. S., Ghezzi, A., de Aguiar, R. B., Cortimiglia, M. N., & Caten, C. S. T. (2020). Lean Startup, agile methodologies and customer development for business model innovation: A systematic review and research agenda. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, 26(4), 595-628. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-07-2019-0425

Soetanto, D., & Jack, S. (2016). The impact of university-based incubation support on the innovation strategy of academic spin-offs. Technovation, 50-51, 25-40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2015.11.001

Soetanto, D., & Van Geenhuizen, M. (2015). Getting the right balance: University networks’ influence on spin-offs’ attraction of funding for innovation. Technovation, 36, 26-38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2014.10.008

Song, G., Min, S., Lee, S., & Seo, Y. (2017). The effects of network reliance on opportunity recognition: A moderated mediation model of knowledge acquisition and entrepreneurial orientation. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 117, 98-107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2017.01.004

Sousa-Ginel, E., Franco-Leal, N., & Camelo-Ordaz, C. (2017). The influence of networks on the knowledge conversion capability of academic spin-offs. Industrial and Corporate Change, 26(6), 1125-1144. https://doi.org/10.1093/icc/dtx013

Stam, E., & Van de Ven, A. (2021). Entrepreneurial ecosystem elements. Small Business Economics, 56, 809-832. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-019-00270-6

Symeonidou, N., & Nicolaou, N. (2018). Resource orchestration in start‐ups: Synchronizing human capital investment, leveraging strategy, and founder start‐up experience. Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, 12(2), 194-218. https://doi.org/10.1002/sej.1269

Usman, M., & Vanhaverbeke, W. (2017). How start-ups successfully organize and manage open innovation with large companies. European Journal of Innovation Management, 20(1), 171-186. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJIM-07-2016-0066

Vohora, A., Wright, M., & Lockett, A. (2004). Critical junctures in the development of university high-tech spinout companies. Research Policy, 33(1), 147-175. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0048-7333(03)00107-0

Wales, W. J., Gupta, V. K., & Mousa, F. T. (2013). Empirical research on entrepreneurial orientation: An assessment and suggestions for future research. International Small Business Journal, 31(4), 357-383. https://doi.org/10.1177/0266242611418261

Walter, A., Auer, M., & Ritter, T. (2006). The impact of network capabilities and entrepreneurial orientation on university spin-off performance. Journal of business venturing, 21(4), 541-567. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2005.02.005

Wright, M., Siegel, D. S., & Mustar, P. (2017). An emerging ecosystem for student start-ups. The Journal of Technology Transfer, 42(4), 909-922. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-017-9558-z

Zacca, R., & Dayan, M. (2018). Linking managerial competence to small enterprise performance within the dynamic capability logic. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 25(2), 256-276. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSBED-02-2017-0042

Zahra, S. A., Van de Velde, E., & Larraneta, B. (2007). Knowledge conversion capability and the performance of corporate and university spin-offs. Industrial and Corporate Change, 16(4), 569-608. https://doi.org/10.1093/icc/dtm018

Zucker, L., Darby, M., & Armstrong, J. (2002). Commercializing knowledge: university science, knowledge capture, and firm performance in biotechnology. Management Science, 48(1), 138-153. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.48.1.138.14274

Published

2022-11-17

Métricas


Visualizações do artigo: 461     PDF (Português (Brasil)) downloads: 139 PDF downloads: 127

How to Cite

Lima, B. B. de, Câmara, S. F., Fischer, B. B., & Magalhães, R. C. (2022). Performance of spin-offs and Brazilian startups: a study on technological evolution based on entrepreneurship and networks. REGEPE Entrepreneurship and Small Business Journal, 11(3), e2103. https://doi.org/10.14211/ibjesb.e2103

Issue

Section

Research article (Theoretical-empirical)