Learning from Role Models in Early-Stage Entrepreneurship: A Qualitative Processual Analysis

Meeting abstract of a paper presented at the AOM Conference, 2019, .Role models have received substantial attention in the field of entrepreneurship. While much of researchers’ interest has been on the influence of role models on the decision to engage entrepreneurial activity, less is known about how and what is learned from them after one has become an entrepreneur. Through a qualitative, grounded-theory approach, this study explores the process and content dimensions of entrepreneurial learning from role models throughout the start-up process. Drawing on thirteen in-depth semi-structured interviews, the study shows how the attributes of role models and the related learning outcomes change throughout the start-up. Findings portray a learning process consisting of three major episodes in which nascent entrepreneurs identify, compare and empathize with different attributes of role models thereby accessing a variety of learning outcomes

Social capital of venture capitalists and start-up funding

How does the social capital of venture capitalists (VCs) affect the funding of start-ups? By building on the rich social capital literature, we hypothesize a positive effect of VCs' social capital, derived from past syndication, on the amount of money that start-ups receive. Specifically, we argue that both structural and relational aspects of VCs' social networks provide VCs with superior access to information about current investment objects and opportunities to leverage them in the future, increasing their willingness to invest in these firms. Our empirical results, derived from a novel dataset containing more than 1,500 first funding rounds in the Internet and IT sector, strongly confirm our hypotheses. We discuss the implications of our findings for theories of venture capital and entrepreneurship, showing that the role and effect of VCs' social capital on start-up firms may be more complex than previously argued in the literature

Scott A. Shane: winner of the Global Award for Entrepreneurship Research

Entrepreneurship Award Winner, Theory development, Methodological development, Entrepreneurship, G24, L26, M13, O31,

Timing of Immigration Effects Asset Change Among Hispanic Caregivers of Older Family Members

Given the cultural value of family in Hispanic culture, older Hispanic immigrants are likely to have family caregivers. This study examined the economic implications of caring for older Hispanic adults regarding non-housing financial wealth over time. Using the 2008, 2010, and 2012 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and RAND HRS data files, this study compares changes in the non-housing financial wealth between 2008 and 2012 by caregiving and immigration status among Hispanics. This study examined differences in assets between Hispanic caregivers and non-caregivers and more specifically examined the subpopulation of Hispanic caregivers who immigrated prior to and after 1968 as compared to U.S.-born caregivers to better understand the effect of the Immigration and Nationality Amendment Act of 1965 on asset change. Results indicate that caregiving itself did not have a statistically significant association with wealth, but the timing of immigration to the US had a statistically significant correlation (p \u3c.05) with changes in the financial wealth. The findings of this study have implications for policy and program development targeting older adults and caregiving for this population