IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jbvent/v38y2023i4s0883902623000137.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Network to passion or passion to network? Disentangling entrepreneurial passion selection and contagion effects among peers and teams in a startup accelerator

Author

Listed:
  • Becker, Kai
  • Ebbers, Joris J.
  • Engel, Yuval

Abstract

Entrepreneurial 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.

Suggested Citation

  • Becker, Kai & Ebbers, Joris J. & Engel, Yuval, 2023. "Network to passion or passion to network? Disentangling entrepreneurial passion selection and contagion effects among peers and teams in a startup accelerator," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 38(4).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbvent:v:38:y:2023:i:4:s0883902623000137
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusvent.2023.106299
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0883902623000137
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2023.106299?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. de Mol, Eva & Cardon, Melissa S. & de Jong, Bart & Khapova, Svetlana N. & Elfring, Tom, 2020. "Entrepreneurial passion diversity in new venture teams: An empirical examination of short- and long-term performance implications," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 35(4).
    2. Shankar, Raj K. & Clausen, Tommy H., 2020. "Scale quickly or fail fast: An inductive study of acceleration," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    3. Sharique Hasan & Rembrand Koning, 2019. "Prior ties and the limits of peer effects on startup team performance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(9), pages 1394-1416, September.
    4. Brian J. Bergman & Jeffery S. McMullen, 2022. "Helping Entrepreneurs Help Themselves: A Review and Relational Research Agenda on Entrepreneurial Support Organizations," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 46(3), pages 688-728, May.
    5. Franke, Nikolaus & Gruber, Marc & Harhoff, Dietmar & Henkel, Joachim, 2006. "What you are is what you like--similarity biases in venture capitalists' evaluations of start-up teams," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 21(6), pages 802-826, November.
    6. Reynolds, Paul & Miller, Brenda, 1992. "New firm gestation: Conception, birth, and implications for research," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 7(5), pages 405-417, September.
    7. Lawrence A. Plummer & Zoltán J. Ács, 2015. "Localized competition in the knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship," Chapters, in: Global Entrepreneurship, Institutions and Incentives, chapter 8, pages 145-160, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    8. Sandy Yu, 2020. "How Do Accelerators Impact the Performance of High-Technology Ventures?," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 66(2), pages 530-552, February.
    9. Mathias, Blake D. & Williams, David W., 2018. "Giving up the hats? Entrepreneurs' role transitions and venture growth," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 261-277.
    10. Valentina A. Assenova, 2020. "Early-Stage Venture Incubation and Mentoring Promote Learning, Scaling, and Profitability Among Disadvantaged Entrepreneurs," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 31(6), pages 1560-1578, November.
    11. Jing Cai & Adam Szeidl, 2018. "Interfirm Relationships and Business Performance," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 133(3), pages 1229-1282.
    12. Davis, Blakley C. & Hmieleski, Keith M. & Webb, Justin W. & Coombs, Joseph E., 2017. "Funders' positive affective reactions to entrepreneurs' crowdfunding pitches: The influence of perceived product creativity and entrepreneurial passion," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 90-106.
    13. Pink, Sebastian & Kretschmer, David & Leszczensky, Lars, 2020. "Choice modelling in social networks using stochastic actor-oriented models," Journal of choice modelling, Elsevier, vol. 34(C).
    14. Elizabeth Lyons & Laurina Zhang, 2018. "Who does (not) benefit from entrepreneurship programs?," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(1), pages 85-112, January.
    15. Nicola Breugst & Anne Domurath & Holger Patzelt & Anja Klaukien, 2012. "Perceptions of Entrepreneurial Passion and Employees’ Commitment to Entrepreneurial Ventures," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 36(1), pages 171-192, January.
    16. Cardon, Melissa S. & Gregoire, Denis A. & Stevens, Christopher E. & Patel, Pankaj C., 2013. "Measuring entrepreneurial passion: Conceptual foundations and scale validation," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 28(3), pages 373-396.
    17. Murnieks, Charles Y. & Cardon, Melissa S. & Haynie, J. Michael, 2020. "Fueling the fire: Examining identity centrality, affective interpersonal commitment and gender as drivers of entrepreneurial passion," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 35(1).
    18. Paul Davidson Reynolds, 2017. "When is a Firm Born? Alternative Criteria and Consequences," Business Economics, Palgrave Macmillan;National Association for Business Economics, vol. 52(1), pages 41-56, January.
    19. Snijders, Tom A.B. & Lomi, Alessandro, 2019. "Beyond homophily: Incorporating actor variables in statistical network models," Network Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 7(1), pages 1-19, March.
    20. Souitaris, Vangelis & Zerbinati, Stefania & Al-Laham, Andreas, 2007. "Do entrepreneurship programmes raise entrepreneurial intention of science and engineering students? The effect of learning, inspiration and resources," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 22(4), pages 566-591, July.
    21. Phillips, Nelson & Tracey, Paul & Karra, Neri, 2013. "Building entrepreneurial tie portfolios through strategic homophily: The role of narrative identity work in venture creation and early growth," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 134-150.
    22. van Rijnsoever, Frank J., 2020. "Meeting, mating, and intermediating: How incubators can overcome weak network problems in entrepreneurial ecosystems," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(1).
    23. Paul Davidson Reynolds, 2017. "Erratum to: When is a Firm Born? Alternative Criteria and Consequences," Business Economics, Palgrave Macmillan;National Association for Business Economics, vol. 52(1), pages 81-83, January.
    24. Benjamin L. Hallen & Susan L. Cohen & Christopher B. Bingham, 2020. "Do Accelerators Work? If So, How?," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 31(2), pages 378-414, March.
    25. Sylvia Hubner & Matthias Baum & Michael Frese, 2020. "Contagion of Entrepreneurial Passion: Effects on Employee Outcomes," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 44(6), pages 1112-1140, November.
    26. Josh Lerner & Ulrike Malmendier, 2013. "With a Little Help from My (Random) Friends: Success and Failure in Post-Business School Entrepreneurship," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 26(10), pages 2411-2452.
    27. Anselin, Luc & Bera, Anil K. & Florax, Raymond & Yoon, Mann J., 1996. "Simple diagnostic tests for spatial dependence," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 26(1), pages 77-104, February.
    28. Kim Claes & Balagopal Vissa, 2020. "Does Social Similarity Pay Off? Homophily and Venture Capitalists’ Deal Valuation, Downside Risk Protection, and Financial Returns in India," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 31(3), pages 576-603, May.
    29. Aleksandra J. Kacperczyk, 2013. "Social Influence and Entrepreneurship: The Effect of University Peers on Entrepreneurial Entry," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 24(3), pages 664-683, June.
    30. repec:use:tkiwps:332 is not listed on IDEAS
    31. Mariëtte Kaandorp & Elco van Burg & Tomas Karlsson, 2020. "Initial Networking Processes of Student Entrepreneurs: The Role of Action and Evaluation," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 44(3), pages 527-556, May.
    32. Uri Simonsohn & Joseph P. Simmons & Leif D. Nelson, 2020. "Specification curve analysis," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 4(11), pages 1208-1214, November.
    33. Simon Mosey & Mike Wright, 2007. "From Human Capital to Social Capital: A Longitudinal Study of Technology–Based Academic Entrepreneurs," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 31(6), pages 909-935, November.
    34. Carolyn Parkinson & Adam M. Kleinbaum & Thalia Wheatley, 2018. "Similar neural responses predict friendship," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 9(1), pages 1-14, December.
    35. Mercken, Liesbeth & Snijders, Tom A.B. & Steglich, Christian & de Vries, Hein, 2009. "Dynamics of adolescent friendship networks and smoking behavior: Social network analyses in six European countries," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 69(10), pages 1506-1514, November.
    36. Boone, Sarah & Andries, Petra & Clarysse, Bart, 2020. "Does team entrepreneurial passion matter for relationship conflict and team performance? On the importance of fit between passion focus and venture development stage," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 35(5).
    37. Uri Simonsohn & Joseph P. Simmons & Leif D. Nelson, 2020. "Publisher Correction: Specification curve analysis," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 4(11), pages 1215-1215, November.
    38. Arent Greve & Janet W. Salaff, 2003. "Social Networks and Entrepreneurship," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 28(1), pages 1-22, January.
    39. Sebastian Daza & L. Kurt Kreuger, 2021. "Agent-Based Models for Assessing Complex Statistical Models: An Example Evaluating Selection and Social Influence Estimates from SIENA," Sociological Methods & Research, , vol. 50(4), pages 1725-1762, November.
    40. Davidsson, Per & Honig, Benson, 2003. "The role of social and human capital among nascent entrepreneurs," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 18(3), pages 301-331, May.
    41. Der Foo, Maw & Kam Wong, Poh & Ong, Andy, 2005. "Do others think you have a viable business idea? Team diversity and judges' evaluation of ideas in a business plan competition," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 20(3), pages 385-402, May.
    42. Gielnik, Michael M. & Uy, Marilyn A. & Funken, Rebecca & Bischoff, Kim Marie, 2017. "Boosting and sustaining passion: A long-term perspective on the effects of entrepreneurship training," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 32(3), pages 334-353.
    43. Arenius, Pia & Engel, Yuval & Klyver, Kim, 2017. "No particular action needed? A necessary condition analysis of gestation activities and firm emergence," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 8(C), pages 87-92.
    44. Ramana Nanda & Jesper B. Sørensen, 2010. "Workplace Peers and Entrepreneurship," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 56(7), pages 1116-1126, July.
    45. Aaron Chatterji & Solène Delecourt & Sharique Hasan & Rembrand Koning, 2019. "When does advice impact startup performance?," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(3), pages 331-356, March.
    46. Ebbers, Joris J. & Wijnberg, Nachoem M., 2019. "The co-evolution of social networks and selection system orientations as core constituents of institutional logics of future entrepreneurs at school," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 558-577.
    47. Murnieks, Charles Y. & Cardon, Melissa S. & Sudek, Richard & White, T. Daniel & Brooks, Wade T., 2016. "Drawn to the fire: The role of passion, tenacity and inspirational leadership in angel investing," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 31(4), pages 468-484.
    48. Adam M. Kleinbaum & Alexander H. Jordan & Pino G. Audia, 2015. "An Altercentric Perspective on the Origins of Brokerage in Social Networks: How Perceived Empathy Moderates the Self-Monitoring Effect," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 26(4), pages 1226-1242, August.
    49. Veroniek Collewaert & Frederik Anseel & Michiel Crommelinck & Alain De Beuckelaer & Jacob Vermeire, 2016. "When Passion Fades: Disentangling the Temporal Dynamics of Entrepreneurial Passion for Founding," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(6), pages 966-995, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Becker, Kai & Ebbers, Joris J. & Engel, Yuval, 2024. "Going online: Peer entrepreneur networks in a startup accelerator before and during the COVID-19 pandemic," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Becker, Kai & Ebbers, Joris J. & Engel, Yuval, 2024. "Going online: Peer entrepreneur networks in a startup accelerator before and during the COVID-19 pandemic," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    2. Schwarte, Ying & Song, Yue & Hunt, Richard A. & Lohrke, Franz T., 2023. "Passion as process: Three perspectives on entrepreneurial passion and an integrated path forward," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    3. Avnimelech, Gil & Rechter, Eyal, 2023. "How and why accelerators enhance female entrepreneurship," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(2).
    4. Adomako, Samuel & Ahsan, Mujtaba, 2022. "Entrepreneurial passion and SMEs’ performance: Moderating effects of financial resource availability and resource flexibility," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 122-135.
    5. de Mol, Eva & Cardon, Melissa S. & de Jong, Bart & Khapova, Svetlana N. & Elfring, Tom, 2020. "Entrepreneurial passion diversity in new venture teams: An empirical examination of short- and long-term performance implications," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 35(4).
    6. Gielnik, Michael M. & Uy, Marilyn A. & Funken, Rebecca & Bischoff, Kim Marie, 2017. "Boosting and sustaining passion: A long-term perspective on the effects of entrepreneurship training," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 32(3), pages 334-353.
    7. Charles E. Eesley & Yong Suk Lee, 2021. "Do university entrepreneurship programs promote entrepreneurship?," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(4), pages 833-861, April.
    8. Murnieks, Charles Y. & Cardon, Melissa S. & Haynie, J. Michael, 2020. "Fueling the fire: Examining identity centrality, affective interpersonal commitment and gender as drivers of entrepreneurial passion," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 35(1).
    9. Colombo, Massimo G. & Piva, Evila, 2020. "Start-ups launched by recent STEM university graduates: The impact of university education on entrepreneurial entry," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(6).
    10. Oo, Pyayt P. & Allison, Thomas H. & Sahaym, Arvin & Juasrikul, Sakdipon, 2019. "User entrepreneurs' multiple identities and crowdfunding performance: Effects through product innovativeness, perceived passion, and need similarity," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 34(5), pages 1-1.
    11. Clayton, Paige, 2024. "Mentored without incubation: Start-up survival, funding, and the role of entrepreneurial support organization services," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(4).
    12. Brian J. Bergman & Jeffery S. McMullen, 2022. "Helping Entrepreneurs Help Themselves: A Review and Relational Research Agenda on Entrepreneurial Support Organizations," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 46(3), pages 688-728, May.
    13. Farzana Chowdhury & David B. Audretsch, 2024. "Paradoxes of accelerator programs and new venture performance: Do varieties of experiences make a difference?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 62(1), pages 381-409, January.
    14. Hao Zhao & Qinglin Liu, 2023. "Entrepreneurial Passion: A Meta-Analysis of Three Measures," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 47(2), pages 524-552, March.
    15. Zhang, Jian & Eid, Riyad & Agag, Gomaa & Chen, Chunxiao & Fu, Ruibing, 2024. "Exploring the link between entrepreneurial passion and SMEs retailers’ performance: The role of exploration and exploitation under different cultural contexts," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    16. Warnick, Benjamin J. & Murnieks, Charles Y. & McMullen, Jeffery S. & Brooks, Wade T., 2018. "Passion for entrepreneurship or passion for the product? A conjoint analysis of angel and VC decision-making," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 315-332.
    17. Cardon, Melissa S. & Glauser, Michael & Murnieks, Charles Y., 2017. "Passion for what? Expanding the domains of entrepreneurial passion," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 8(C), pages 24-32.
    18. Henning Piezunka & Thorsten Grohsjean, 2023. "Collaborations that hurt firm performance but help employees’ careers," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(3), pages 778-811, March.
    19. Howell, Travis, 2022. "Coworking spaces: An overview and research agenda," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(2).
    20. Kyriakopoulos, Panagiotis & Herbert, Kendall & Piperopoulos, Panagiotis, 2024. "I am passionate therefore I am: The interplay between entrepreneurial passion, gender, culture and intentions," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 172(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jbvent:v:38:y:2023:i:4:s0883902623000137. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jbusvent .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.