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Betting on the Coachable Entrepreneur: Signaling and Social Exchange in Entrepreneurial Pitches

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  • Michael P. Ciuchta
  • Chaim Letwin
  • Regan Stevenson
  • Sean McMahon
  • M. Nesij Huvaj

Abstract

Given that stakeholders often commit more than capital to a startup, they commonly stress how important it is for entrepreneurs to be “coachable.†To date, however, coachability has received little attention in entrepreneurship research. We address this gap by first establishing the entrepreneurial coachability construct and validating a measurement scale. Then, drawing on social exchange and signaling theories, we develop and test a novel framework in which coachability influences a potential investor’s willingness to invest. We find that entrepreneurial coachability functions as a viable signal in a pitch setting, but this impact is conditional on the investor’s prior coaching experience.

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  • Michael P. Ciuchta & Chaim Letwin & Regan Stevenson & Sean McMahon & M. Nesij Huvaj, 2018. "Betting on the Coachable Entrepreneur: Signaling and Social Exchange in Entrepreneurial Pitches," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 42(6), pages 860-885, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:entthe:v:42:y:2018:i:6:p:860-885
    DOI: 10.1177/1042258717725520
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    Cited by:

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    18. Riad Shams, S.M. & Vrontis, Demetris & Chaudhuri, Ranjan & Chavan, Gitesh & Czinkota, Michael R., 2020. "Stakeholder engagement for innovation management and entrepreneurial development: A meta-analysis," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 67-86.
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    20. Morris, Michael H. & Kuratko, Donald F. & Santos, Susana C. & Soleimanof, Sohab, 2024. "Fear and the poverty entrepreneur: The paradox of failure and success," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 67(1), pages 41-54.
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    22. Liu, Jingting & Zhu, Ying & Serapio, Manuel & Cavusgil, S. Tamer, 2019. "The new generation of millennial entrepreneurs: A review and call for research," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(5), pages 1-1.
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