Matthew R. Marvel

Technology Entrepreneurs' Human Capital and its Effects on Innovation Radicalness

Radical innovations transform existing markets, create new markets, and stimulate economic growth. This study investigates how the experience, education, and prior knowledge of technology entrepreneurs relate to innovation radicalness. Findings from a sample of 145 technology entrepreneurs operating within university–affiliated incubators suggest that general and specific human capital are both vital to innovation outcomes. Innovation radicalness was positively associated with formal education and prior knowledge of technology, but negatively associated with prior knowledge of ways to serve markets. This suggests a counterintuitive conclusion—the less technology entrepreneurs know about ways to serve a market, the greater their chances of using technology knowledge to create breakthrough innovations within it. Finally, we discuss configurations of human capital that are likely to bestow unique advantages in the construction of radical innovations.

Knowledge Acquisition, Network Reliance, and Early‐Stage Technology Venture Outcomes

Knowledge acquisition is central to entrepreneurship when explaining successful venturing. However, little is known about how knowledge acquisition during early venture development affects desirable venture outcomes. This study draws on the knowledge-based view and social network theory to develop and test a conceptual model of knowledge acquisition using a sample of early-stage technology entrepreneurs operating in university-affiliated incubators. We examine how an entrepreneurs acquisition of different types of knowledge and reliance on their network for knowledge relate to outcomes of product/service innovativeness and first-year venture sales. Results suggest that acquiring technology knowledge positively relates to the innovativeness of products/services developed by entrepreneurs. Moreover, entrepreneurs can enhance this positive relationship by relying more on networks for technology knowledge acquisition.

Examining the Technical Corporate Entrepreneurs' Motivation: Voices from the Field

Prior research has proposed five conditions that support corporate entrepreneurship: rewards, management support, resources including time, organizational structures (at the macro level), and risk acceptance. This article investigates the sufficiency of these conditions in motivating individual scientists or engineers who have created and commercialized multiple breakthrough innovations in mature corporations—or technical corporate entrepreneurs. Using in–depth interviews with technical corporate entrepreneurs and human resource managers, we explore both how they are motivated and whether there is concurrence between how they say they are motivated and how their human resource managers perceive that they are motivated. We find the framework applicable but incomplete relative to motivating these individuals. The additional dimensions of appropriate work design (at the micro level) and their intrinsic motivation to innovate need to be considered in supporting technical corporate entrepreneurship. Further, we find that an important disparity exists between what technical corporate entrepreneurs say motivates them and the perceptions of their human resource manger.

Human Capital and Search‐Based Discovery: A Study of High‐Tech Entrepreneurship

What types of knowledge and experience enable those who have the desire to start a venture find an appropriate opportunity? To respond to this question, a human capital perspective is used with a sample of 166 founders of new technology ventures in university incubators. General human capital is assessed using experience depth and formal education. Specific human capital is measured using prior start–up experience as well as Shanes knowledge framework of markets, customer problems, and ways to serve markets. Findings reveal key aspects of human capital vital to explaining search–based discovery. Implications for research and entrepreneurship education are drawn.

How Entrepreneurs' Knowledge and Network Ties Relate to the Number of Employees in New SMEs

Knowledge is central to entrepreneurship when explaining successful venturing. However, little is known about how a founders knowledge and their network ties relate to the number of workers in early‐stage small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). This study draws on the knowledge‐based view and social network theory to examine 174 new SME founders. Findings suggest a positive relationship between the comprehensiveness of an entrepreneurs knowledge set and the number of workers. In addition, the number of network ties positively moderates the relationship between the entrepreneurs knowledge set and the number of employees. Network tie knowledge heterogeneity was not significantly related to the number of employees in new SMEs.

Prior tacit knowledge and first‐year sales: learning from technology entrepreneurs

Purpose – This paper aims to explore differences in tacit knowledge at opportunity recognition reported by founders of new technology ventures. The paper seeks to shed light on the types of tacit knowledge related to achieving sales within the first year of new technology ventures.Design/methodology/approach – A survey was administered to 145 technology venture founders during structured interviews across 13 university‐affiliated technology incubators. To investigate tacit knowledge a framework was used comprised of ways to serve markets, customer problems, markets, and technology. The results were analyzed using t‐tests and logistic regression while controlling for founders years of work experience. A configuration analysis is presented revealing the patterns of knowledge related to sales in the first year of new ventures.Findings – The study provides an understanding of how types of tacit knowledge relate to early sales outcomes in the high technology context. Prior hands‐on experiences with developmen...

Knowledge Acquisition Asymmetries and Innovation Radicalness

This study extends a knowledge‐based theory of opportunity discovery to innovation creation using degree of radicalness. Findings from a sample of 166 founders of new technology ventures in university incubators suggest that asymmetries in knowledge acquisition during early venture development are vital to innovation creation. Innovation radicalness was positively associated with acquiring knowledge of customer problems and markets. However, acquiring knowledge of ways to serve markets was negatively associated with innovation radicalness. This suggests a counterintuitive conclusion—the less technology entrepreneurs know about comparable offerings in the market and how to development them, the greater their chances of creating breakthrough innovations.