Impacts of Accelerator Cohort Composition on Startup Performance
Journal
PICMET 2023 - Portland International Conference on Management of Engineering and Technology: Managing Technology, Engineering and Manufacturing for a Sustainable World, Proceedings
ISBN
9781890843434
Date Issued
2023-07
Author(s)
Eesley, Charles
Abstract
How does cohort composition affect the outcomes of accelerator participants? Literature on inter-firm and peer learning in entrepreneurship, provides mixed predictions: seeking diverse knowledge and being different vs. pursuing fast learning via similar peers. To reconcile the arguments, we investigate the key contingencies, types of knowledge transferred (market knowledge vs. technology) and the unique nature of competition in each knowledge type. Using data from accelerators and their participants during 2005-2018, we find an inverted-U-shaped relationship between market knowledge similarity in a cohort and post-accelerator performance and a positive relationship between technology similarity and performance. Our study reveals a peer learning mechanism in accelerators and provides a nuanced understanding of the effect of knowledge diversity on startup performance.
SDGs
Publisher
IEEE
Description
2023 Portland International Conference on Management of Engineering and Technology, PICMET 2023, Monterrey, , Mexico, 23 July 2023 through 27 July 2023
Type
conference paper