Abstract: Scholarly knowledge of academic entrepreneurship has been shaped by studies that focus on select industries, universities, or regions, predominantly through data on technology transfer or patent licensing. In this study, we employ rich data derived from the Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) program at the US Census Bureau to examine the incidence of academic entrepreneurship across all industries, in 30 U.S. states, from 1994 to 2008. Our study examines how regional and industry characteristics interact to impact the geographic inflows and outflows of academic entrepreneurship at the industry-region level of analysis. Specifically, we examine the extent to which industry characteristics such as knowledge intensity and capital intensity interplay with location characteristics such as firm density and (dis)agglomeration economics to impact the incidence of academic entrepreneurship.

Abstract: Prior studies show that the accumulation of experience in a more flexible and less constrained organizational context enables transitions to entrepreneurship. I focus on the constraints affecting the acquisition of knowledge as individuals make employment choices and move across organizations. I examine the timing of green cards received by foreign graduates of U.S. universities in science and engineering which allows isolating the effect of the constraints from the self-selection. I find that the student green card holders tend to be self-employed more often than the post-graduation green card recipients, transition faster and enter different domains. Immigrants who receive green cards shortly post-graduation are more likely to start a growth-oriented business in a field related to their degree (mostly in high-tech industries).

Abstract: In this paper, we examine the influence of peer effects in entrepreneurial accelerators on performance outcomes of new ventures. Accelerators have been found to impact the trajectories of new ventures as well as entrepreneurial learning. However, little is known about the mechanisms through which this occurs. We posit that the influence of networks formed within accelerator cohorts may extend beyond the intensive “boot camp” period of the program. We leverage a unique hand-collected dataset of startups and their founders that are funded by top entrepreneurial accelerators and a relevant counterfactual, angel investor groups. Our results suggest a strong cohort effect in accelerators that confers signaling, networking, and advisory benefits to portfolio firms and influences the likelihood of entrepreneurial exit by quitting and acquisition.

Abstract: Despite considerable interest, there is little consensus on the effectiveness of university incubators and other attempts to stimulate innovation. We argue that incubators compete for resources with technology transfer offices and other campus programs and activities that support innovation, so that establishing an incubator may or may not enhance the university’s overall innovation portfolio. Using forward citations to measure patent quality, we examine the innovative output of US research-intensive universities from 1969 to 2012. Our preliminary results show that establishing a university-affiliated incubator leads to a reduction in the average quality of the university’s patents, even when controlling for university and patent characteristics, university-specific unobservables, time, and the endogeneity of the decision to establish an incubator.