The role of the entrepreneur’s social ties in the different stages of growth of an innovative start-up: eight case studies in the food industry

Abstract

In the lifecycle of an innovative start-up, the natural excursus of its life embeds the connection to the external environment. The external environment feeds the innovative new venture, and the latter feeds the surrounding context by fostering innovation. The mutual influence that these entities carry out on each other is possible through the establishment and the activation of ties. Social ties represent the tool that connect entrepreneurs to others and the tool enabling the existence of some types of interactions. In fact, entrepreneurs exploit their social ties to gain resources that they individually cannot obtain. New market opportunities, technical and strategic skills, financial resources, further networking and contracts, credibility and reputation are a series of benefits that startup entrepreneurs may receive and have access through their social networks. Leveraging personal ties (family, friends, colleagues) or inter-organizational ties enables founders to obtain what they need to make their venture grow. In this dissertation, eight innovative startups operating in the food industry in the region of Veneto are analyzed. The objective is to identify which ties have been involved by founders in the creation and development of the startup and how they contributed to innovative startups’ conformation, strategic orientation and performance from foundation to the actual condition.