Parallel Experimentation as Entrepreneurial Strategy: Effects on Innovativeness, Exit and Resourcing

Linus Hietaniemi*, Juhana Peltonen

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionScientificpeer-review

Abstract

Our study examines how experimenting with multiple businesses simultaneously can drive startup performance. We hypothesize that entrepreneurs who experiment with multiple businesses simultaneously face two interrelated tradeoffs: firstly, experimentation allows these so-called portfolio entrepreneurs to generate more innovative startups, but at the same time, they are more resource-constrained than their peers. Secondly, the startups of portfolio entrepreneurs underperform in the short run but, given the benefits of experimentation and selection, outperform their peers in the long run. To test our hypotheses, we use linked employer-employee data for Finnish entrepreneurs between 1995 and 2015. Our findings support our hypotheses and, as such, provide new insight into the drivers of entrepreneurial performance.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationAcademy of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings
Publication date01.08.2019
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01.08.2019
MoE publication typeA4 Article in conference proceedings
EventAcademy of Management Annual Meeting 2019: Understanding the Inclusive Organization - Boston, United States
Duration: 09.08.201913.08.2019
Conference number: 79

Keywords

  • 512 Business and Management

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