Within the entrepreneurial community, personal connections are considered integral to new
venture success. Connections shape how ideas get developed, which opportunities are recognized,
and whether or not entrepreneurs find the resources necessary for start-up. How do entrepreneurs
identify and manage these connections? Perhaps more importantly, which network-building
strategies are most effective (if any)?
The New Venture Networks Study is a multi-stage research effort designed to answer
these questions. Stage one was developed as a PhD dissertation project (awarded
the Academy of Management's NFIB Best Dissertation Award). In this first stage,
longitudinal network data from roughly 50 very early stage founders and very early
stage ventures were used to develop theory surrounding processes of network tie
formation, maintenance, and dissolution. The data were also used to develop practical
suggestions for active entrepreneurs seeking to understand the relative effectiveness
of different networking approaches.
