Entrepreneurial Absorptive Capacity As Enabler of Knowledge Intensive Entrepreneurship: An Empirical Investigation

Ioanna Kastelli (), Georgios Siokas and Aggelos Tsakanikas
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Ioanna Kastelli: National Technical University of Athens
Georgios Siokas: National Technical University of Athens
Aggelos Tsakanikas: National Technical University of Athens

Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 2024, vol. 15, issue 2, No 180, 9667-9698

Abstract: Abstract This paper builds on Qian and Acs (Small Business Economics, 40, 185–197, 2013) concept of entrepreneurial absorptive capacity and empirically investigates its role in the context of new knowledge intensive entrepreneurship. When it comes to the business formation phase and especially to the creation of knowledge intensive entrepreneurial ventures, knowledge inheritance of new firms seems to be more related to individual attributes. The knowledge intensity of these ventures is very much dependent on the founders’ capability to understand new knowledge, combine their knowledge with external knowledge sources, and exploit it in the context of opportunities they can recognise; that is, their absorptive capacity. This study provides new insights into the concept of absorptive capacity by studying it at the individual level enhancing the way of measuring it. Based on quantitative data from a large-scale survey, we conducted a partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) application, which verified the role of entrepreneurial absorptive capacity in triggering knowledge intensive entrepreneurship. Furthermore, the results imply a weaker but positive indirect effect of absorptive capacity to new venture performance. There is also a statistically significant negative influence of competition intensity and a positive influence of equity funding on the formation of knowledge intensive entrepreneurship. At the policy level this analysis reveals the importance of micro-determinants in fostering knowledge intensive entrepreneurial activities.

Keywords: Entrepreneurial absorptive capacity; Knowledge intensive entrepreneurship; Founding team; New venture performance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1007/s13132-023-01465-9

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