The key ideas behind the empirical study of nascent entrepreneurs — or “firms in gestation” — are that the research aims to identify a statistically representative sample of on-going venture start-up efforts and that these start-up efforts are subsequently followed over time so that insights can be gained into process issues and determinants of outcomes. This approach overcomes several shortcomings of archival data and/or cross-sectional surveys.

Nascent Entrepreneurship covers empirical findings organized under the following headings: person factors leading to nascent entrepreneur status; the discovery process; the exploitation process; some particular themes (teams; gender; ethnicity, and growth aspirations), and aggregate level antecedents and effects of nascent entrepreneurship. After taking stock of the theoretical and methodological developments in this line of research the review concludes by devoting to a thorough discussion of further development needs presented as a comprehensive set of specific propositions for improvements that can be made in future research efforts within this general research approach.

Published by Now Publishers and marketed by World Scientific

Contents:

• Introduction
• Person Factors Leading to Nascent Entrepreneur Status
• The Discovery Process
• The Exploitation Process
• Some Particular Themes
• The Bigger Picture
• Developments So Far
• Further Development Needs
• Conclusion
• Bibliography