Executive Teams in Research-Based Spin-Off Companies : An Empirical Analysis of Executive Team Characteristics

Research-based spin-off companies are a special subgroup of new technology-based ventures and play an important role for innovation and economic development. Executive teams of academic spin-offs face several challenges in building up sustainable and profitable ventures, because they often lack managerial and entrepreneurial skills. Based on a quantitative analysis of 193 German spin-offs, Rigo Tietz examines the relationships between executive team characteristics, strategic decision-making, and firm performance.