Support for Graduate Entrepreneurs in New Technology-Based Firms: An Exploratory Study from Southern Europe

Abstract

This paper addresses technological entrepreneurship by University graduates, in Portugal and Italy. The paper builds on previous research indicating that graduate technological entrepreneurs show a number of strengths and weaknesses in the process of setting up a new technology-based company. Such strengths and weaknesses are associated with their age and limited credibility, with the particular set of competencies and skills they are likely possess, with the resources they can access and the relationships they are able to establish. The empirical research carried out by in this paper investigates the influence of factors related to the graduate entrepreneurs' background, the availability of resources and the network of relationships on the early stages of firm formation. In particular, the impact on the ease of firm creation both of the 'formal assistance' provided to graduate entrepreneurs by dedicated institutions and the 'informal support' provided by the network of interpersonal relationships of the ...