Berfin Kardaslar,Alexander S. Kritikos,Lukas Menkhoff
{"title":"Personality traits of entrepreneurs and the size of their firms","authors":"Berfin Kardaslar,Alexander S. Kritikos,Lukas Menkhoff","doi":"10.1007/s11187-026-01283-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-026-01283-8","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Personality research in entrepreneurship often focuses on venture entry and survival, leaving personality traits associated with firm size underexamined. Using novel data from the German Socio-Economic Panel that include a sample of owner-managers running larger firms, we investigate the relationship between personality—measured by the Big Five traits and risk tolerance—and firm size captured by the number of employees. We identify a dispositional divergence across entrepreneurial outcomes. Although high risk-taking is associated with an increased likelihood of firm exit, it is a robust characteristic of entrepreneurs who manage larger firms in the distribution. High scores in extraversion, not impacting firm survival, also characterize entrepreneurs managing larger organizations, while openness to experience, a main driver of venture entry, is negatively associated with firm size. Our results demonstrate that the personality characteristics associated with entrepreneurship are contingent upon organizational scale.","PeriodicalId":21803,"journal":{"name":"Small Business Economics","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149124322","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Saverio Barabuffi,Valentina Cucino,Alberto Di Minin,Andrea Piccaluga
{"title":"On and off the podium: long-term impact evaluation of European R&D Grants on patenting performance","authors":"Saverio Barabuffi,Valentina Cucino,Alberto Di Minin,Andrea Piccaluga","doi":"10.1007/s11187-026-01282-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-026-01282-9","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This study evaluates the impact of the European SME Instrument (SMEi) on patent performance and technological specialization in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). More specifically, using data from Phase 2 of the European program (2014–2018), we compare SMEs that received funding with those that were evaluated as eligible but remained unfunded due to budget constraints. This comparison enables a robust causal analysis of the policy’s long-term effects. By applying entropy balancing and interaction-weighted estimators for dynamic treatment effects, we examine how R&D funding affects not only the scale of patenting but also the quality, novelty, and the technological direction of firms’ innovation activities. First, funded firms statistically decreased their overall patent output, while facing a short-term increase. Second, we observe an increase in technological specialization among funded firms, suggesting that SMEi funding promotes focused R&D efforts. The performance gap between funded and eligible firms narrows down over time, which suggests that eligible firms have a high potential, since they are also capable of advancing their innovation trajectories, albeit at a slower pace in comparison to funded ones. Overall, the results confirm a short-term effectiveness of SMEi grants in stimulating innovation while revealing the latent potential of high-quality, non-funded applicants. These findings contribute to the literature on innovation policy and offer actionable insights for designing complementary innovation support mechanisms that combine financial assistance with broader capability-building interventions capable of sustaining long-term innovation trajectories in SMEs.","PeriodicalId":21803,"journal":{"name":"Small Business Economics","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149124156","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Innovative entrepreneurial entry over the business cycle: variation by form of innovation and country economic development","authors":"Paul Steffens,Kim Klyver","doi":"10.1007/s11187-026-01270-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-026-01270-z","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract While prior studies indicate innovation and product introductions decrease during economic downturns and recessions, the nature of innovative entry by startups is unclear. Furthermore, studies of business entry, which is dominated by non-innovative firms, show mixed results. We build on innovation theories to propose that likelihood of entry varies with business cycle fluctuations, following an inverted U-shape relationship with startup innovativeness and with related contextual variations by level of economic development. Using GEM data to study entrepreneurial entry in 66 countries between 2003 and 2018—evaluating both the recovery from the dot.com crash and Global Financial Crisis—we find evidence supporting our proposed counter-cyclic disruption mechanism for discontinuously innovative entry, pro-cyclic prosperity pull mechanism for incrementally innovative entry, and counter-cyclic recession push mechanism for imitative entry, together with contextual variations with economic development.","PeriodicalId":21803,"journal":{"name":"Small Business Economics","volume":"79 1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149124152","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"One size does not fit all: Why do some new ventures benefit from participating in accelerators more than others?","authors":"Shelly Lev-Koren,Miriam Erez","doi":"10.1007/s11187-026-01279-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-026-01279-4","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This study investigates why some new ventures derive greater benefits from participation in accelerator programs than others. Specifically, we examine how differences in pre-entry core product knowledge shape ventures’ ability to leverage accelerator-based structured learning and mentoring, and how these mechanisms jointly influence venture performance at program graduation (Demo Day) and survival up to 2 years later. We conceptualize learning from the accelerator’s structured program through the lens of absorptive capacity (ACAP), encompassing knowledge acquisition, assimilation, transformation, and exploitation. Additionally, we examine mentoring effects through the intensity of mentor–venture interactions and ventures’ intentional pivoting in response to mentors’ feedback. The analysis draws on a longitudinal dataset of 90 early-stage ventures across 11 cohorts within a single entrepreneurial ecosystem, with data collected at four stages: program entry, midpoint, graduation, and 2-year post-graduation. The findings show that pre-entry core product knowledge strongly predicts both Demo Day graduation performance and short-term survival. However, new ventures with lower initial product knowledge benefit more from a cohort-based, structured learning program, indicating that the learning gained in the accelerator can compensate for limited prior expertise. Moreover, mentoring intensity enhances outcomes only when ventures translate mentors’ advice into intentional pivoting. By integrating initial knowledge endowments, accelerator-based learning, and mentoring dynamics, this study advances accelerator research by highlighting the boundary conditions under which accelerators create value and by identifying pivoting as a key mechanism by which mentoring influences venture performance and short-term survival.","PeriodicalId":21803,"journal":{"name":"Small Business Economics","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149124151","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Entrepreneurial ecosystems, economic complexity, and venture-oriented entrepreneurship in German regions","authors":"Nils Handler,Matthias Brachert","doi":"10.1007/s11187-026-01278-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-026-01278-5","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This paper examines how regional economic complexity is associated with entrepreneurial outcomes in German labor market regions. Drawing on entrepreneurial ecosystem research, we conceptualize economic complexity as one structural dimension of the regional capability base and distinguish between industrial, technological, and occupational complexity. We relate these dimensions to the regional share of high-growth firms, gazelles, venture-capital-backed firms, and venture capital volume per capita, while also considering broader regional performance indicators. Using panel models with region and year fixed effects, we find that the relationship between complexity and entrepreneurial outcomes is selective and heterogeneous across dimensions and outcomes. Industrial and technological complexity are more consistently associated with high-growth firms and broader regional growth indicators, whereas occupational complexity appears more relevant for gazelles. Venture-capital-related outcomes also display positive associations with regional complexity, with industrial complexity showing the most robust relationship. These findings contribute to entrepreneurial ecosystem research by showing that regional capability structures are related to growth-oriented and venture-oriented entrepreneurship in distinct ways across different dimensions of complexity. More broadly, the paper demonstrates how economic complexity can be incorporated into the analysis of entrepreneurial ecosystems without treating it as a comprehensive measure of ecosystem quality.","PeriodicalId":21803,"journal":{"name":"Small Business Economics","volume":"381 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148933958","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Signals of strategic intent: the impact of the disclosure of intended use of proceeds on equity crowdfunding investors’ decision-making","authors":"Daniel Berliner","doi":"10.1007/s11187-026-01280-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-026-01280-x","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The use-of-proceeds disclosure in fundraising activities plays a crucial role in shaping investor decision-making by providing transparency regarding capital allocation strategies. While traditionally associated with initial public offerings, we examine whether use-of-proceeds disclosure in equity crowdfunding campaigns similarly affects individual investor decision-making. Drawing on a sample of 7,151 investors across 35 equity crowdfunding campaigns between July 2018 and December 2020, we focus our primary analysis on the 1,915 repeat investors, while comparing their behavior with that of 5,236 one-time investors to examine gender-related patterns across groups. Our findings confirm that use-of-proceeds content is associated with the amount investors commit, their commitment relative to the campaign minimum ticket, and their investment timing. Investors exhibit a clear preference for growth-oriented allocations, while overhead-oriented disclosures are largely uninformative. We contribute to signaling theory by showing that Use of Proceeds declarations function as signals of intent, where both the act of disclosure and its specific content shape investor decisions. Beyond the use-of-proceeds, we document two distinct gender-related patterns. Female investors commit smaller absolute amounts and invest a smaller proportion relative to the campaign minimum ticket than male investors. Contrary to gender homophily, female one-time investors penalize ventures with higher female team representation more strongly than males, a differential that disappears among repeat investors, suggesting that platform experience attenuates gender-based evaluation differences. The findings advance the theoretical understanding of intent signals in alternative equity markets and offer practical guidance for entrepreneurs seeking to optimize their equity crowdfunding disclosure strategies.","PeriodicalId":21803,"journal":{"name":"Small Business Economics","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148933959","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Does digital trade reduce export barriers for female-led SMEs in Sub-Saharan Africa?","authors":"Ariel Herbert Fambeu","doi":"10.1007/s11187-026-01271-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-026-01271-y","url":null,"abstract":"This study examines whether digital trade adoption helps female-led small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) overcome disadvantages in export markets. Using firm-level data from the World Bank Enterprise Surveys covering 8079 firms across 26 countries in 2023–2024, we estimate export participation and export intensity models that explicitly address endogeneity and selection bias. The results show that female-led SMEs face a significant disadvantage in export market entry. However, this disadvantage is substantially mitigated by digital trade adoption, particularly through website ownership. In contrast, electronic payment technologies do not consistently moderate the gender-export gap. Heterogeneity analyses indicate that the mitigating role of digital trade is strongest among small firms, service-sector enterprises, and in specific sub-regions. Overall, the findings suggest that digital trade can reduce gender-based export barriers, but its effectiveness depends on the type of digital tool and the broader economic context.","PeriodicalId":21803,"journal":{"name":"Small Business Economics","volume":"22 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148883531","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Minghua Zhan, Chengxi Wu, Senliang Xiao, Huanqi Zhan, Yao Lu
{"title":"From inclusion to exclusion: how bank FinTech reshapes SME financing constraints","authors":"Minghua Zhan, Chengxi Wu, Senliang Xiao, Huanqi Zhan, Yao Lu","doi":"10.1007/s11187-026-01269-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-026-01269-6","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":21803,"journal":{"name":"Small Business Economics","volume":"52 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148885557","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Are worker cooperatives greener? A theoretical and empirical appraisal of eco-innovation","authors":"Marina Albanese, Fathi Fakhfakh, Thibault Mirabel","doi":"10.1007/s11187-026-01277-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-026-01277-6","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":21803,"journal":{"name":"Small Business Economics","volume":"20 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148842859","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}