Examining the age‐performance relationship for entrepreneurs: Does the innovativeness of a venture make a difference?

• Main Authors: Kanti V. Prasad, Kyle Ehrhardt, Yiyuan Liu, Kamlesh Tiwari
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Emerald Publishing 2015-03-01
• Series: New England Journal of Entrepreneurship
• Subjects: venture performance; human capital; age; venture innovativeness; imitative versus innovative ventures
• Online Access: https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/NEJE-18-01-2015-B003/full/pdf?title=examining-the-ageperformance-relationship-for-entrepreneurs-does-the-innovativeness-of-a-venture-make-a-difference

Whether older or younger entrepreneurs may be better positioned to achieve performance outcomes for their ventures is a much debated question. Here, we draw on Galenson℉s theory of creativity to propose a contingency perspective for understanding the relationship between entrepreneur age and venture performance, suggesting that a venture’s level of innovativeness plays a moderating role. Results from a representative sample of 1,182 nascent entrepreneurs revealed mixed support for our hypotheses. While a negative relationship was found between entrepreneur age and performance for those developing “innovative” ventures, no relationship was found between entrepreneur age and performance for those developing “imitative” ventures.