Knowledge Intensive Entrepreneurship in a Social Capital Perspective

About a decade ago Mitton (1989) suggested that success for start-ups not only depends on who you are but also on whom you know. Around the mid-90s research results were published showing that essential resources for start-ups were in fact acquired through the entrepreneurs' social networks including family, friends, pre-existing work relations, and affiliation with various societies (Foss, 1994; Ostgaard amp; Birley, 1996; Hansen, 1995). To study these aspects of social capital in relation to entrepreneurial activities, research in a Danish start-up context in two knowledge-intensive sectors has been carried out. The research methodology was based on a triangulation approach including a general questionnaire-based survey conducted through the Internet as well as a number of in-depth interviews in purposefully sampled ventures. The results provide an analysis of the content and structure of social capital in relation to entrepreneurial activities in new technology based small firms showing that teams are primarily composed of `trusted alters' and networking patterns are highly influenced by the entrepreneur's attitude to and perception of networking