Most entrepreneurs emanate from established firms, but the impact of these employment histories on entrepreneurial outcomes is poorly understood. We argue that work experiences in the prior firm shape both the entrepreneur's competence in and commitment to the entrepreneurial role. We focus on...

We examine whether the likelihood of entrepreneurial activity is related to the prior career experiences of an individual's coworkers, using a unique matched employer-employee panel data set. We argue that coworkers can increase the likelihood that an individual will perceive entrepreneurial...