Do We Really Judge the Book by its Cover? Idea Selection During Start-Up Weekends

Abstract

This paper aims to identify the factors that influence the evaluation of an idea beyond its intrinsic values, especially those that relate to the presentation of the idea. With reference to a review of research conducted in the fields of psycho-sociology and psychology and using a qualitative comparative approach, the analysis of 57 pitches of entrepreneurial ideas during two start-up weekends shows that ideas receive the highest evaluation when they are judged to be the best in terms of novelty, feasibility, and relevance. However, our results also show that mastery by ideators of the basics of pitch presentation – especially clear enunciation – is also a necessary condition for acceptance of the idea by the audience. The paper seeks to contribute to the literature by identifying the most favorable configurations for a positive evaluation of an entrepreneurial idea in this type of innovation contest.

Citation

Parmentier, G., Loarne-Lemaire, S.L. and Mellard, M. (2021), "Do We Really Judge the Book by its Cover? Idea Selection During Start-Up Weekends", Schuessler, E., Cohendet, P. and Svejenova, S. (Ed.) Organizing Creativity in the Innovation Journey (Research in the Sociology of Organizations, Vol. 75), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 231-247. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0733-558X20210000075019