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Analyzing the association between the entrepreneur’s background and product innovation, this paper aims to propose that some entrepreneur’s features are associated with the product innovation in incubated companies.

The study involved 95 technology-based firms incubated in Brazil. Questionnaires were sent to 461 technology-based incubated firms of the state, of which 112 have responded; however, only 95 met the established criteria, which was analyzed by logistic regression.

It was found that companies whose entrepreneurs have technical academic education closer to the Exact Sciences promote more innovation in products, regardless the size of their companies. In addition, in smaller firms, besides the technical background closer to the Exact Sciences, the entrepreneur's experience in the company also showed positive association regarding the intensity with which such firms innovate in products.

Results indicate that entrepreneurs who were selected taking into account their technical background closer to the Exact Sciences are more likely to contribute to the product innovation in their companies. Therefore, investing in their businesses will also increase the likelihood of success in the efficient allocation of the incubator resources.

The originality of this paper is reflected by the presentation of relations between entrepreneur’s background and product innovation in technology-based incubated firms in an emerging economy, highlighting the value of some characteristics of entrepreneur’s background to promote product innovation.

Analisando a associação entre o background do empreendedor e a inovação em produtos, este artigo propõe que algumas características do empreendedor estão associadas com a inovação de produtos em empresas incubadas.

O estudo envolveu 95 empresas de base tecnológica no Brasil. Questionários foram enviados para 461 empresas incubadas de base tecnológica no estado de São Paulo, das quais 112 responderam. Contudo, apenas 95 satisfizeram os critérios estabelecidos na pesquisa, as quais foram analisadas por meio da regressão logística.

Foi identificado que empresas cujos empreendedores possuem formações acadêmicas mais próximas das ciências exatas promovem mais inovações em produtos, independentemente do tamanho da organização. Além disso, em empresas menores, além da formação acadêmica próxima das ciências exatas, a experiência do empreendedor na empresa também mostrou associação positiva com relação à intensidade com a qual tais empresas inovam em produtos.

Os resultados indicam que os empreendedores selecionados, com formação técnica mais próxima das ciências exatas, têm maior probabilidade de contribuir para a inovação de produtos em suas empresas. Portanto, investir nesses negócios aumentará a chance de sucesso na alocação eficiente dos recursos da incubadora.

A originalidade do artigo consiste na apresentação de relações entre o background do empreendedor e a inovação de produtos, em empresas de base tecnológica incubadas, em um país emergente. Isto realça o valor de algumas características do empreendedor para promover a inovação de produtos.

Analizando la asociación entre el fondo del emprendedor y la innovación en productos, este artículo propone que algunas características del emprendedor están asociadas con la innovación de productos en empresas incubadas.

El estudio involucró a 95 empresas de base tecnológica en Brasil. Los cuestionarios se enviaron a 461 empresas incubadas de base tecnológica en el estado de São Paulo, de las cuales 112 respondieron. Sin embargo, sólo 95 cumplieron los criterios establecidos en la investigación, que se analizaron a través de la regresión logística.

Se ha identificado que las empresas cuyos emprendedores poseen formaciones académicas más cercanas a las ciencias exactas promueven más innovaciones en productos, independientemente del tamaño de la organización. Además, en empresas menores, además de la formación académica cercana a las ciencias exactas, la experiencia del emprendedor en la empresa también mostró asociación positiva con relación a la intensidad con la que dichas empresas innovan en productos.

Los resultados indican que los emprendedores seleccionados, tomando en consideración su formación técnica más cercana a las ciencias exactas, son más probables de contribuir con la innovación de productos en sus empresas. Por lo tanto, invertir en estos negocios aumentará la probabilidad de éxito en la asignación eficiente de los recursos de la incubadora.

La originalidad del documento es reflejada por la presentación de relaciones entre el fondo del emprendedor y la innovación de productos en empresas incubadas de base tecnológica en una economía emergente, resaltando el valor de algunas características del fondo del emprendedor para promover la innovación de productos.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the literature on the representation of the quadruple and quintuple helix (QQH) in innovation environments such as incubators and science and technology parks (STPs).

The authors used the integrative review as a methodological approach and systematized studies regarding the main research objectives; theoretical approaches; methodology and study object; QQH representation, by identifying actor, performance and main results; and additional contributions to the QQH model.

As a result, the authors noticed a lack of standardization on the representation of the quadruple helix, but the example of associations and community centers as representatives of the civil society. The quintuple helix does not have an actor that represents the environment, but STPs foster sustainable actions, encourage the generation of green companies and stimulate sustainable practices among established companies.

Based on changes in the economic and social scenarios, new theoretical approaches emerge to explain the innovation process, such as the QQH. Incubators and STPs are favorable settings for interactions, according to the new models; however, there is a lack of studies addressing this topic in such environments. Hence, this study contributes to understanding the existence and performance of QQH, by showing how these new helices were identified, in addition to advancing the subject in innovation environments such as incubators and STPs.

This chapter explores how the recognition of opportunities regarding developing technology and entering a new market is influenced by the systemic effect of social forces. These include institutions, social networks and the entrepreneur’s cognitive frames. This study adopts a longitudinal perspective by capturing and analysing the phenomenon in two moments: first, when the businesses started to operate domestically and second, when they began to internationalise. The cases of five Brazilian technology firms are analysed. The findings reveal the systemic and mutually reinforcing effect of these social forces on the recognition of opportunities. The entrepreneurs’ cognitive frames were particularly vital in recognising opportunities to enter the Brazilian market. The institutional support provided by universities along with government mechanisms and entrepreneurs’ social networks were essential to accrue experiential and non-experiential knowledge of international markets, therefore contributing to the recognition of international opportunities. The temporal perspective employed in this research assists the understanding of how historical events shape entrepreneurs’ capabilities to recognise and change company discourse to pursue the recognition of international opportunities. The results provide guidelines for researchers, practitioners and policy-makers, particularly in the emerging economies in Latin America, to support the growth and flourishing of entrepreneurial ventures through pursuing international opportunities.

Microenterprises (MEs) are vital to the growth and prosperity of economies around the world. All levels of society, from universities to national governments, have collaborated to improve the chances of survival and future growth of these businesses. The threat to life is serious, and unless concerted action is taken, the situation will spiral out of control. Policymakers and business leaders must work together to address the sustainability crisis. The study, therefore, set out to determine how various entrepreneurial skills (such as creativity, collaboration, networking, and risk-taking) affect the long-term viability of MEs. The overall objective of the study was to determine the importance of innovative problem-solving, collaboration, networking, and willingness to take calculated risks of microentrepreneurs for the long-term success of their businesses. A total of 274 microentrepreneurs in rural areas of the Ancash region of Peru were surveyed in the grocery, hardware, clothing, and food service sectors. The survival of the MEs was tested on four dimensions: innovation, leadership, networking, and risk-taking. According to the results, MEs managers can increase their longevity by cultivating creative skills, strengthening leadership as a key to business sustainability and survival, maximizing the use of networks to gain a market advantage and expand their customer base, and employing calculated risk-taking.

Social entrepreneurship (SE) has become the engine propelling the rapid expansion of the social/environmental sector; thus, the authors need to examine it from different perspectives. First of all, it is vital to understand the concept of SE in an attempt to understand the most basic question: what makes an entrepreneurship social and what makes a social initiative a SE? Second, it is important to know the tools to develop a SE such as the business model canvas and design thinking, among others, which are adapted to SE, as well as tools that are unique to the sector such as impact measurement and impact investing. Third, aspiring SEs have to understand the current ecosystem in order to take advantage of the enormous support that the SE ecosystem has to offer thanks to global players such as Ashoka, the Schwab, and Skoll foundations as well as prominent Latin American players such as New Ventures Group, ANDE, and collective company-driven initiatives such as Momentum led by BBVA Bank that have supported more than 10,000 SE all over the world. Finally, the authors will introduce the case of low-income house builders Hábtiva and a student challenge to ignite aspiring social entrepreneurs. This chapter provides a glimpse of the field SE by focusing in its importance in our current challenging world, its definition, some tools used in the field, the current ecosystem of SE, how to measure social impact, and some cases and challenges.

The aim of this paper is to analyze the impact of the implementation of a psychological assistance program on new entrepreneurs in a business incubator of a public university located in an emerging economy. The methodology was an intrinsic case study through qualitative approach. The findings suggest that this program had a positive impact on new entrepreneurs; it promoted a space for reflection, motivation and perseverance; it encouraged them to handle different emotions or factors to achieve its business targets. Thus, it helped them to improve the chances of success of their start-ups by learning and strengthening key psychological entrepreneurial competences.

Entrepreneurship and family businesses are fundamental factors in economic activity since, through the generation of new ideas, it is possible to generate new businesses that trigger employment, innovation, and economic growth. Recently, an emphasis on seeing both research streams from a kaleidoscope perspective has given new insights into the development and evolution of this area. Thus, exploring the differentiation between true and false entrepreneurs seems vital for today's efficient allocation of resources. A theoretical model is proposed, including micro, meso, and macro analytical spheres, adding the behavioral aspects that determine whether a person is a true or false entrepreneur and the effects that can have on the business. To observe the viability of the approach, the case of an enterprise, called “family business S,” is examined. Specifically, the results show the feasibility of applying the analytical proposal to observe the positive and negative behaviors of the family business. In the case of S, these are false entrepreneurs, given that free time and unemployment were the main reasons for starting the company, but they lacked the will and long-term vision. Also, a novel view on how to diagnose a real entrepreneur for taking over a family business is proposed, where a clinical history approach might help in the succession process.

Internationalisation became an important component of science parks (SPs) practices. In recent years, they have started to include, among the portfolio of their services, the support and fostering of their tenant firms’ internationalisation, such as soft-landing programmes and international immersion experiences for start-ups. Thus, the main aim of this chapter is to analyse these internationalisation practices in the light of the network and internationalisation theories. Based on an exploratory multiple case study the authors conducted in three Brazilian SPs located in the South of Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul State) – Tecnopuc in Porto Alegre, Tecnosinos in São Leopoldo and Feevale Techpark in Campo Bom. The authors provide evidences on how cohesive internal and external ties, networks as well as the level of specialisation are the key drivers of the internationalisation process of SPs and their tenant firms.

This chapter uses an intellectual capital (IC) qualitative approach for assessing the bio health technologies entrepreneurial ecosystem of a university located in Southern Europe, aiming to identify the role played by IC in fostering the sustainable success of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. There has been limited research dedicated to deepening the knowledge of the entrepreneurial ecosystems’ dimensions, using an IC lens, in the context of university cities with different dimensions. Small cities may not have some dimensions, so developed, comparing with the ones of the ecosystems of large urban centers. This chapter uses a qualitative approach funded in a case study exploring internal and external stakeholders of a Portuguese entrepreneurial ecosystem, UBImedical, targeted at the bio health sector. The study is part of an exploratory study funded in the scope of a European Project, aiming to explore in a pioneering way the application of the dominant triad of capitals forming IC and, thus, identifying and understanding the dimensions of different entrepreneurial ecosystems. The case study reveals that the IC’s dimensions more critical for the success of the bio health entrepreneurial ecosystems are the structural capital and the relational capital, although human capital is perceived as a basic prerequisite for fostering the entrepreneurial ecosystem’s performance. The results are funded in primary and qualitative data collected from the interviews developed to previously identified external and internal stakeholders of this type of entrepreneurial ecosystem under study.