10.08.2026 | Publikationen

How innovative entrepreneurial firms survive and perform in the post-incubation phase - new findings published by Brunnström, Bagley, Buenstorf & McKelvey

Drawing on theories about knowledge-intensive startups, the authors analyze the relationship between knowledge specialization within public business incubators—as measured by the industries and backgrounds of the founders—and firm performance following the incubation phase. Particular attention is paid to the direct and indirect contributions of university researchers, who are considered to be in a particularly good position to apply and recombine advanced knowledge.

Overall, the findings of the authors’ study suggest that policy measures should focus less on optimizing specific characteristics of business incubators and more on creating a diverse and flexible environment for knowledge-based entrepreneurship across industries and among founders from various backgrounds.

Brunnström, Linus; Bagley, Mark J.O.; Buenstorf, Guido; McKelvey, Maureen (2026): Firm performance after incubation: public incubators and knowledge-intensive entrepreneurial firms. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research 32 (11), 368–390. DOI: 10.1108/IJEBR-04-2025-0410.