Why Become an Entrepreneur and Why It Matters? Effects of Motives on Entrepreneurial Outcomes

The papers included in this symposium aim to enrich and complement the growing literature on entrepreneurial motives from different theoretical and methodological perspectives. While all focus on understanding the links between motives and entrepreneurial outcomes, the papers apply behavioral, economic, social psychological, and cognitive lenses and use a variety of methods including qualitative, survey, linguistic, and experimental methods. Taken together, they offer evidence that the study of motives is important to enriching our understanding of several entrepreneurial processes, including employee entrepreneurship, serial entrepreneurship, business idea development, and financial and human resource acquisition. The goal of this symposium is to raise awareness and spark debate around the multiple ways in which motives matter to entrepreneurial outcomes. Spinning an Entrepreneurial Career: Uncovering Motivational Pathways to Venture Success Presenter: Hyeonsuh Lee; U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Presenter: Sonali Shah; U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Presenter: Rajshree Agarwal; U. of Maryland Saved by a Partner: Founder Intrinsic Motivation, Entrepreneurial Survival, and Partnership Gains Presenter: Jihae Shin; U. of Wisconsin, Madison Presenter: Yuna Cho; Yale School of Management Presenter: Laura Huang; Harvard Business School Ability, Preferences, and Employment in Early-Stage Technology Startups Presenter: Michael Roach; Cornell U. Presenter: Henry Sauermann; ESMT European School of Management and Technology Understanding the Relationship Between the Vocabulary of Local Entrepreneurs and Community Investors Presenter: Esther Leibel; Boston U.