Beyond being a student : An exploration of student and graduate start‐ups (SGSUs) operating from university incubators

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore, evaluate and share the motivations and behaviours of student and graduate entrepreneurs (referred to as SGSUs) operating from university incubators. The study aims to understand the behaviours and motivations of SGSUs to build on the existing literature and contribute towards a discussion around support services for university incubation centres. Design/methodology/approach – Empirical evidence is presented from an online survey of 100 SGSUs from a sample of university incubators across the UK. The results were analysed using the data analysis software package SPSS. The results of open‐ended questions were analysed manually. Findings – The current research reveals a series of contrasting engagements towards and within the university incubator space. A better understanding of user expectations and motivations is needed in order to develop better services and support system within which SGSUs can develop. Practical implications – The outcomes could have practical significance and managerial implications based on a greater understanding and awareness of the needs of SGSUs when allocating scarce resources in order to improve incubator performance, entrepreneurial support and new venture creation funding in HEIs. Originality/value – The paper provides a unique insight into the needs of SGSUs and identifies the key issues that contribute to their early successes and some of the “known” and “unknown” reasons behind why they may not fulfil their ambitions. The findings present thinking of SGSUs and their outlook to the future challenges and relative entrepreneurial support in context of institutional support.