Beyond Human Capital - The application of human capital in new venture development

Earlier research has identified a variety of human capital dimensions related to the entrepreneur as positively influencing new venture performance. However, in high technology exploitation the entrepreneur is commonly only one person among other highly skilled individuals involved in the development. This longitudinal case study approach focuses on key recruitments contracted due to their earlier experiences needed in the ventures. Two perspectives are taken to approach how earlier experience is applied in new contexts; the drives behind the recruitments, and how new recruitments apply their earlier experiences. Timing, persistence, and transformation appear to be vital in the process of tranferring earlier experiences to new contexts. Timing is related to the early development of the venture, when all individuals are engaged in several different roles. An extension of timing is the challenge of persistance in matching earlier experiences with the entrepreneurial development. Finally, apart from transformation of the knowledge carried by individuals, they do also create their own platforms to work from.