Can entrepreneurs who experienced business closure bring their new start-up to a successful M&A?

Numerous technology start-ups end up shutting down their operations. The present study aims to answer the following research questions: can entrepreneurs who closed their previous ventures bring their new venture to a successful exit through M&A and to what extent does this positive outcome correspond to whether investors funded their start-up? We examine 9723 technology start-ups established by 19,458 entrepreneurs. About half of the start-ups were funded, and 3463 of them had entrepreneurs with closure or with M&A experience. We find that entrepreneurs with closure experience are negatively associated with the probability of M&A as a main effect, in line with the theory that indicates imprinting. Nevertheless, entrepreneurs with closure experience are positively associated with the probability of M&A when their co-founders have M&A experience. We suggest that entrepreneurs with closure experience can compensate for their lack of M&A experience by learning from their peers who possess this experience. We discuss implications for theory, investors, and entrepreneurs.