Tech start-ups : networking strategies for better performance

Purpose: This study aims to explore the relationship between entrepreneurial strategies and the performance of technological start-up companies. Design/methodology/approach: Building on the extant literature on network theory, this paper derives the propositions that observe the effect of strategic alliances on the growth of technology-based ventures. Findings: This study suggests that the network of a start-up evolves in response to the changing resource needs and resource acquisition challenges of a firm as it moves through the life cycle stages of emergence and early growth. Originality/value: The present study challenges the basic assumption that more embeddedness is better by examining which kinds of specific ties are more beneficial than others, and whether these beneficiaries are maintained overtime.