Heiko Bergmann
Title
Prof. Dr.
Last Name
Bergmann
First name
Heiko
Email
heiko.bergmann@unisg.ch
ORCID
Phone
+41 71 224 71 33
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Item type:Publication, The use and impact of AI-tools in early-stage startupsPurpose While artificial intelligence (AI) is a hot topic in public debate and academic discourse, most research is still conceptual with only a few insights into how AI is used in entrepreneurship practice. This study explores empirically how and with what effect early-stage IT startups utilize AI tools, with the general aim of getting a better understanding of how a new technology is adopted in the entrepreneurial process. Design/methodology/approach Conceptually, our study builds on the External Enabler Framework to structure the analysis. Following a mixed-method approach, we first analyze qualitative data on how AI tools are used in early-stage startups and identify the mechanisms that are facilitated. In a quantitative study, we test the effect of two identified efficiency mechanisms. Specifically, using Crunchbase data, we compare startups before and after the introduction of ChatGPT-3, focusing on (1) the number of employees and (2) the time to achieve seed funding. Findings Our qualitative study indicates that startups use AI mainly in the form of GenAI tools to streamline the process of venture creation, saving time and resources, and less frequently for directly shaping the offered product or the venture itself, presumably resulting from the distinct demands of different applications. While AI is considered important, it has so far not replaced human agency. Building on these results, the quantitative study confirms that startups with access to GenAI tools require fewer employees and achieve critical milestones faster, specifically securing seed funding. Research limitations/implications Our qualitative study is based on interviews with early-stage IT startups applying AI tools. In the quantitative study, it is challenging to distinguish between AI-infused efficiency effects and investor-related supply-side effects, resulting from the hype surrounding AI. Future research is needed to explore AI's broader influence on entrepreneurial processes. Originality/value Our study is one of the first to uncover the use of AI tools in early-stage startups, allowing entrepreneurs to compare with others and enabling policymakers to identify changes in the startup process, with implications for policy design. For academics, our study contributes to the discussion around AI and agency in the entrepreneurial process and provides insights into the applicability of the External Enabler framework.Type:journal articleJournal:International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & ResearchScopus© Citations 1 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, How do mission-driven ventures emerge? An investigation of startup activities and the achievement of regular sales among early-stage everyday entrepreneursMission-driven entrepreneurs can only create an impact if they are able to advance their venture beyond the gestation phase to an operating firm with regular sales. We focus on what entrepreneurs do in the process of setting up business and draw on social identity theory to acknowledge differences between venturing efforts. Specifically, we investigate in what way the strength of founders' missionary identity affects the relationship between two types of activities in the startup process (discovery-related, exploitation-related) and firm emergence. We test our hypotheses on a longitudinal sample of 135 nascent entrepreneurs, encompassing all kinds of startup attempts. Our results suggest that discovery-related startup activities aimed at identifying, evaluating, and developing a business idea are critical for mission-driven entrepreneurs while exploitation-related activities are also important and may require greater effort. We find indications that founders with a strong missionary identity are likely to exhibit commitment escalating behavior.Type:journal articleJournal:Small Business EconomicsScopus© Citations 1 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, What drives solo and team startups at European universities? The interactive role of entrepreneurial climate, gender, and entrepreneurship course participation(2024-07); Scopus© Citations 8 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Going the whole nine yards: founder social identities and the nascent-active transition(2023-07-11); What makes nascent entrepreneurs more or less likely to complete the founding process and to actually start their business? To address this fundamental question, we introduce founder social identity and economic prosperity as potential explanatory factors that are still insufficiently understood. Specifically, we theorize that having a Darwinian, Communitarian, or Missionary founder social identity affects the transition from nascent to active entrepreneurship in distinct ways. Furthermore, we expect economic prosperity to act as a relevant contingency factor. We test our hypotheses in a two-wave dataset of nascent entrepreneurs from the GUESSS project and conduct a supportive post-hoc analysis in a sample of nascent entrepreneurs from a longitudinal PSED-type study (SwissPEB). We find support for most of our expectations, namely that having a Communitarian or Missionary founder social identity makes the nascent-active transition more likely and that economic prosperity moderates the Darwinian- and Communitarian-related main effects.Type:journal articleJournal:Entrepreneurship & Regional DevelopmentVolume:35Issue:9-10Scopus© Citations 1 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Entrepreneurs’ actions and venture success: a structured literature review and suggestions for future researchType:journal articleJournal:Small Business EconomicsVolume:60Issue:1Scopus© Citations 53 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, The impact of founder’s regulatory focus on the process of firm birth and firm abandonmentType:journal articleJournal:Management DecisionVolume:59Issue:5Scopus© Citations 8 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, The climate for entrepreneurship at higher education institutionsWhile the importance of a supportive context for entrepreneurship is widely acknowledged, its antecedents are rarely investigated. We apply the concept of organizational climate to higher education institutions and examine the drivers of students’ perceptions of the entrepreneurial climate in their university. Combining data from two unique datasets and using multilevel techniques, we analyze the relationship between university characteristics and such climate perceptions of 8009 students at public universities in Germany. We find university entrepreneurship measures to have a positive effect on students’ climate perceptions, which also depend on students’ background and gender. In addition, we find evidence for different peer effects, depending on students’ affinity for entrepreneurship. For the general student population, including entrepreneurship content in their normal studies seems to be required to initiate a social process of sensemaking. However, students’ perception of the entrepreneurial climate only depend to a certain degree on intentional entrepreneurship measures. In our study, general university characteristics have the strongest influence on climate perceptions. Overall, our study adds to our understanding of which parameters are important for establishing a more favorable and inspiring climate for becoming an entrepreneur at higher education institutions.Type:journal articleJournal:Research PolicyVolume:47Issue:4Scopus© Citations 168 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Schweizer Jungunternehmer überdurchschnittlich qualifiziertType:journal articleJournal:Die Volkswirtschaft: das Magazin für WirtschaftspoltikVolume:90Issue:1-2 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, The Formation of Opportunity Beliefs among University Entrepreneurs: An Empirical Study of Research- and Non-research-driven Venture IdeasOpportunity beliefs, in other words the beliefs of a potential entrepreneur about the feasibility and market fit of a venture idea, are considered as a key driver of entrepreneurial action. The entrepreneur's existing knowledge plays an important role in reducing the uncertainty surrounding a venture idea, thereby contributing to the formation of strong opportunity beliefs. We develop and test a model which incorporates different types of knowledge that can be considered relevant for the formation of opportunity beliefs. Following a screening of 5955 students at 12 German universities, we identify a sample of 292 aspiring entrepreneurs who evaluate their own venture ideas. We analyze the determinants of opportunity beliefs and entrepreneurial action using structural equation modeling. Empirical evidence suggests that different types of knowledge are relevant depending on the venture idea pursued. Research-driven venture ideas benefit from industry experience, whereas general human capital is important for other types of ideas. We also find divergent relationships between opportunity beliefs and entrepreneurial action. The results contribute to our understanding of how opportunity beliefs are formed and how they relate to entrepreneurial action under different conditions of uncertainty. Our study has practical implications for entrepreneurship education and the support of university start-ups.Type:journal articleJournal:Journal of Technology TransferVolume:42Issue:1Scopus© Citations 28 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, What makes student entrepreneurs? : On the relevance (and irrelevance) of the university and the regional context for student start-upsStudent start-ups are a significant part of overall university entrepreneurship. Yet, we know little about the determinants of this type of start-ups and, specifically, the relevance of context effects. Drawing on organizational and regional context literature, we develop and test a model that aims to explain student entrepreneurship in a contextual perspective. Based on unique micro data and using multi-level techniques, we analyse nascent and new entrepreneurial activities of business and economics students at 41 European universities. Our analysis reveals that individual and contextual determinants influence students' propensity to start a business. While peoples' individual characteristics are most important, the organizational and regional contexts also play a role and have a differentiated effect, depending on the source of the venture idea and the stage of its development. Organisational characteristics, like the prevalence of fellow students who have attended entrepreneurship education, influence whether students take action to start a new firm (nascent entrepreneurship) but do not seem to support the actual establishment of a new firm. In contrast, the latter is less dependent on the university context but more strongly influenced by regional characteristics. Overall, our study contributes to our understanding of the emergence of start-ups in the organizational context of universities and has implications for initiatives and programs that aim at encouraging students to become entrepreneurs.Type:journal articleJournal:Small Business EconomicsVolume:47Issue:1Scopus© Citations 261