Does Technopreneurs’ Entrepreneurial Orientation Matter On Start-Up Success? The Role Of Gender

Abstract

This paper examines the influence of technopreneurs’ entrepreneurial orientation (EO) on start-up success with a specific focus on the role of gender. Research examining the association between technopreneurs’ EO and start-up suggests that there is a gap on how gender may affect EO on start-up success especially in Malaysia, an emerging economy in the region. Given the nature of the research, a quantitative approach is employed. A total of 79 spin-off and symbiosis companies were chosen, and PLS-SEM was employed to examine the relationships among the constructs. The statistical results showed that EO is associated with start-up success. Further, this paper presents the importance role of gender among spin-off and symbiosis company owners to engage in EO. Results suggests that the men technopreneurs exhibited different entrepreneurial behaviors or EO dimension in managing their business successfully comparing with their female counterparts. Consequently, the start-up success can be enhanced as the spin-off and symbiosis company owners are aware of the potentials of EO in securing positive outcomes. These findings show that the role of gender may affect how the owners/managers view in their business in terms of entrepreneurial-related practices which may have an impact on the start-up success.