Startups by recent university graduates and their faculty: Implications for university entrepreneurship policy

This event has been re-scheduled from 3 October to 17 October 2012.

Earlier research on the role of universities in fostering entrepreneurial economic development almost exclusively covers spin-offs by faculty and staff. In contrast, Prof. Åstebro provides evidence from the U.S. showing that the gross flow of science and engineering university graduates’ start-ups is at least an order of magnitude larger than faculty spin-offs, that a recent graduate is twice as likely as their Professor to start a business, and that the graduates’ spin-offs are not of low quality. This evidence illustrates that transforming university goals and practices toward increasing start-ups led by faculty might not be the most effective way for universities to stimulate entrepreneurial economic development. Rather, universities should stimulate science and engineering students and recent graduates to create new firms of high quality.

Speakers

Speaker - Thomas Åstebro, Associate Professor Strategy & Business Policy, HEC Paris.
Thomas Åstebro received his Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University.He conducts research in management of technological change and entrepreneurship and publishes in top management journals. He has also been involved in starting several companies and consults to entrepreneurs on business planning and starting up.

Discussant - Karen Wilson, Senior Fellow at the Kauffman Foundation and Visiting Fellow at Bruegel

Chair - Reinhilde Veugelers, Senior Fellow at Bruegel

Event materials

• Event summary here
• Thomas Astebro's presentation, Startups by recent university graduates and their faculty: implications for university entrepreneurship policy here
• Thomas Åstebro, Navid Bazzazian, Serguey Braguinsky - Startups by Recent University Graduates versus their Faculty: Implications for University Entrepreneurship Policy here

Practical information

• Venue: Bruegel, Rue de la Charité 33, 1210 Bruxelles
• Time: 17 October 2012, 12:45-14:00
• Contact: [email protected]