The Impact of Founders’ Academic Experiences on Linking with Local Alma Maters for Chinese Start-Ups

Abstract

Are firms founded by alumni and former graduate students more likely to form technology transfer relationships with their alma mater than other firms? Given the importance of engagement with academic institutes, the vast amount of research on entrepreneurship and technology transfer has not yet answered this question. Drawing on previous studies on founder’s academic background and university-industry linkage, we attempt to answer the question in a Chinese metropolitan context. We found that firms whose founding teams have higher proportion of alumni and lower proportion of highly-educated individuals are more likely to form formal ties with the focal local alma mater. The findings have implications on academic entrepreneurs and university officers.

Keywords: university-industry collaboration, technology transfer, entrepreneurship, founding team

JEL Classification: M13, O32