Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/27765 
Year of Publication: 
2009
Series/Report no.: 
ZEW Discussion Papers No. 09-041
Publisher: 
Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung (ZEW), Mannheim
Abstract: 
In this paper, I analyse how the survival of new firms is affected by the average ability level in the founding team, the team size, team members' homogeneity with respect to ability, and team members' heterogeneity with respect to education. As a theoretical basis, I apply the O-ring theory (Kremer (1993)). Using a rich employer-employee data set on the whole population of Danish firms founded in 1998, I find that the average ability level in a team and the team size have positive effects on firm survival. Having a team at all is the most crucial factor for the probability of survival of young firms. The degree of homogeneity with respect to ability and the degree of heterogeneity with respect to educations have no effect on the survival probability.
Subjects: 
Entrepreneurship
firm survival
O-ring theory
start-ups
JEL: 
D23
L25
L26
M13
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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