Knowledge spillover in entrepreneurial emergence: A learning perspective

Abstract Entrepreneurship's crucial role in economic growth and societal change has raised researchers’ and practitioners’ interest in how to facilitate entrepreneurial activity. With the knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship, research highlights knowledge as an essential source of opportunity and, thus, entrepreneurial emergence. However, the mechanisms of knowledge spillover and its influence on entrepreneurial emergence are yet to be explored. We apply a learning lens to knowledge spillover to investigate how knowledge is created and shared and how it relates to entrepreneurial emergence. We employ a longitudinal qualitative research design involving a community of entrepreneurs in an accelerator context. Findings reveal that knowledge spillovers originate from an (initial) stock of knowledge that is continuously updated and extended via experiential learning. Knowledge exchange as a prerequisite for knowledge spillover is driven by the individuals’ willingness to share knowledge intending to support the emergence of other entrepreneurs. Findings contribute to the knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship by providing a better understanding of the origin, mechanisms, and effects of knowledge spillover. Moreover, our novel insights about the mechanisms of interpersonal knowledge spillover contribute to the field of entrepreneurial learning.