New Firms from Research-based Spin-offs

Topic of this paper are research-based spin-offs from public organisations. Initial point is a discussion about the economic benefit of such companies and an overview of spin-off activities in Germany. The paper investigates influencing factors on generation, development, and growth of research-based spin-offs build on scientific know-how or research results. An analysis of previous empirical studies allows the identification of three major groups of success factors, concerning the founder, the environment, and the later company itself. On this basis we draft a model of entrepreneurial success and we identify vacancies in empirical evidence and guidelines for future research.