Spin-offs' linkages to their parent universities over time: The performance implications of equity, geographical proximity, and technological ties

Research Summary This study explores the impact of parent university linkages on the market performance of university spin-off firms (USOs). We argue that spin-offs' performance is not only affected by competencies inherited from their parent universities at start-up but also by linkages maintained over time. We longitudinally study 551 USOs established between 2000 and 2008 in Italy. Using estimations that account for attrition and endogeneity, we find that equity-based university linkages increase USOs' market performance and that geographical proximity strengthens this effect. Furthermore, increasing technological ties between USOs' entrepreneurial teams and their parent universities has a detrimental effect on performance, especially for companies that remain geographically proximate to their parent universities. The results have implications for theory and practice related to strategic linkages, alliances, and academic entrepreneurship. Managerial Summary This study explores the extent to which university spin-off firms (USOs) benefit from maintaining linkages with their parent universities over time. We study 551 USOs established between 2000 and 2008 in Italy, assessing their market performance (i.e., sales revenues) up to 2012. We find that USOs that maintain equity shares with their parent universities have better market performance. This positive effect is stronger for USOs located near their parent universities. In contrast, USOs that maintain close technological ties to their parent universities have worse market performance, especially if located near their parent universities. These findings are relevant to policymakers, university managers, and academic entrepreneurs interested in understanding how to effectively design and manage the different linkages between USOs and their parent universities.

Automated summary

The study shows that maintaining linkages with parent universities benefits university spin-off firms (USOs) in terms of market performance, especially through equity linkages and geographical proximity. However, excessive technological ties may have a negative impact on market performance, particularly when the company is located near the parent university.