Entrepreneurial experience and the innovativeness of serial entrepreneurs

Purpose - This paper examines the effects of past entrepreneurial experience on the reported innovativeness of serial entrepreneurs’ subsequent ventures. Building on insights from the generative entrepreneurial learning process and from cognition theories, we propose that regardless of the type of entrepreneurial experience, positive or negative, such experience enriches the cognitive schemas of serial entrepreneurs leading them to greater reported innovativeness. Knowing this will expand our knowledge of entrepreneurial career development. Design/Methodology/approach - The proposed hypotheses are tested using Heckman regression models relating past entrepreneurial experience, current business ownership and reported innovativeness of current businesses on a unique sample drawn from a Catalan adult population survey. The data on the past entrepreneurial experience of the Catalan adult population were collected specifically for the purpose of this study. Findings - Results reveal that practical experience is an essential prerequisite for entrepreneurial learning, and even negative entrepreneurial experience may induce generative entrepreneurial learning suitable for subsequent outperforming ventures for the psychologically strong who have managed to learn from their experience. Implications - This paper offers insights on how the nature of the past entrepreneurial activity influences future venturing decisions. This study contributes to the academic debate on whether increased entrepreneurial experience and generative learning processes best explain serial entrepreneurial behaviors. Originality/Value - The paper further explores the influence of previous entrepreneurial experience on current entrepreneurial activity by analyzing the relationship between serial entrepreneurship and reported innovativeness.Preprin