THE INFLUENCE OF AN ENTREPRENEUR'S BACKGROUND ON THEIR METHOD OF BUILDING A TEAM

The purpose of this dissertation is to provide a foundation for grounded theory to be built regarding the way in which successful entrepreneurs in high tech ventures make decisions and explore the unique team-focused adjustments that must be made to achieve the goal of a successful venture. Thus, the product of this paper will be the development of propositions that can be used in the initiation of new theories regarding entrepreneurial team building. The goal of this research is to help entrepreneurs with different levels of managerial and technical expertise build teams that will help them increase the likelihood of launching a successful venture. Such teams exceed what is normally understood as a top management team (TMT), and instead consist of TMT members, board members, and investors (Venture Capitalists and Angels), as well as outsider advisors who help plan and execute the strategy of an entrepreneurial venture. This research adds to the literature because a new venture team is a particular type of top management team that is largely neglected by the literature