Parental and schooling influence on startup entrepreneurial traits and skills

Abstract

This exploratory study investigates the influence of the family and school on the common personality traits and skills associated with startup owners, who are undergraduates or recent graduates of reputable universities. I organize the discussion around three themes- that values and skills are learnt from (a) indirect influence from parents, (b) there would be intergenerational transfer of entrepreneurial skill set if the young entrepreneur have parents who are also entrepreneurs, and, (c) the capacity of university education to equip necessary values and skills. With the utilization of sociological approaches- specifically the notion of social capital, the paper seeks to find out how values and skills are integrated into the lives of these entrepreneurs at a young age, and the role of university education in furthering their entrepreneurial interests.