Founder Turnover in Venture Capital Backed Start-Up Companies

Rapid firm growth fueled by venture capital investments triggers tremendous dynamics in the development of young firms. However, entrepreneurship research frequently ascribes a rather static role to the entrepreneur in his start-up company. The phenomenon of founder turnover – a situation in which entrepreneurs decide to leave their initial job position – has mostly been ne¬glected. Moreover, little is known about the frequency, causes, and the impact of founder turnover.


Martin Heibel analyzes founder turnover in German venture capital backed start-up companies. He develops two unique data sets specifically assembled through an experiment and an online survey. His in-depth analyses cover antecedents and performance implications of founder turnover. They combine venture capitalists’ as well as entrepreneurs’ perspectives on founder turnover, and yield detailed insights into the interaction between financiers and founders.