Abstract
Understanding the survival of new firms requires examining the intricate interplay of internal and external factors across various levels and stages. While existing literature often emphasizes performance metrics, mortality rates, or antecedents of survival, it frequently overlooks the dynamic and continuous nature of entrepreneurial survival. This study extends empirical research on new firm survival through multiple case studies of seven incubated firms within four incubators in Catalonia, north-eastern Spain. aiming to (1) examine new firm survival as a performance indicator by categorizing the elements of the process across various levels and stages; (2) integrate the factors influencing survival by identifying key mechanisms during the early life stages of new firms; (3) propose an integrative, multilevel, process-based framework that elucidates the complexity of early-stage new firm survival; and (4) suggest future research directions concerning the what, why, how, when, and where of investigating entrepreneurial survival. Framed by imprinting theory, the paper offers a nuanced understanding of the processes and mechanisms that underpin new firm survival.
Recommended Citation
Németh, Szabolcs; Bikfalvi, Andrea PhD; and Vila-Brunet, Neus
(2026)
"Entrepreneurial New Firm Survival as a Performance Indicator : A Multi-Level Process Perspective,"
Journal of Business & Entrepreneurship: Vol. 35:
No.
1, Article 6.
Available at:
https://repository.ulm.edu/jbe/vol35/iss1/6