WHAT DO I TAKE WITH ME? THE MEDIATING EFFECT OF SPIN-OUT TEAM SIZE AND TENURE ON THE FOUNDER-FIRM PERFORMANCE RELATIONSHIP

We extend the knowledge-based perspective to consider the impact of spin-out founders on knowledge transfer to new ventures. We argue that existing theory largely ignores the founder's role as a team catalyst who mobilizes a team and transmits the team's knowledge to a new venture. We address this gap by building theory on the role of a spin-out founder as a facilitator of co-mobility and whose impact on firmoutcomes is mediated by the size and organizational experience of the recruited team. The support for our hypotheses, through use of linked employee-employer U. S. Census data from the legal services industry, has theoretical and practical implications for the knowledge-based view and human resource strategies for both existing and entrepreneurial firms.