Experiential Learning of Nascent Entrepreneurs - Evidence from an Acc...

Nascent entrepreneurs are confronted with a variety of experiences that bear the potential for learning. This particularly applies for participants of accelerator programs, who find themselves in a realistic and supportive learning environment. Research on nascent entrepreneurial learning, especially in the context of accelerator programs, is still in exploratory stages. Despite increasing research interest and -progress, our understanding of how nascent entrepreneurs learn is limited. Building on experiential learning theory, we shed light on the learning process of nascent entrepreneurs and also analyze how the perceived significance of an experience influences this process. We conduct a longitudinal study of multiple cases with data being collected “real-time” via regular interviews, observation, a focus group and documents. Preliminary findings demonstrate the focal role of medium-critical events for learning and provide evidence for a changing relative perception of event significance over time. With our findings, we provide insights into the nascent entrepreneurial learning in accelerator programs and contextualize experiential learning theory within the field of nascent Entrepreneurship.