Start-ups -: Business incubation and social capital

In this article, the underlying idea is that business incubators can support new potential companies in their development process by giving them credibility, but also by helping them to build promising support and business networks. The main research question is how business incubators can support entrepreneurs, in their efforts to build up networks for the benefit of their own company, by focusing more on social capital. The article evaluates three not-for-profit managed business incubators from different parts of Finland. The empirical material proposes that entrepreneurs who have received substantial support for the creation of business or support networks are more satisfied with the services of the business incubators than those who have not attained such support. Another finding was that support that focuses principally on financial capital is not the key aspect that business incubators should focus on when supporting entrepreneurs who try to develop a viable business.