When: May 17^th, 2018, 15:30 till 17:00

Where: GSOM SPbU, Volkhovskiy per., 3, room 408

The event is recommended for: doctoral students and academic staff

Language: Russian

Registration is required

Authors of the research:

• Jaume Villanueva (ESADE Business School)
• Harry J. Sapienza (University of Minnesota) 
• Richard J. Sudek (University of California-Irvine)

Abstract:

Drawing on theories of narrative persuasion, we examine how entrepreneurial stories affect investors’ perceptions of entrepreneurs, and how these perceptions in turn affect their opportunity evaluations. We conduct an experiment with 188 active angel investors and find that the form of communication in which the opportunity is conveyed does affect investors’ perceptions and evaluative judgments.  Because we find that the narrative form has both positive and negative effects, our study suggests that stories can be potent tools for entrepreneurs seeking funding, but that they may not always work as intended. We extend current literature, which recognizes storytelling as a powerful tool for legitimation, by introducing the effect of storytelling (as a communication form per se) at the interpersonal level, i.e. by connecting the storyteller to the audience, and by providing a more nuanced view of the role of stories in the resource acquisition process.

About the speaker:

Jaume Villanueva

Education:

• PhD in Business Administration. University of Minnesota
• Master in Business Administration. University of Wisconsin-Madison
• BS in International Economics. University of Gothenburg

Areas of interest:

• Entrepreneurship
• New venture creation
• Resource mobilisation
• Early-stage venture capital

Biography:

Jaume is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Business Policy at ESADE. In his research he focuses on the processes that underlie the creation and development of new ventures. His research examines the role that interpersonal factors such as power, social influence or persuasive communication play in key entrepreneurial activities, especially in the identification of opportunities and the mobilisation of external resources. In his current research, he examines how storytelling, as a pitching strategy, influences the decisions of early-stage investors, how patterns of power-dependence with external parties affect the resource mobilisation efforts of new ventures (published in the Journal of Business Venturing, 2012), how the tension between self and collective interests shape the entrepreneurial process (published in the Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, 2007) and how the goals of key stakeholders affect the governance of family firms (published in Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, 2009). Before returning to academia, Jaume worked in international business development for a number of multinational firms in Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. He was the co-founder of Fluent Systems, a precision agriculture start-up based in Wisconsin, and has been the recipient of multiple entrepreneurship awards.