Connection between Entrepreneurial Skills and Intelligences of High-Tech Entrepreneurs

Abstract

The uncertainties and risks of high-tech ventures are well known, and, despite the increasing number of start-up companies founded annually, few survive. This study examines the correlation between the entrepreneurial skills and multiple intelligences of entrepreneurs, as well as their influence on success in high-tech ventures. The theoretical foundation of the study is based on Salamzadeh and Kirby’s (2017) venture-creation model and Gardner’s (1983) multiple-intelligences theory. A convenience sample of three hundred entrepreneurs (281 men, 19 women) in different stages of their ventures was evaluated via an online Qualtrics questionnaire. The results indicate that the most successful entrepreneurs have the highest levels of logical intelligence but also the lowest levels of linguistic, intrapersonal, and interpersonal intelligences. Entrepreneurial skills were found to be related to all types of intelligences, as well as to success in entrepreneurial ventures. The study adds to the limited literature on the connection between personal characteristics and the success of entrepreneurial startup companies, and may contribute to improving entrepreneurship education programs. Future research is needed to examine other characteristics of both successful and unsuccessful entrepreneurs across a wider range of venture stages.