A study by the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Research at the University of Stuttgart reveals a wide variety of career paths among successful founders in Baden-Württemberg that have led to the founding of start-ups. The study specifies: International experience, education and networks in industry or research are formative factors in the career paths of 924 founders (15 per cent women, 85 per cent men) in Baden-Württemberg (Brem et al., 2024).
Title: Career paths of founders in Baden-Württemberg
Note: The diagram shows weighted flows that represent the movements of founders through different phases. The thickness of the flows reflects the frequency of certain movements, while the diagram summarises general trends without accurately depicting individual, often non-linear founding paths (Brem et al., 2024).
International experience for networks and expertise
Over 50 per cent of founders in Baden-Württemberg have spent time abroad, either academically or professionally, often in countries such as the United Kingdom, the USA or France.
Education as a key resource for innovation
In Baden-Württemberg, 97 per cent of founders have a higher education qualification, especially in engineering and natural sciences - and particularly frequently in computer science, mechanical engineering or electrical engineering. 19 per cent of founders also have a doctorate.
Professional experience as a central building block
30 per cent of founders have worked in small or medium-sized companies and 15 per cent in large corporations. 28 per cent of the founders had previously worked in research institutions. The proximity to research institutions emphasises the relevance of research transfer for innovation and technology. Around 17 per cent of founders had already worked in a startup before founding their own company. On average, founders have eleven years of professional experience, including internships and student activities. These diverse career paths emphasise that education and experience are particularly important for start-up success in Baden-Württemberg.
Analysing the career paths of founders in Baden-Württemberg highlights the role of education, international experience and professional experience in start-up success. At the same time, the diversity of these paths also reveals gender-specific differences. This is where the ecosystem can start to grow sustainably through knowledge transfer and targeted networks.
Bibliography
Brem, A., Hess, S., Maguire, D. (2024). Technology start-ups. Career paths of founders. Research and Teaching. 24(12), 904-907.
Extract from the Delta Report '24
This article first appeared in our Delta Report 2024. Here you can download the Delta Report as PDF (6MB) in full length.
