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This paper develops understanding about how incubation support and innovation strategy can determine the performance of academic spin-offs. Using a sample of spin-offs from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Norway, we analyse the potential moderating effect of incubation support (networking and entrepreneurial support) on innovation strategy effectiveness. The empirical results demonstrate: (1) a technology and market exploitation strategy has a stronger and more positive effect on the performance of spin-offs than a technology and market exploration strategy. In relation to an ambidextrous technology and market exploration and exploitation strategy, a market growth strategy (combining technology exploitation and market exploration) has a positive effect on performance while a product development strategy (combining technology exploration and market exploitation) has little effect on performance; (2) incubation support in the form of networking and entrepreneurial support has a positive effect on the performance of spin-offs; (3) networking support moderates the relationship between an exploitation strategy and spin-off performance while entrepreneurial support moderates the relationship between a market growth strategy and spin-off performance. By examining the interactions between types of innovation strategies and incubation support, this study provides a more refined understanding of the strategy selected by spin-offs. In doing so, it offers new insights about the role of incubator support in enhancing the effect of strategy on performance.

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Purpose-Many scholars analyse networks and learning to understand how individuals successfully create and manage new ventures. Based on the assumption that entrepreneurs learn from networks, this study examines which types of difficulties encourage entrepreneurs to use networks to facilitate learning, whether entrepreneurs change networks to deal with such difficulties, and which network characteristics facilitate learning. Design/methodology/approach-Networks are considered a potential source of learning, namely, the cognitive process of acquiring and structuring knowledge, creating meaning from experience and generating new solutions from existing knowledge. Through networks, entrepreneur share information and discuss opportunities and problems. Using an innovative approach combining storytelling and network mapping, this study analyses how entrepreneurs use networks in learning. The data collected from six entrepreneurs working in knowledge-intensive sectors enables examining the learning process ensuing from the interactions between entrepreneurs and their contacts. Findings-The findings show that entrepreneurs construct different types of networks in response to their difficulties, not in relation to products or technologies, but to learn to overcome self-crises, external threats, management and organisational issues. The findings reveal that entrepreneurs develop networks dominated by strong ties for exploitative learning and networks dominated by weak ties for explorative learning. Originality/value-This study contributes to literature on networks and entrepreneurial learning. More specifically, the study provides evidence of learning in the context of networks, which is a relatively overlooked area in entrepreneurship literature, identifying the role of difficulties in determining the type of learning through networks and the related mechanisms.

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