Organizing activities and founding processes of new ventures

In this dissertation, I examine three aspects of organizational emergence: composition of founders' support networks, acquisition of external organizational knowledge, and a multi-dimensional approach to identifying emergent organizations. I draw on organizational, social capital, human capital, and social exchange theories to develop my hypotheses. Based on a random sample of nascent entrepreneurs in the United States, I found that founders rely heavily on their strong ties to solicit support; use their specific human capital to guide their acquisition of external knowledge; and follow unique founding processes that differ across industrial groups.