Entrepreneurial knowledge spillovers: discovering opportunities through understanding mediated spatial relationships

In recent years, increased attention has been directed toward the formation of new ventures from new knowledge that is created by incumbent firms. This process focuses on a firm-centric approach that considers entrepreneurial opportunities from a spin-off and an endogenous perspective. Differently, what kind of Knowledge Spillovers (KSs) can influence the development of a start-up from an exogenous perspective? Considering this point of view, in what ways can knowledge be transferred? What kind of spatial filter can influence the travel of knowledge? Analyzing the KSs that sustain the growth of the start-up with a collaborative approach, the Geppetto case study concerns the main dyadic relationships developed by an Italian start- up thanks to its relationship with an Incubator. As these findings demonstrate, network entrepreneurial KSs are activated by “generating relationship” between the Incubator and its main business partners, which then are used in the “recipient relationship”. In this latter instance, the business partners of the Incubator become partners of the start–up thereby improving its growth. In particular this transfer of knowledge occurs in a relational space between heterogeneous actors that are characterized by business relational proximity