Green start-ups and the role of founder personality

Arbeitspapier

Green start-ups play a vital role in the needed transition towards more environmentally sustainable economies. Yet our understanding of why some founders start green ventures and others do not remains incomplete. We build on the cognitive and decision-making perspectives on start-ups proenvironmental engagement to shed light on the role of founders' personality traits - focusing on the 'Big 5' and risk tolerance - in explaining whether founders' start new ventures with environmentally friendly products. Our analysis of a large, representative, manufacturing and service sector sample of German start-ups illustrates the important role of founder personality traits. Specifically, openness and extraversion promote environmentally friendly products while neuroticism inhibits it. We discuss the implications of these insights.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: ZEW Discussion Papers ; No. 22-009

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Investment Banking; Venture Capital; Brokerage; Ratings and Ratings Agencies ; Entrepreneurship ; Industrial Policy ; Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
• Subject: emission reduction ; environmentally friendly products ; green innovation ; Big Fivepersonality traits ; sustainability

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Chapman, Gary ; Hottenrott, Hanna
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): ZEW - Leibniz-Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung
• (where): Mannheim
• (when): 2022

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/251953
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:43 AM CET