Given variance in entrepreneurs’ capital endowments, the question of sufficient (or insufficient) starting conditions enabling a pathway to survival is critical in entrepreneurship. Drawing on the subjectivist theory of entrepreneurship (STE), we adopt a configurational approach. Our results show how combinations of human and social capital are related to survival while overreliance on financial capital is not. From a subjectivist perspective, we reveal a potential gap between identifying and exploiting an opportunity. The findings provide some novel insights that help reframe conflicting results as to whether capital endowments are substitutes or complements.
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