How Much Does the External CEO Matter in University Spin-Off?

Deficiency of business understanding and experience, strong industry competition, and small firm fragility are some of the most often cited arguments that justify business failure. This chapter presents the impact that top management can have on the development of new firms. The findings are based on case studies consisting out of three firms spun off from the University of Maryland and the University of Central Florida. The source data is gathered from observations, semi-structured interviews, commercial databases, as well as publicly available data. The results show that external Chair Executive Officers (CEO) positively influence the process of creation and management of university spin-offs.