Social Networks and Entrepreneurial Passion: Selection or Contagion?

Entrepreneurial passion is contagious such that social interaction leads to passion convergence. However, do entrepreneurs also select whom they interact with based on passion similarity? The complex interdependencies between social networks and entrepreneurial passion remain undertheorized and empirically puzzling. Using a stochastic actor-oriented model (SIENA) and four waves of panel data, we test hypotheses about the co-evolution of social networks and entrepreneurial passion during a 5-months startup acceleration program. We find that (1) entrepreneurs select social network ties based on similar levels of passion for founding; (2) passion for founding is socially contagious; and (3) passion for founding is more contagious within startup teams than across other peer ties. Surprisingly, none of these effects are significant for passion for inventing. We discuss the theoretical, empirical, and practical implications of these findings.