The idea in brief
The knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship explains how ideas that established organisations do not fully use can become opportunities for entrepreneurs. Reviewing 30 years of scholarship, this article shows that the theory now reaches far beyond its original economic-geography foundations. It connects five major research conversations and offers a multi-level view of how knowledge moves between people, organisations, regions and countries.
What the article shows
- The review identifies five connected themes: open innovation, economic geography, knowledge transfer, academia and international business.
- These themes intersect with fields such as family business, knowledge management, innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems.
- A multi-level perspective is needed because the commercialisation of knowledge depends simultaneously on individual agency, organisational arrangements and wider contexts.
Implications for entrepreneurs
- Search broadly for underused ideas—in customers, universities, suppliers, incumbent firms and international partners—not only inside the venture.
- Build the capacity to translate and recombine knowledge from different domains, especially when it was created for another purpose or market.
- Recognise that access to knowledge is shaped by geography, institutions and relationships; design the venture’s network accordingly.
Implications for policymakers
- Connect entrepreneurship, research, innovation, regional and internationalisation policy rather than operating them as separate silos.
- Improve mobility and collaboration among universities, established firms and entrepreneurs so that unused knowledge can find new applications.
- Measure commercialisation pathways and cross-boundary knowledge flows, not only formal R&D inputs or patent counts.
This plain-language summary was prepared with AI assistance from the published abstract and available article information. The published article is the authoritative source; practical and policy implications are interpretive.