The Impact of Incubator Efficiency on the Performance of Incubated Enterprises: The Mediating Effect Test Based on Network Competence

Abstract

           With the implementation of innovation-driven strategy and the rise of entrepreneurial economy, the number of new start-ups in China has shown a rapid growth trend. As an emerging economy, small and medium-sized enterprises play an active role in promoting national economic and social development, creating jobs, promoting scientific and technological innovation and stabilizing the overall social situation, which has important strategic significance. As an important part of the entrepreneurial ecosystem, incubator is a powerful tool and an important carrier for the survival and rapid development of start-ups. Based on resource dependence theory  and social network theory, this paper constructs an integrated analysis framework of "incubator efficiency - network competence of incubated enterprises - performance of incubated enterprises" by establishing a causal model of incubator efficiency into incubated enterprises' performance, and conducts an empirical research on the impact of efficiency and performance between two closely related subjects in the incubation network. The research enriches the related theories of incubators, and has certain significance for improving incubator's incubation ability and effectively stimulating incubated enterprises' network competence.