How does boundary-spanning search matter in Chinaʹs new technology venture? The role of external relationship and internal competence

Following the resource-advantage theory, this study advances the existing research of boundary-spanning search by examining which configuration of a new ventureʹs boundary-spanning search can obtain successful venture performance and how a founding teamʹs external relationship and the internal firm competences shape the relationship between the distant search and new venture performance. This paper is based on a questionnaire survey/analysis of a sample of 178 new ventures from China, and it offers insight to entrepreneurs with regard to the importance of building external managerial ties and developing idiosyncratic internal competences on boundary-spanning search. In addition, this study also reveals that the effectiveness of the supply-side, demand-side and spatial-side boundary-spanning search on venture performance depends on investing resource at a rational level.