Technology venturing and universities: A key driver for sustainable development

We present here an overview of the research entrepreneurship phenomenon, with particular reference to the academic spin-off companies. Actually, they usually contain high levels of innovation, but often lack entrepreneurial orientation and managerial competences. Therefore, we put forward the idea that spin-off companies need further attention from the managerial point of view, in order to unveil their full potential as regards the social and economic development contribution. After a short review of the scientific literature of strategic management and entrepreneurship, we discuss about the importance of the innovation ecosystems and of the Universities in particular in order to unveil and actively exploit the entrepreneurial potential of the academic researchers, and finally disclose some positive effects in terms of sustainable development. We finally propose a multi-dimensional taxonomy of the academic spin-off companies. After refining and testing it, researchers and practitioners might improve their capability to understand in depth this kind of ventures and their contribution to the sustainable development and growth.