Table 1 Sample characteristics Code Age...

Table 1

Sample characteristics

Code	Age	Gender	Venture characteristics			City, Country	BM	Origin of business contacts	Founder background			Yrs
Code	Age	Gender	Main business activity	Scale	Empl.	City, Country	BM	Origin of business contacts	Educational background	Previous experience	Education level	Yrs
Bangladesh (n = 10)
I1	26	Male	Retail business producing and selling traditional men's clothing	Micro	5	Dhaka, Bangladesh	–	Professional or peer networking	Economics	Worked as freelancer in graphic design	Bachelor	3
I2	43	Male	Retail of sneakers for men, women, and children	Micro	4	Dhaka, Bangladesh	–	Self-established	Business Mathematics	Cellphone and accessories business in Saudi Arabia	Secondary	14
I3	29	Male	Online retail of handicrafts and eco-friendly goods	Micro	2	Narayanganj, Bangladesh	–	Self-established	Sociology	Early entrepreneurial interest	Bachelor	4
I4	30	Male	Manufacturing and sales of eco-friendly packaging products	Small	35	Dhaka, Bangladesh	–	Social media or online platforms	Accounting	Worked as accountant	Bachelor	10
I5^†	33	Male	Retail and service business in optical care	Micro	2	Dhaka, Bangladesh	S	Independent/self-established (walk-in customers)	Science	Assistant in optics shop	Bachelor	8
I6	36	Male	Manufacturing and custom design of wooden furniture	Small	10	Narayanganj, Bangladesh	–	Social media or online platforms	Workshop Technology	Learned carpentry from father; started after job-market failure	Diploma	9
I7^†	29	Male	Restaurant providing home-style meals for individuals and offices	Micro	4	Dhaka, Bangladesh	F	Independent/self-established	Business Administration	Cooking experience during college	Bachelor	7
I8	37	Male	Production and retail of sweets through regional branches	Small	10	Dhaka, Bangladesh	–	Family-based or inherited network	Science	Self-experimentation in production	Bachelor	10
I9	35	Female	Fashion design and retail clothing business for men, women, and children	Micro	5	Dhaka, Bangladesh	–	Professional or peer networking	Fashion Design	Designed clothes for friends	Bachelor	9
I10^†	34	Male	Home décor and craft brand producing handmade wall décor and wooden items	Small	16	Dhaka, Bangladesh	S	Social media or online platforms	Fine Arts	Art contests and exhibitions	Bachelor	8
Italy (n = 6)
I11	59	Male	Food production company specializing in innovative coffee-related products	Small	29	Trieste, Italy	–	Previous professional experience	Economics	None	Master	35
I12^†	32	Female	Pastry laboratory producing artisan baked goods	Micro	8	Trieste, Italy	C	Family-based or inherited network	Languages	None	High School Certificate	7
I14	52	Male	Credit rating and financial analytics company	Medium	82	Trieste, Italy	–	Professional or peer networking	Physics	None	PhD	15
I15	74	Male	Production of decorative and gift items, including metallic stands for luxury venues	Small	44	Quinto di Treviso, Italy	–	Previous professional experience	Bookkeeping	Four years as company director	High School	47
I19	65	Male	Dual start-up: one developing quantum computing technologies, another focused on RFID-based logistics solutions	Small	11	Artegna, Italy	–	Professional or peer networking	Physics	None	Bachelor	33
I21	51	Female	Restaurant and food service business	Micro	3	Trieste, Italy	–	Family-based or inherited network	Economics	Computer-related business	PhD	7
Iran (n = 9)
I13^†	28	Male	Hair coloring education and training services	Micro	2	Tehran, Iran	S	Professional or peer networking	Mathematics	Beauty salon business	Diploma	2
I16^†	34	Female	Beauty salon offering cosmetic and hair services	Micro	9	Karaj, Iran	F	Self-established	Humanities	None	Diploma	10
I17	26	Male	Robotics education and development company	Micro	5	Mashhad, Iran	–	Family-based or inherited network	Experimental Science	None	Bachelor	6
I22	49	Male	Manufacturing of clothing and apparel	Medium	60	Mashhad, Iran	–	Self-established	Humanities	None	PhD	32
I23^†	29	Male	Production of cashless vending machines	Small	30	Mashhad, Iran	C	Self-established	Mathematics	Restaurant, financial and investment activities	Master	9
I24^†	35	Female	Art business focused on creative production and sales	Micro	2	Tehran, Iran	S	Self-established	Mathematics	None	Bachelor	4
I25	24	Male	Transportation and international delivery services	Micro	3	Tehran, Iran	–	Family-based or inherited network	Architecture	None	Bachelor	2
I26	42	Male	Elevator installation and maintenance business	Micro	5	Tehran, Iran	–	Family-based or inherited network	Civil Engineering	Experience in construction	Bachelor	8
I27	25	Male	Retail and production of fragrances	Micro	2	Tehran, Iran	–	Self-established	Mechanical Engineering	None	Bachelor	1
United States (n = 2)
I18^†	57	Male	Development of intramuscular ultrasound product solutions	Small	33	Mashpee, Massachusetts, USA	C	Previous professional experience	Business Administration	Marketing and business experience	Bachelor	13
I20	49	Male	Development of clinical-stage medical devices for dialysis treatment	Micro	9	Charleston, South Carolina, USA	–	Previous professional experience	Information Systems	Management in prior start-ups	Bachelor	11

Code	Age	Gender	Venture characteristics			City, Country	BM	Origin of business contacts	Founder background			Yrs
Code	Age	Gender	Main business activity	Scale	Empl.	City, Country	BM	Origin of business contacts	Educational background	Previous experience	Education level	Yrs
Bangladesh (n = 10)
I1	26	Male	Retail business producing and selling traditional men's clothing	Micro	5	Dhaka, Bangladesh	–	Professional or peer networking	Economics	Worked as freelancer in graphic design	Bachelor	3
I2	43	Male	Retail of sneakers for men, women, and children	Micro	4	Dhaka, Bangladesh	–	Self-established	Business Mathematics	Cellphone and accessories business in Saudi Arabia	Secondary	14
I3	29	Male	Online retail of handicrafts and eco-friendly goods	Micro	2	Narayanganj, Bangladesh	–	Self-established	Sociology	Early entrepreneurial interest	Bachelor	4
I4	30	Male	Manufacturing and sales of eco-friendly packaging products	Small	35	Dhaka, Bangladesh	–	Social media or online platforms	Accounting	Worked as accountant	Bachelor	10
I5^†	33	Male	Retail and service business in optical care	Micro	2	Dhaka, Bangladesh	S	Independent/self-established (walk-in customers)	Science	Assistant in optics shop	Bachelor	8
I6	36	Male	Manufacturing and custom design of wooden furniture	Small	10	Narayanganj, Bangladesh	–	Social media or online platforms	Workshop Technology	Learned carpentry from father; started after job-market failure	Diploma	9
I7^†	29	Male	Restaurant providing home-style meals for individuals and offices	Micro	4	Dhaka, Bangladesh	F	Independent/self-established	Business Administration	Cooking experience during college	Bachelor	7
I8	37	Male	Production and retail of sweets through regional branches	Small	10	Dhaka, Bangladesh	–	Family-based or inherited network	Science	Self-experimentation in production	Bachelor	10
I9	35	Female	Fashion design and retail clothing business for men, women, and children	Micro	5	Dhaka, Bangladesh	–	Professional or peer networking	Fashion Design	Designed clothes for friends	Bachelor	9
I10^†	34	Male	Home décor and craft brand producing handmade wall décor and wooden items	Small	16	Dhaka, Bangladesh	S	Social media or online platforms	Fine Arts	Art contests and exhibitions	Bachelor	8
Italy (n = 6)
I11	59	Male	Food production company specializing in innovative coffee-related products	Small	29	Trieste, Italy	–	Previous professional experience	Economics	None	Master	35
I12^†	32	Female	Pastry laboratory producing artisan baked goods	Micro	8	Trieste, Italy	C	Family-based or inherited network	Languages	None	High School Certificate	7
I14	52	Male	Credit rating and financial analytics company	Medium	82	Trieste, Italy	–	Professional or peer networking	Physics	None	PhD	15
I15	74	Male	Production of decorative and gift items, including metallic stands for luxury venues	Small	44	Quinto di Treviso, Italy	–	Previous professional experience	Bookkeeping	Four years as company director	High School	47
I19	65	Male	Dual start-up: one developing quantum computing technologies, another focused on RFID-based logistics solutions	Small	11	Artegna, Italy	–	Professional or peer networking	Physics	None	Bachelor	33
I21	51	Female	Restaurant and food service business	Micro	3	Trieste, Italy	–	Family-based or inherited network	Economics	Computer-related business	PhD	7
Iran (n = 9)
I13^†	28	Male	Hair coloring education and training services	Micro	2	Tehran, Iran	S	Professional or peer networking	Mathematics	Beauty salon business	Diploma	2
I16^†	34	Female	Beauty salon offering cosmetic and hair services	Micro	9	Karaj, Iran	F	Self-established	Humanities	None	Diploma	10
I17	26	Male	Robotics education and development company	Micro	5	Mashhad, Iran	–	Family-based or inherited network	Experimental Science	None	Bachelor	6
I22	49	Male	Manufacturing of clothing and apparel	Medium	60	Mashhad, Iran	–	Self-established	Humanities	None	PhD	32
I23^†	29	Male	Production of cashless vending machines	Small	30	Mashhad, Iran	C	Self-established	Mathematics	Restaurant, financial and investment activities	Master	9
I24^†	35	Female	Art business focused on creative production and sales	Micro	2	Tehran, Iran	S	Self-established	Mathematics	None	Bachelor	4
I25	24	Male	Transportation and international delivery services	Micro	3	Tehran, Iran	–	Family-based or inherited network	Architecture	None	Bachelor	2
I26	42	Male	Elevator installation and maintenance business	Micro	5	Tehran, Iran	–	Family-based or inherited network	Civil Engineering	Experience in construction	Bachelor	8
I27	25	Male	Retail and production of fragrances	Micro	2	Tehran, Iran	–	Self-established	Mechanical Engineering	None	Bachelor	1
United States (n = 2)
I18^†	57	Male	Development of intramuscular ultrasound product solutions	Small	33	Mashpee, Massachusetts, USA	C	Previous professional experience	Business Administration	Marketing and business experience	Bachelor	13
I20	49	Male	Development of clinical-stage medical devices for dialysis treatment	Micro	9	Charleston, South Carolina, USA	–	Previous professional experience	Information Systems	Management in prior start-ups	Bachelor	11

Note(s): Business scale is classified primarily by employee count, using thresholds aligned with the European Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC: Micro (1–9 employees), Small (10–49 employees), and Medium (50–249 employees). BM = breakdown mode: S = Stall (over-prevention); F = Flood (over-promotion); C = Churn (mistimed switching); – = no contrastive breakdown episode observed. ^† marks cases with cycle-level episodes where DOS did not advance; these are contrastive diagnostics, not judgments of the overall entrepreneurial path. Empl. = number of employees. Yrs = years active as an entrepreneur

Source(s): Authors' own work

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