FROM CELEBRITY TO COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE: SOCIAL APPROVAL ASSETS AND NASCENT FIRMS’ STRATEGIC BEHAVIORS

My dissertation consists of two essays on the co-construction of individual and organizational celebrity and the impact on stakeholder evaluations, ultimately influencing the competitive advantage of these celebrity types in the context of startup firms. Emotional capability is crucial for organizations when they lack rational track records to communicate with stakeholders. Celebrity is an intangible asset that enables organizations and individuals to elicits positive evaluations through emotional resonance with a broad audience, potentially serving as a competitive advantage. The first essay explores the co-evolution of startup firms and their founders’ celebrity by developing celebrity archetypes and examining the interactions and configurations determining audience’s evaluations and startup firms’ value. The second essay examines the impact of founder-CEO celebrity at initial public offering (IPO) on stakeholders’ evaluations and startup firm performance. I analyze how a founder-CEO celebrity’s presence affects stakeholders’ evaluations of startup firms regarding market valuation and operational performance. My dissertation’s objectives are (a) to showcase the archetypes of startup celebrities as communication mediums between an organization and its stakeholders and (b) to examine celebrities’ influence on startup stakeholders’ evaluation of the firm, affecting the organization's competitive advantage.