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Entrepreneurial education (EE) has grown rapidly and become important for how we prepare future generations for work. However, a less addressed piece of the puzzle is: who is the entrepreneurial educator? In this paper, our aim draws upon Palmer’s (1998) idea of wholeness, where we seek to connect the two problem spaces of the role diversity of entrepreneurial educators and how the educator is closely tied to the evolutionary development of the domain in constructing signature pedagogies that could cater for the issue of a low capitalization rate.

We problematize on a conceptual level the entry-level personas that have been addressed in prior literature by using the processes of transferability and evolutionary theory to tease out how variability among educators could create antecedents to form a signature pedagogy.

We recognize four archetypes: the experienced entrepreneur, the entrepreneurship scholar, the academic scholar and the pedagogical expert. Our problematization on the variance of the four archetypes provides a fertile ground to engage in addressing “the elephants in the room” in EE, the capitalization rate of graduates and the importance of developing a signature pedagogy, acknowledged in other domains, to enhance legitimacy.

The paper provides a nuanced outlook on who is teaching in the entrepreneurial classroom and problematizes from an evolutionary perspective the potential future paths to continue staying relevant for society as well as justifying our presence as a legit domain in academia.

This study aims to explore which relational factors are crucial for accelerator-based start-ups to achieve high financial performance and whether innovation levels influence this relationship. Utilizing fsQCA and drawing from the resource-based view (RBV), we analyze 128 start-ups in a Spanish accelerator, split by innovativeness, to understand the impact of relational and human capital factors on performance.

The study uses fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to investigate conditions leading to high financial performance among 128 start-ups in a Spanish accelerator, divided by innovativeness. Four key factors are analyzed: social capital, social competence, resource mobilization and entrepreneurial ecosystem support. fsQCA examines complex relationships between these factors and financial performance.

Relational and human capital factors significantly impact start-up financial performance, varying with innovativeness. Highly innovative start-ups benefit from social competence and networked support, while less innovative but profitable start-ups rely on resource mobilization skills. The study highlights the contingent value of these factors, showing that unique configurations drive financial success.

The paper enhances the RBV in entrepreneurial contexts by highlighting the critical role of relational resources and their configurations. It suggests social competence and networked support are crucial for highly innovative start-ups, while resource mobilization is key for less innovative ones. These findings encourage nuanced theorizing of start-up success strategies, considering varying innovativeness levels and their impact on performance.

This study enhances understanding of the relationship between relational factors and financial performance in accelerator-based start-ups, considering innovation levels. It provides insights into how different configurations of social capital, competence, resource mobilization and ecosystem support lead to success. It underscores the importance of considering the contingent value of relational factors for start-up growth.