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The aim of this paper is twofold. First, it intends to analyze the influence of human capital and social capital on the second of the stages in the process of entrepreneurial creation established by Shane and Venkataraman, the discovery of opportunities for creating a business. Second, it aims to analyze the existence of gender differences both in the discovery of opportunities and in the stock of human and social capital possessed by men and women.

The authors use data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Spanish Project. From a random sample of 28,888 individuals, which is representative of the whole of the Spanish population between the ages of 18 and 64, the opinion of 1,473 active entrepreneurs has been gained. Also, logistic regressions were used as a statistical method to test the hypotheses proposed.

The results indicate that individuals possessing a greater stock of human capital, as well as those who are highly involved in broad social networks, discover more chances of business creation. Similarly, this work shows that men discover more business opportunities and possess more human and social capital than women.

The results obtained allow the authors to make a contribution to the literature about the influence that human and social capital exerts on the discovery of entrepreneurial opportunities. Regarding gender, the main contribution of the work is that gender differences exist both in the discovery of opportunities and in the stocks of human and social capital possessed by individuals. The main limitation of the paper is the difficulty of directly measuring variables used and thus the need to use “proxy” variables.

The results of the paper can help politicians and educators to enhance endeavours to increase attention to human and social factors and gender differences, in order to develop the second of the stages in the process of entrepreneurial creation, the discovery of opportunities for creating a business.

In line with the findings and research implications, the paper provides additional proofs of why gender differences exist with regard to the entrepreneurial process, in part related to differences in human and social capital. However, other factors apart from the different stocks of human and social capital could explain this phenomenon, so a new line of research is necessary.

The purpose of this study is to explore the dynamic capabilities required of information technology (IT) entrepreneurs for facing globalized challenges.

Using a methodological approach that combines Q‐technique and questionnaire survey, the author collected 98 statements obtained from interviewing ten IT entrepreneurs. A total of 44 out of 98 critical statements were extracted as Q‐samples based on purposive sampling. Subsequently, 20 experts used Q‐technique in terms of the sample the 44 statements to generate a revised questionnaire to investigate 500 Taiwan IT‐based companies.

According to the responses of the 281 valid copies of questionnaire received, market‐oriented sensitivity, the ability to absorb knowledge, social‐networking capability, and the integrative ability to communicate and negotiate are the dynamic capabilities required of IT entrepreneurs.

As for the restrictions, the expansive nature of the IT industry prevented the author from addressing any specific sector of the industry, and no minimum capitalisation of IT companies was set for the sample‐collecting process.

The results can be used by IT entrepreneurs of SMEs in the self‐assessment of capabilities and the development of dynamic capabilities during their start‐up and growth phases. They can also be applied to nurturing successors and cultivating new entrepreneurs.

This study clarifies the intrinsic dynamic capabilities of IT entrepreneurs, and identifies the required components of such capabilities and their priorities. The results can be used in managerial decision‐making and personnel training, both of which help entrepreneurs in building competitive advantages.