The Moderating Role of Perceived Authenticity of Founder on the Success of High Technology Firms

In choosing among innovative ideas, venture capitalists use factors that reflect the merits of the plan and also mertis of the team. This research focuses on the factors relating to the team and examines the relation between the perceived authenticity of the founder in  their leadership and success of the venture. We gathered data from 32 young, high-technology firms that had used financial aids in Iran. This finance was provided by Iran Innvation Fund according to the high-technology law. We used proxies to measure success and a standard questionnaire to measure perceived authenticity of the founder. Findings illustrate that perceived authenticity of the founder in their leadership has a positive moderation impact on the success of the venture. As the perceived authenticity increased, the chance of success increased for the venture. This research extends the innovation literature and contributes to the aunthenticity research. Venture capitalist can use the findings to reduce their risk in choosing profitable ventures