The creation of academic start-up firms is an important and practical issue in the management of technology in Japan. The present study designs a model for creating academic start-up firms that fits into the social context. It focuses on the case of FIRST Program, an initiative that consists of 30 projects in innovative arenas, analyses the presence of large-scale public funding, and investigates the role of venture capitalists as support personnel in each project. As a result, the presence and significance of ‘long-term escort’ by an ‘entrepreneurial venture capitalist (EP-VCist)’ were confirmed as common features across the cases observed. EP-VCist refers to a person who can maintain and fulfil dual roles at a university and a venture capital firm, and who can take the lead throughout the venturing process as a risk taker. ‘Long-term escort’ is a form of support that reduces risks in the venturing process by supporting university researchers in the pre-entrepreneurial stage and by exerting a robust bridging role between a university and an industry.
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