GenAI and Early-Stage Venture Creation

Sammanfattning

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is increasingly being integrated into entrepreneurialpractice, yet limited research has examined how founders engage with these technologiesduring the process of early-stage venture creation. This study explores the role of GenAI inearly-stage venture creation from the perspective of founders. Drawing on literature onentrepreneurship under uncertainty, entrepreneurial cognition, sensemaking, iterativelearning, and cognition beyond the individual, the study adopts a qualitative and exploratoryresearch design. Empirical data were collected through twenty semi-structured interviewswith founders and entrepreneurial ecosystem experts conducted in Silicon Valley andanalysed using thematic analysis.The findings show that founders use GenAI across a wide range of entrepreneurial activities,extending beyond productivity-oriented applications. Rather than functioning solely as a tool,GenAI was frequently described as becoming integrated into founders’ cognitive processes,supporting idea development, problem-solving, learning, decision-making, and theorganisation of venture-related knowledge. The findings further suggest that GenAI helpsfounders navigate uncertainty by accelerating sensemaking and reducing barriers to learningand experimentation. Alongside these opportunities, participants identified importantlimitations and tensions related to originality and judgement, particularly when it came toverifying AI-generated outputs and avoiding overreliance on the technology, highlighting thecontinued importance of human oversight and critical reflection.The study suggests that GenAI may be understood as an embedded support system inearly-stage venture creation that augments, rather than replaces, entrepreneurial cognition. Indoing so, it contributes to the emerging literature on GenAI and entrepreneurship byproviding empirical insight into how founders integrate GenAI into entrepreneurial practiceand how these technologies may be reshaping the conditions under which new ventures arecreated.