Hardy or hasty? The influence of founders’ psychological hardiness and impulsivity on AgTech startup innovativeness

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of entrepreneurs’ personality traits – psychological hardiness and impulsivity – on shaping the innovative behavior of agricultural technology (AgTech) startups in Brazil. Design/methodology/approach Data was collected through a questionnaire consisting of the Barratt Impulsivity Scale Version 11 (BIS-11), the Norwegian dispositional resilience scale and Garcia and Calantone’s innovativeness measurement scale was administered to 74 CEOs of southern Brazilian AgTech startups. Hypotheses were tested through structural equation modeling. Findings Certain dimensions of both impulsivity and hardiness of entrepreneurs were found to be linked to innovativeness traits in the sample of AgTech startups examined. Research limitations/implications Even though the explained variance (R2) was satisfactory for further PLS-SEM analysis, a small sample might offer statistical limitations. Thus, this study represents only an initial exploration of the theme, and the repetition of such instruments (or others representing the same variables) is highly recommended. Practical implications The findings indicate that startup innovativeness is only partially shaped by founders’ hardiness and impulsivity traits. Founders with lower nonplanning impulsivity – those who prioritize long-term goals over immediate rewards – tend to lead more innovative startups. Similarly, a high commitment disposition, reflecting an inclination to engage actively in stressful situations rather than withdraw, is positively associated with innovativeness. Originality/value This research explored relevant behavioral dimensions contributing to the strategic orientation of technology startups in an underexplored (yet major) sector in a relevant emerging economy.