6

In the existing literature, company start-ups managed by teams are viewed in a very positive manner as they are considered as being associated with better performance levels. Still, there exists very limited empirical evidence verifying this performance relationship in comparison with solo start-ups. This lack of evidence is even more pronounced in studies using large samples and concerned with survival measured over several years. Our research seeks to contribute to the verification of this link by testing the contribution brought by the presence of a team of entrepreneurs versus an individual entrepreneur to the 3- and 5-year survival rates of their start-ups. The moderating role of the presence of an entrepreneurial team is also considered in the relationship between the resources necessary for start-up to the survival of the firm. For this, we use a multi-sector sample of 5,629 start-ups. Our results lead us to temper the importance given to entrepreneurial teams.