The role of recognition intelligence for opportunity recognition of habitual entrepreneurs

Although existing research has placed cognitive aspects such as thinking patterns into the center of research on opportunity recognition, this paper examines for the first time the development of cognitive prototypes with respect to an increase in entrepreneurial experience. Additionally, the role of intuition in opportunity recognition is closely examined which is so far underrepresented in entrepreneurial research. Due to their initial importance in opportunity recognition, the concept of recognition intelligence is developed and introduced to subsume both aspects. The findings of this study indicate that a development of cognitive prototypes occurs as the number of prototypical features and foundation experience is positively correlated. The importance of intuition as second component of recognition intelligence is however not related to existing entrepreneurial experience, but decisive for habitual entrepreneurs in the recognition of opportunities.