In this report, we study the development of Finnish startup firms based on both survey and register data. The sample includes all firms that were founded in the first half of the year 2005, and those firms have been monitored for eight years. We find that entrepreneurs in growth-oriented startups have had typically already some experience from being an entrepreneur or managing business, and have had success in risk-taking activities. Growth-oriented startup firms are in turn more likely to be networked with other firms and institutions, and are already in the startup phase larger than others. Growth-orientation correlates significantly with ex-post growth, but does not boost failure rates. Besides growth-orientation, the larger size of the firm in the startup phase and the limited liability company form correlate significantly positively with ex-post growth.
