Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to bring attention to “entrepreneurial finance education”, an
aspect of entrepreneurship education that is widely taught but neglected by the educational literature.
It does so by exploring how social capital, a key resource for entrepreneurs, can be incorporated into
entrepreneurial finance education.
Design/methodology/approach – By drawing upon social capital literature in the context of
funding sources for entrepreneurs, the paper highlights the significance of bonding and bridging social
capital for entrepreneurial finance.
Findings – The review of relevant literature confirms the importance of social capital for
entrepreneurial finance. The existence of bonding social capital, which refers to a trusting relationship
between entrepreneurs and financiers, allows entrepreneurs to access their financiers’ resources
(e.g. contacts, knowledge, reputation, further funds) through bridging social capital.
Practical implications – Students of entrepreneurial finance need to understand the role that both
facets of social capital play in the context of fundraising. This paper proposes ways of incorporating
social capital into various approaches to entrepreneurial finance education. This allows educators
to include relevant topics and research into their syllabi, while enabling students to study a crucial, yet
under-represented, topic in entrepreneurial finance education.
Originality/value – Given that entrepreneurial finance education has to date been neglected in the
educational literature, this paper begins to address a huge void. It clarifies potential contents of
entrepreneurial finance education, demonstrates the importance of including social capital in the
education of entrepreneurial finance students and suggests practical ways of achieving this.