In this study, we investigate the effects of entrepreneurial ambivalence on venture idea revision. Building on the affect as information perspective we propose a model of whether and why entrepreneurial ambivalence increases venture idea revision. The results of a longitudinal repeated-measures field study based on 172 entrepreneurs in a top incubator program show that higher entrepreneurial ambivalence experienced when receiving mentor feedback regarding their new ventures has a positive indirect effect on venture idea revision (compared to lower entrepreneurial ambivalence) through information search behaviors that are not only intense but also broad. We discuss implications of our findings for work on affect in entrepreneurial decision-making, on creative revision, and on ambivalence in organizations, as well as for formal entrepreneurial mentoring programs.
