Business angels research in entrepreneurial finance: a literature review and a research agenda

Since the seminal works of Wetzel, research on business angels (BAs) has emerged as a new and promising research field. This review analyses the current knowledge on BAs, identifying the main contents and outcomes. We also provide a bibliometric analysis to illustrate the evolution of the research field, the level of dispersion of the scientific community, the main outlets for publication and the different methodological approaches adopted. Through the analysis of backward and forward citations, we depict the current knowledge base on which BA research is grounded and whether it has any impact on other research fields.