The neuro-innovative entrepreneur: the influence of ADHD traits on opportunity recognition and innovation

Purpose This study aims to examine how attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) traits relate to entrepreneurial innovation, addressing calls to better understand neurodiversity in inclusive entrepreneurship. It analyzes how ADHD's core dimensions shape innovation via entrepreneurial traits and the cognitive process of opportunity recognition. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative, cross-sectional survey was conducted with 342 founders and co-founders recruited via online professional networks and entrepreneurship groups, utilizing validated scales. The theoretical model was tested with path analysis and multiple regression. To rigorously assess the complex indirect effects within our model, mediation was evaluated via bootstrapping. Findings ADHD traits did not directly predict innovation, they acted as precursors to entrepreneurial traits. Hyperactivity/impulsivity was positively associated with creativity and risk propensity, while inattention was positively linked to creativity. Creativity and risk propensity strongly predicted opportunity recognition, which fully mediated their relationships with innovation. Thus, innovative potential is unlocked when ADHD-related traits are channeled into identifying and evaluating viable opportunities. Practical implications Entrepreneurs with ADHD should harness hyperactivity as a source of creativity and calculated risk-taking while adopting structured opportunity evaluation routines. Educators should adapt curricula to diverse cognitive styles, and investors should reassess criteria that may inadvertently exclude neurodiverse founders. Social implications Findings support inclusive entrepreneurship by evidencing neurodiversity as an asset for innovation. Originality/value This study offers an early empirical model unpacking mediated pathways from ADHD to innovation, moving beyond “advantage vs disadvantage” toward a nuanced, mechanism-based account of neurodiversity's role in entrepreneurial cognition.