The concept of innovation has evolved significantly over the last decade. It now appears that inherent successful innovation can be explained by the influence of the social networks and social capital. Originally based on tangible forms of capital and the necessity of technology pull and push, innovation management is now integrated in a larger system. The innovator’s social network contains knowledge and information obtained from multiple connections in the social capital embedded in organisational and Inter-organisational network. This study shows the impact of inter-organisational, personal and business network in different sectors. The impact of the different networks on start-ups and mature companies, and how this is related to different performance levels in mature companies, is also outlined.The concept of innovation has evolved significantly over the last decade. It now appears that inherent successful innovation can be explained by the influence of the social networks and social capital. Originally based on tangible forms of capital and the necessity of technology pull and push, innovation management is now integrated in a larger system. The innovator’s social network contains knowledge and information obtained from multiple connections in the social capital embedded in organisational and Inter-organisational network. This study shows the impact of inter-organisational, personal and business network in different sectors. The impact of the different networks on start-ups and mature companies, and how this is related to different performance levels in mature companies, is also outlined.The concept of innovation has evolved significantly over the last decade. It now appears that inherent successful innovation can be explained by the influence of the social networks and social capital. Originally based on tangible forms of capital and the necessity of technology pull and push, innovation management is now integrated in a larger system. The innovator’s social network contains knowledge and information obtained from multiple connections in the social capital embedded in organisational and Inter-organisational network. This study shows the impact of inter-organisational, personal and business network in different sectors. The impact of the different networks on start-ups and mature companies, and how this is related to different performance levels in mature companies, is also outlined.