So far, there has been very little in-depth research on how the spin-off process contributes to the development of academic entrepreneurs’ social capital. In this inductive, exploratory and qualitative study, we examine eight academic entrepreneurship case studies. Based on our findings, we propose three mechanisms to explain the contribution of the spin-off process. They are the entrepreneurs´ affiliation with the university, the entrepreneurs´ immersion in the university´s network of relationships, and the new venture creation preparation given to the entrepreneurs by the university.