Abstract The industry cluster is used as the background to study the mechanism of the effect of new venture industrial cluster embedding and legitimacy on the entrepreneurial performance. The data came from 418 effective samples collected. The results obtained by using structural equation model show that the political relationship and commercial relationship embedded in industry cluster has significant positive influence on entrepreneurial performance. The legitimacy of the new venture plays an intermediary role. The new ventures set up regulative legitimacy and cognitive legitimacy through political relationship embedded in industrial cluster. The new ventures set up normative legitimacy and cognitive legitimacy through commercial relationship embedded in industrial cluster. The new venture embedded in industrial cluster improved its entrepreneurial performance through the entrepreneurial legitimacy.
2016, Vol. 13 
