The document summarizes findings from the Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics (PSED), which tracks individuals in the process of starting new businesses in the United States. The PSED identifies nascent entrepreneurs through large-scale surveys and follows their progress with repeated interviews. It finds that while individual attributes have limited impact on outcomes, level and duration of startup activities are important, with those creating an actual business presence more likely to form new firms. The PSED provides longitudinal data on financing, finding that informal investment is common early on but formal financing is needed to avoid disengagement.