Nascent academic entrepreneurs need to acquire entrepreneurial competencies to create successful spin-off ventures. In this article, we examine difficulties in this pursuit prior to venture formation and offer a systematic classification of inhibitors. We confirm, combine, and extend two previously identified inhibiting mechanisms into a relational inhibitor category, classify additional structural and cultural-cognitive inhibitors, and highlight how these inhibitors exist both at the individual and the organizational level. We then advance theoretical understanding of the interrelated, multilevel functions of inhibitors on the development of entrepreneurial competencies, and offer policy insights on how universities can mitigate their effects.