They are questions that are repeatedly asked in entrepreneurial circles:

• Can we teach entrepreneurship?
• Does it take certain tenacity and nature that isn’t adverse to risk?
• Can it be learned in classrooms, or does it take real world experience?
• What part does luck play in one’s success?

No matter whom you ask, be that entrepreneurs or educators, there are staunch advocates on both sides of these questions.  While there may not be definitive answers, the number of formal programs in entrepreneurship has more than quadrupled from 1975 to 2006. And the teaching isn’t isolated to university classrooms; business development organizations, accelerators, incubators, and an array of nonprofits are attracting aspiring entrepreneurs. As training venues in entrepreneurship grow, its appeal has spread from traditional business ventures to disciplines as varied as art, nursing, engineering, education and music.

So with all that growth, the time may be right to take shot at settling these questions.  Below, ID8 Nation’s panel of seasoned entrepreneurs in San Diego takes on this issue of nature vs. nurture.  What do you think?