Between Involvement and Profit: Value (Un-)Captured by a Born-Social Start-Up

Abstract

Sustainable value and related business models are evolutionary forces that have recently emerged in organisations across industries, particularly among start-ups, yet relatively little research has examined socially involved start-ups that collaborate, co-create, capture and uncapture with their stakeholders. This research aimed to determine the prerequisites and dimensions of creating sustainable value by asking, What are the possibilities of and perspectives on creating, capturing and perceiving sustainable value within a social start-up? The primary goal was to examine the complexity of sustainable value drivers by analysing the implemented activities, challenges and benefits of creating and (un-)capturing sustainable value in a start-up through social entrepreneurship. The presentation and discussion of the exploratory case are based on qualitative research, including desk research (using numerous web-based materials) and an interview with the start-up’s founder. A complementary Delphi study provides external experts’ views on the relevant prioritisation of management issues to develop the start-up’s business model and social impact. The case study exemplifies the socially constructed phenomena and management concepts that have been implemented in the context of a growing economy.