ENTREPRENEURSHIP 3.0: TOOLS TO SUPPORT NEW AND YOUNG COMPANIES WITH THEIR BUSINESS MODELS

Abstract

In 1983, Time Magazine referred to the new economy as a transition from a production-oriented industry to an economy based on new technology. Later on, it was dubbed a service-oriented and knowledge-based economy. Today, it is also closely linked to sustainability and ecology. The new economy initiates new initiatives from the crowd. This is, for example, reflected in crowdsourcing and open innovation and can lead to open business models. Without the latter, innovators and/or entrepreneurs will fail to provide or capture the value they create with their innovations. Innovations in business models are more important for society and for companies than the technological innovations itself. After all, new technology has no chance of success in the market without a good business model. Therefore, the established traditional business models from the past should be turned into more socially driven models that take into account new societal challenges. The ‘Entrepreneurship 3.0’ Research Centre focuses on new business models to support pre- and early stage start-ups with setting up a new business model and, on the other hand, to guide growth SMEs in the transition towards a new model. We will do this by acquiring insights through evidence-based research and by developing tools and methodologies. Entrepreneurship 3.0 focuses on business model innovation in general and on some topics in particular: sharing & collaborative economy, 3D & materialize economy, blue economy & cradle-to-cradle, crowdfunding and the entrepreneur.