Entrepreneurship Theories

Generativity Theory: How Digital Platforms Spark Unplanned Entrepreneurship When most people hear the word "generativity," they think of the psychological definition: the need to nurture and guide the next generation. However, in the context of digital entrepreneurship, Generativity Theory has a very different, powerful meaning. It focuses on how technology develops based on foundations set by previous innovations. It explains how platforms (like Apple or Amazon) create ecosystems where unplanned, third-party innovation can thrive. What is Generativity in Tech? No one is solely in charge of scientific or engineering discoveries that prompt commercial exploitation at scale. The leading voice on this subject, Jonathan Zittrain (2006) , defines generativity as: “Technology’s overall capacity to produce unprompted change driven by large, varied, and uncoordinated audiences.” The keyword here is “unprompted.” This suggests that innovations and outcomes are unpla...

The Underdog Advantage: Does Childhood Adversity Create Entrepreneurs? While researchers have long studied resilience in adults, few have examined how childhood adversity specifically affects entrepreneurial entry later in life. Does early trauma break a person, or does it forge the skills necessary to build a business? Recent studies suggest the latter, pointing to a biological and psychological link between hardship and business creation. The Underdog Theory of Entrepreneurship To explain this phenomenon, scholars utilize the ‘Underdog Theory’ proposed by Miller and Le Breton-Miller (2017). The core premise is that life challenges require the development of adaptive skills that inadvertently make individuals better suited for entrepreneurship. "Negative personal circumstances of an economic, sociocultural, cognitive, and physical/emotional nature may have a … powerful role to play in getting people to become effective entrepreneurs" (...