// Socio-Academic Entrepreneurship – Socio-Academic Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs are difficult to define (cf. for an extensive discussion inter alia Gartner, 1988). Yet, as Scholte (2005) pointed out, whilst “definition is not everything, […] everything involves definition.” For the purpose of these blogposts, entrepreneurs are conceived as people who undertake endeavours in pursuit of opportunities.

This merely is an – arguably (too) extensive – classification, not a judgment of who are the new entrepreneurs. The newness of new entrepreneurs in contrast to entrepreneurs in general, is due to either an increase in numbers and/or in impact; it is not just a prescriptive proclamation: who ought these new entrepreneurs be?; but a descriptive statement: these are or will be the new entrepreneurs – which at the same time does not infer that others are not entrepreneurs anymore.

These new entrepreneurs, these blogposts will argue, are complements not substitutes. Or, in terms of neoclassical economics: demand for these new entrepreneurs is high – quantity-supply has to increase; and: demand for more shaping is high – quality-supply has to increase. Yet, while the question formally is descriptive in nature, these blogposts will argue, that these new entrepreneurs are not only increasing in numbers as well as impact, it will also focus on the prescriptive side of the development asserting that they should be some of the new entrepreneurs. These blogposts do not, however, claim that socio-academic entrepreneurs will form the majority of entrepreneurs nor the group with the highest impact, but there will be increased agents of change of this kind – worth focusing on.

So, who are these new entrepreneurs? They are a symbiotic creation between the social and the academic: socio-academic entrepreneurs forming socio-academic entrepreneurship. They are more than just social entrepreneurs using academic knowledge or academic entrepreneurs acting socially. Five blogposts more to come: Firstly and secondly we will consider academic and social entrepreneurs respectively. Thirdly, we will focus on socio-academic entrepreneurs. Fourthly, we will  conclude. Fifthly, we will provide the bibliography. Enjoy.

Edit – links to further parts on socio-academic entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurs – Agents of Change: Summary I/VII
Introduction II/VII
Academic Entrepreneurs III/VII
Social Entrepreneurs IV/VII
Socio-Academic Entrepreneurs V/VII
Conclusion VI/VII
Bibliography VII/VII