New generation of social entrepreneurs: Exploratory research and cross case study analysis of new generation of social enterprises

Abstract

The extensive development of social entrepreneurship transnationally is being increasingly shaped by youth entrepreneurs from the so-called millennial generation. The newest reports unveil that social entrepreneurship has become a youthful movement engaged in developing social initiatives worldwide. The article is an exploratory and pilot research with an objective to verify the profile of the new generation of social entrepreneurs. The author applies qualitative, narrative and cross case study analysis of the young social entrepreneurs (under the age 30) giving insights into 71 social ventures from 14 European countries and 5 overseas. The study focuses on e.g. innovation types, fields of operation, capacity of social impact, market orientation and revenue capacity models, founders’ biographical traits and their opportunity recognition patterns. The findings discover a few leading features within the members of the new generation of social entrepreneurs such as, inter alia, increasing market orientation, high utilization of technological solutions (especially in the area of social exclusion) or approximate level of pull and push factors that engage young entrepreneurs to create social enterprises.