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This study examined the underlying motivations, sensemaking, and effectual processes in religious and secular social entrepreneurs (SEs) who have responded to the problem of feeding the needy in the Israeli ecosystem. The findings show substantial differences between religious and secular SEs' motivations and effectual processes. Religious SEs are motivated by religious-based values, a sacred calling, and social awareness of social injustice. In contrast, secular SEs are motivated by their commitment to addressing social injustice and a sense of calling based on free choice to address hunger. The findings contribute to the literature on religions and entrepreneurship and religion and effectuation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Legitimation is essential for startups because of their liability of newness. Although the corporate need for legitimacy is well-explored, less is known about how startups acquire, maintain and regain their legitimacy. Based on an extensive data collection from an international corporate accelerator, the corporate accelerator team and client startups, this study explores the recursive relations between startups and the corporate legitimacy. The findings indicate that establishing corporate accelerators is a strategic move that helps startups gain legitimation and corporation regain multiple types of legitimation. This takes place through recursive symbiotic legitimation, where young startups generate reverse legitimation that has a positive influence on the corporation's reputation as moral and innovative. These findings thus extend the literature on organizational legitimacy and corporate accelerators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mentorship is one of the building blocks of accelerator educational programs. While there is some indication of the role of mentors in assisting entrepreneurs to overcome bounded rationality, only scant research has been conducted on their role in reshaping entrepreneurial identities. This study focuses on how mentors influence the role, social and venture identities of entrepreneurs in an international corporate accelerator. The inductive grounded theory process model indicates that mentors reshape entrepreneur identity by role modeling and providing reflexive feedback. In addition, they also contribute to entrepreneurs' social inclusion. At the venture level, mentors reshape startup identity by helping entrepreneurs differentiate their venture identity and creating a fit between their different identity types by triggering them to reconcile potential incongruence between current and future entrepreneurial identities. These findings extend the literature on the role of mentors in fostering entrepreneurial identity work and on scaling up startups in accelerators." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accelerators have become popular worldwide as a means of promoting the growth of startups, setting the stage for their scaling up their operations. Based on a follow-up study of 143 startups that graduated the Tel Aviv Microsoft acceleration program, we found that the type of business model and ability to raise funds after graduation is positively associated with time duration after acceleration. We also found negative effect of startups growth in size on time duration after acceleration. We found an interaction effect of age at acceleration and startups business model. The time duration after acceleration, was lower for startups entered the acceleration program later as compared to younger startups. In addition, the findings show that startups who enter the acceleration program early were more likely for fail. Our findings extend the literature by suggesting that accelerators serve as a filtration mechanism that contribute to scaling up of startups that fits the entrepreneurial ecosystem expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation is a central concept in entrepreneurship. However, current research over emphasizes personality traits combined with cognitive based motivations toward entrepreneurship. Surprisingly, the entrepreneurial motivations literature is disconnected from recent scholarly debates about entrepreneurial opportunity recognition processes. This paper propose theoretical developments in entrepreneurial motivation to identify new opportunities. We propose a multidimensional model that is based on intertwined processes in which both affective and cognitive based motivations shape opportunity recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to explore entrepreneurial motivation among older adults and its effect on entrepreneurial intentions. We employed a mixed methods approach while data was collected from a homogeneous cohort of retirees. Seven in-depth interviews with seven older adults were followed by a quantitative study of 45 older adults. Two years later we conducted four follow up interviews. Results indicate that older adults' motivation to become entrepreneurs is centered mainly on pull factors such as self-fulfillment, increasing personal well-being, self-realization and enhancing personal interests. Older adults may consider becoming entrepreneurs as part of their "active aging" perceptions. This study has implications for tailored education programs designed for older adults that aim to prompt their motivation and foster their skills to launch entrepreneurial activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study answers calls to examine the role of compassion and prosocial behavior (Miller et al, 2012), and opportunity recognition (OR) as process of interaction between entrepreneurs and their communities (Shepherd, 2015). Based on 32 life-story interviews social entrepreneurs, we develop a data-driven process model to explain the relations between compassion, identities, and OR. Compassion is an antecedent of OR. Empathy and sympathy provide different motivations for prosocial behavior. Founder's identity is related to compassion and OR based on affective-cognitive structural alignment. Study findings extend the theory on compassion as a motivational antecedent of prosocial behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines entrepreneurial passion and components of entrepreneurial identity--sameness, otherness, and identity centrality and salience--in two different contexts, high-tech and social entrepreneurship. Based on life story interviews of 45 high-tech entrepreneurs (HTE) and social entrepreneurs (SEs), passion and identities are linked for each group but evolve differently from different influences. For HTEs, passion is composed of a strong challenge to lead a meaningful activity and to leave a 'fingerprint.' SE passion is characterized more in terms of enthusiasm and excitement and a desire to leave a mark. HTEs' identities are central to their self-concept, while SEs' identities can be more salient than central. SE identities are more synchronized than those of HTEs. For HTEs, otherness is dominant in their self-concept; however, they also maintain a concept of sameness. The findings of this study expand the literature on entrepreneurial identities by showing how passion and identities are interrelated differently among entrepreneurs who operate in different contexts. In addition, this study also expands the literature on entrepreneurial identities and affect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to examine the interrelation between motivations and opportunity recognition of social entrepreneurs. Based on life stories analysis of 30 Israeli social bricoleurs,our findings indicate that motivations fell into two larger categories, pull and push factors. The majority of bricoleurs were pull driven and emotionally motivated by personal life events. Pull driven bricoleurs were also motivated by social awareness since childhood and ideological beliefs. Push factors bricoleurs were motivated mostly by career development considerations. Opportunity recognition by bricoleurs driven by pull factors was based on their past of present experience and a strong desire to solve social problems. Opportunity recognition by bricoleurs driven by push factors was based on identification with social needs. Based on the empirical findings we expand the current literature by presenting a theoretical process model that is grounded on empirical findings. We suggest that social bricoleurs motivations explains that antecedents of social awareness and opportunity recognition. Life events are considered as emotional motivations and are interrelated to opportunity recognition of unmeet social needs. Pull motivations are associated with transformation of personal experience into social action. On the other hand, career development considerations and personal values also serves and antecedents for identification with social needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]