Capabilities in small high‐tech firms: a case of plural‐entrepreneurship

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to address the issue of evaluating the innovative/entrepreneurial capabilities of small firms in high‐technology industries.Design/methodology/approachThe approach taken is a literature review and case study.FindingsThe contribution of the paper is twofold: in the first part, it is tried to distinguish the different forms of entrepreneurship existing. This leads to determine a form of entrepreneurship, plural entrepreneurship, that is typical in high‐tech start‐ups. In the second part, it is then tried to evaluate the innovative/entrepreneurial capabilities of a firm in such a framework. This is based on a longitudinal case study of a high‐tech start‐up where we explore how different dimensions of entrepreneurship coexist and interplay to create a firm's innovative dynamics depending on its initial resources and those added during the firm's growth.Originality/valueThe paper is an original attempt to distinguish different notions of entrepreneurship including the notion of plural‐entrepreneurship and capabilities in a small enterprise.