The Evolution of Entrepreneurial Opportunity: The Case of a Finnish Start-up in the Telecom Industry

Abstract

This study represents a longitudinal in-depth investigation of entrepreneurial opportunity development in a Finnish start-up company. A qualitative interpretive case study method is applied here that enables us to provide in-depth findings to promote opportunity-related research in the fields of entrepreneurship and International Entrepreneurship. We create an empirical process model that unlocks the longitudinal development of entrepreneurial opportunity and internal and external features contributing to it. The findings indicate that the development process represents a transformation from the assessment of demand into the creation of actual solutions. In addition, the process model reveals how the objectives and motivations of individuals, as well as external features in the industry and events, drive the development of entrepreneurial opportunity.