Digital Entrepreneurship and Its Sociomaterial Enactment

Abstract

This paper asks: "How can we better understand the nature of entrepreneurship in the digital economy?" It posits the following arguments. First, entrepreneurship in the digital economy entails three distinct, yet interrelated, types of opportunities: business, knowledge and institutional. The knowledge intensive and disruptive nature of IT requires entrepreneurs to engage in each form of entrepreneurial practice to create sustainable ventures. Second, entrepreneurial practices in the digital economy are inherently sociomaterial. Investigating these three forms of entrepreneurship jointly and the sociomaterial practices through which they are enacted provides a deeper understanding of the nature and dynamics of new venture discovery and exploitation. We illustrate these points with the example of an online dating service, eHarmony, to highlight how sociomaterial practices of business, knowledge, and institutional entrepreneurship are manifest and synergistic. We then outline a research agenda to develop these ideas.