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Key Terms

angel investors
Individual investors or groups of experienced investors who provide venture financing from their own funds.
business model
Rationale of how an organization creates, delivers, and captures value.
business model canvas
A tool to describe and assess a business model, encompassing nine components: customer segments, value propositions, channels, customer relationships, revenue streams, key resources, key activities, key partnerships, and cost structure.
corporate entrepreneurship
The creation of new products, processes, and ventures within large organizations.
crowdfunding
Process of raising new venture funds from a large “crowd” audience, typically virtually from the Internet.
debt capital
Borrowed money that must be repaid at some agreed-upon future date.
design thinking
Processes used by designers and entrepreneurs to find the solution to complex issues, navigate new or uncertain environments, and create a new product for the world.
entrepreneurs
Individuals who recognize and pursue opportunities, take on risk, and convert these opportunities into value-added ventures that can survive in a competitive marketplace.
equity capital
Owner’s investment in the company; does not have a specific date for repayment.
established business owners
Individuals who are still active in a business that is more than three and a half years old.
family entrepreneurship
A business is owned and managed by multiple family members, usually for more than one generation.
first mover
Introducing a new product or service category first can potentially define an innovation’s characteristics in the minds of buyers, gaining valuable name recognition and brand loyalty.
high-technology entrepreneurship
Ventures in the information, communication, and technology space; typically have high growth expectations.
lifestyle entrepreneurship
Creating a venture to suit a personal lifestyle and not for the sole purpose of making profits.
nascent entrepreneurs
Individuals who have set up a business they will own or co-own that is less than three months old and has not yet generated wages or salaries for the owners.
new business owners
Former nascent entrepreneurs who are actively involved in a business for more than three months but less than three and a half years.
potential entrepreneurs
Individuals who believe that they possess the capacity and knowledge to start a business.
second movers
Second-to-market organization that can learn from and improve on the first mover’s efforts.
serial or habitual entrepreneurship
Individuals who start several businesses, simultaneously or one after another.
social entrepreneurship
Creating innovative solutions to immediate social and/or environment problems and mobilizing resources to achieve social transformation.
venture capital
Financing obtained from venture capitalists, investment firms that specialize in financing small, high-growth companies and receive an ownership interest and a voice in management in return for their investment.
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