"Corporate venturing has gained much attention due to challenges and changes that occur because of discontinuous innovations - which seem to be promoted by digitalization. In this context, open innovation has become a promising tool for established companies to strengthen their innovation capabilities. While the external opening of the innovation process has gained much attention, the internal opening lacks on investigations. Especially new organizational forms, such as Internal Corporate Accelerators, have not been investigated sufficiently. This study, which is based on 13 interviews from two German tech-companies, contributes to a better understanding of this new form of corporate venturing and the resulting effects on the organizational renewal."

"This paper examines the relative importance of the caste system in explaining the resource misallocation in India and quantifies its impact on aggregate productivity. I document that the historically disadvantaged castes (LC) are less likely to enter entrepreneurship even though they are more productive on average. At the intensive margin, the LC entrepreneurs are less capital-intensive but have higher marginal revenue product of capital relative to high castes. In a quantitative model of entrepreneurship, I find that the LC face higher entry cost and stricter financial constraints and that such asymmetries reduce aggregate TFP by 2.54% and output by 6%."

"For the past two years I have been the chair of the research committee of a multi-country survey effort known as the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) project, which has begun to make headway in understanding how different types of entrepreneurship affect development. The starting point has been to distinguish “necessity entrepreneurship,” which is having to become an entrepreneur because you have no better option, from “opportunity entrepreneurship,” which is an active choice to start a new enterprise based on the perception that an unexploited or underexploited business opportunity exists. Analyzing data gathered by GEM researchers in 11 countries, Atilla Varga and I have found that effects on economic growth and development of necessity and opportunity entrepreneurship vary greatly. We found that necessity entrepreneurship has no effect on economic development while opportunity entrepreneurship has a positive and significant effect.

Analyzing data gathered by GEM researchers in 11 countries, Atilla Varga and I have found that effects on economic growth and development of necessity and opportunity entrepreneurship vary greatly. We found that necessity entrepreneurship has no effect on economic development while opportunity entrepreneurship has a positive and significant effect."

"In emerging-market countries, commercial institutions do not always develop sufficiently quickly or effectively to support ambitious entrepreneurs. How might intermediaries remedy these problems? We address this question by drawing on institutional literatures to develop the concept of "open system intermediaries." Our research design involves examining business incubators in emerging markets as a form of open system intermediary. Empirically, we examine the relative emphasis that business incubators in emerging-market countries place on developing markets versus developing specific businesses. The study further examines how private, government, academic, and non- governmental organization sponsorship of incubators influences the mix of services that incubators provide. In sum, this work contributes to our understanding of how, why, and when intermediaries emerge to address institutional failures."

"Although early-stage finance is critical to the growth of most ventures, it is even more important for social ventures as they face the challenges of balancing their social and commercial objectives. Drawing on institutional logics and signaling theory, this study uses a panel data set of 3,401 nascent social ventures to investigate the important role philanthropic grant funding plays in the organizational and financial development of social ventures. We find mixed results, with positive effects on employment and subsequent access to debt finance, but no effects on revenues and access to equity. Our findings connect these theories by suggesting philanthropic grants provide social ventures with flexibility to invest in human capital without pushing them to pursue short-term financial objectives, and that receiving a philanthropic grant provides a signal that is interpreted differently by debt and equity financiers. These findings are especially relevant as funders increasingly use grants to support social entrepreneurship."

"This report identifies challenges and success factors for small, micro and medium businesses (SMME) in South Africa that use an inclusive business approach. It provides policy recommendations on how to support SMME spread their potential to tackle social and environmental problems in South Africa."

"This report, "Growing Impact" follows IFC’s first assessment of the global market for impact investing and investor practices, "Creating Impact", published in April 2019. In this new report we explore more deeply the size and makeup of the impact investing market and analyze the practices of impact investors, drawing on data from a survey of the signatories to the Operating Principles and a set of 32 signatory case studies. The case studies illustrate how we are creating a powerful market force by embracing a shared vision and approach."

"A common concern with efforts to directly help some small businesses to grow is that their growth comes at the expense of their unassisted competitors. This study tests this possibility using a two-stage randomized experiment in Kenya. The experiment randomizes business training at the market level, and then within markets to selected businesses. Three years after training, the treated businesses are selling more, earn higher profits, and their owners have higher well-being.
There is no evidence of negative spillovers on the competing businesses, and the markets as a whole appear to have grown in terms of number of customers and sales volumes. This market growth appears to come from enhanced customer service and new product introduction, generating more customers and more sales from existing customers. As a result, business growth in underdeveloped markets is possible without taking sales away from non-treated businesses."

"In developing this paper, we conducted almost sixty interviews with thought leaders and active practitioners from a variety of organizations: investors, capacity development providers, corporations, researchers, network leaders, development finance institutions. In addition, we canvassed the growing body of literature in the field and leveraged our own experience in the sector.

Throughout the paper, and in a dedicated section at the end, we identify a number of prime areas that represent opportunities for the sector. While these are important opportunities, our list is not exhaustive. Indeed, this sector is still quite young – opportunity abounds for those interested in supporting SGBs in the challenging context of developing world markets."

"The literature review provided in this document attempts to provide an overview of what we know about the impact of growth entrepreneurship, why and how high growth firms emerge, and the policy instruments that enable new ventures to emerge and grow. This literature review constitutes a background paper to be used as an input to formulate research questions and the research design for the upcoming study on growth entrepreneurship."