How do social entrepreneurs compete? Entrepreneurial legitimacy in the Silicon Valley of humanitarian innovations

• Published in: Technovation Vol. 125; p. 102767
• Main Author: De Lima, Wenderson
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.07.2023
• ISSN: 0166-4972; 1879-2383
• DOI: 10.1016/j.technovation.2023.102767

Social entrepreneurship has attracted much attention from celebrities, scholars, policymakers, and wealthy foundations. Yet little is known about this form of entrepreneurship beyond what is said in mission statements, autobiographies, and heroic narratives of social entrepreneurs. This paper contributes to this literature by discussing a feature of social entrepreneurship largely neglected by researchers: competition. Drawing on an ethnographic analysis inspired by Bourdieu, I argue that social entrepreneurs may not only compete for funds but also for legitimacy derived from resources such as personal recognition and economic capital. •Social entrepreneurs compete for more than grants and prizes•Social entrepreneurs mobilize different forms of capital to compete for legitimacy•Competition among social entrepreneurs tend to become intensified as they concentrate their efforts in areas with higher prospects of symbolic and logistic rewards•Competition among social entrepreneurs can be unfair and even involve bribery and cash payments to clients