Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs are individuals who create business opportunities by starting companies or projects. When opportunities support their activity in the field of technology, they’re called start-ups. These require the entrepreneur to invest in innovation.

Who are entrepreneurs, and what do they do?

First, an entrepreneur is able to discover or identify business opportunities that others haven’t been able to see. They also have to make it into a work activity and, if successful, they can make it commercial. This last phase, the business’s ‘monetization,’ is key to making the activity viable for both technology start-ups and NGOs.

Who can be an entrepreneur?

There is no such thing as the ‘typical’ entrepreneur, but there are characteristics that help undertake this calling successfully. The first factor is to have an ecosystem of entrepreneurship, innovation, economic resources, or relevant contacts; without these, it is hard to take firm steps. This is why business angels, mentors, networking, and launching platforms exist.

From a personal point of view, it helps to have things like vision, being able to see beyond the present and anticipate the future; initiative, taking the extra step to build a value proposition based on an idea; and being decisive, tackling problems when they appear and even before they do.

Are there different types of entrepreneurs?

Digital entrepreneurs are the best known, given how many start-ups have innovated and found niches worldwide. However, there are also other ‘types of entrepreneurs,’ such as those who start humanitarian projects like NGOs or non-profits (social entrepreneurship). These two types aren’t actually incompatible.

Besides, every company has the possibility of finding internal talent that can improve conditions for their colleagues, new lines of business, or innovating from within. These are the so-called intrapreneurs, a sort of entrepreneurship that flourishes under certain work cultures that give organizations an enormous boost.