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Sustainable Business Models in an Entrepreneurial Environment

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Sustainable Business Models

Abstract

Godelnik and van der Meer offer a crucial bridge between the practice of lean startup and the theories of sustainable business models (SBMs). Reviewing the remarkable progress in research regarding SBM, the authors reveal a critical gap. While lean startup tools and practices provide a clear working framework for entrepreneurs, SBM provides a vague roadmap for founders who seek to consider sustainability challenges while going through the process of venture formation. Godelnik and van der Meer present the Lean SBM framework, which proposes a new direction regarding how SBM should be considered in an entrepreneurial context. The chapter concludes with the framework applied to describe founders’ decisions in companies that reside within four emerging entrepreneurship movements: B corporations, the Zebra movement, Nordic entrepreneurs, and platform cooperatives.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Also known as Business Models for Sustainability (BMfS), or New Business Models (NBM).

  2. 2.

    For example, a new Master in Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Innovation (M.Sc.) was launched in 2018 by ESCP Europe Business School Berlin, and its objectives mention that is meant to cater both potential entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs interested to learn sustainable innovation skills (https://bit.ly/2DPqNaf).

  3. 3.

    Source: PwC/CB Insights MoneyTree™ Report Q4 2017 (https://pwc.to/2EKyqAW).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Parsons School of Design—The New School, New York, NY, USA

    Raz Godelnik & Jen van der Meer

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  1. Raz Godelnik
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  2. Jen van der Meer
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Correspondence to Raz Godelnik .

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  1. Aarhus University, Herning, Denmark

    Annabeth Aagaard

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Godelnik, R., van der Meer, J. (2019). Sustainable Business Models in an Entrepreneurial Environment. In: Aagaard, A. (eds) Sustainable Business Models. Palgrave Studies in Sustainable Business In Association with Future Earth. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93275-0_9

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