To What Extent Do Hybrid Start-ups Strive for Different Impact? Insights from Explorative Case Studies

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to advance the sustainable entrepreneurship research context by establishing an in-depth understanding of the aspired successes and related sustainability results of hybrid and non-hybrid start-ups against the background of a multi-level perspective. The insights are generated through an explorative multiple-case-study approach including twelve German start-up companies both hybrid start-ups and non-hybrid start-ups. There is limited research that conceptualizes aspired successes applying a multi-level view to the firm level of start-ups. This article provides comprehensive insights into different success and result categories of sustainable entrepreneurship and provides both future research as well as practitioners with a clear directive of how to navigate in the hybrid start-up context. Finally, the discussed differences and similarities between hybrid start-ups and non-hybrid start-ups draw a clearer though differentiated line between these two archetypes of start-ups.