Creation of ICT-Based Social Start-Ups in Iran: A Multiple Case Study

Despite the importance of social startups, their evolution is rarely investigated. Thus, in this manuscript, the emergence of ICT-based social start-ups is studied using a multiple case study research method. To do so, five social start-ups are selected using a combination of purposive and convenience sampling and studied in detail, based on Lanteri’s (2015) model regarding creation of social enterprises. Eight cofounders are interviewed and data triangulation is employed by collecting data from both primary and secondary sources. Also, replication logic is considered to be able to generalize the findings. Moreover, in order to better understand the phenomenon, the history of social entrepreneurship and its evolutionary trend in Iran is elaborated. The findings show that the evolutionary trend of social entrepreneurship in Iran could be classified into three stages, i.e. ancient Persia, entrance of Islam, and emergence of entrepreneurship as a field. Finally, the findings are categorized in four categories: (i) process, (ii) social entrepreneur/founder, (iii) activities, and (iv) organization.