Driving technology innovation through social entrepreneurship at Prezi

Abstract

Purpose

There has been a profound neglect in most of the literature dealing with social entrepreneurship on the relationship between social entrepreneurship and technological innovation. The purpose of this paper is to provide new insights into that relationship by using the case of Prezi, a Budapest, Hungary-based mission-driven software company.

Design/methodology/approach

The research approach used for this paper is qualitative in nature and uses the case study methodology. Evidence was based on interpretative/qualitative interviews and direct observations.

Findings

Using the example of Prezi, the authors show that social entrepreneurial activities and projects could act as an important innovation source for technology-based industries.

Originality/value

The authors use the case of Prezi and describe several of Prezi’s socially driven projects and show how they influence those involved with the company to continuously innovate and solve problems that have positive impact in the community as well as their core product offering.

Citation

Mulloth, B., Kickul, J.R. and Gundry , L.K. (2016), "Driving technology innovation through social entrepreneurship at Prezi", Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, Vol. 23 No. 3, pp. 753-767. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSBED-08-2015-0111