Social entrepreneurs in service: motivations and types

Purpose This study aims to describe social entrepreneurs' motivation during the entrepreneurship process and identify different entrepreneurs in terms of their characteristics. Design/methodology/approach The descriptive research design uses a directed qualitative interpretative approach based on 17 cases active healthcare innovation hubs. Findings describes service context. Based key motivational characteristics, identifies three types entrepreneur: discoverers, seekers, rangers. finds that not all regulate high levels process. Research limitations/implications Depending type entrepreneur, requires forms support. In practice, traditional R&D deployed by hubs is suitable for rangers; discoverers seekers commonly low when developing introducing innovations market. Originality/value Most focuses outcome; contrast, this empirical individual entrepreneurs, While previous has treated as an antecedent engagement mission entrepreneurship, present investigates entrepreneurs’ relation process, providing insights behavior entrepreneurs.