Browsing by Author "Eichenauer, Moritz"
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- How do social business incubators facilitate entrepreneurial social capital exchange and influence organizational development?Publication . Eichenauer, Moritz; Vandor, PeterThis thesis examines how social business incubators (SBIs) facilitate the development of social capital among social entrepreneurs and whether this, in turn, influences the organizational development of their ventures. While SBIs aim to support early-stage social enterprises through mentoring, resources, and networks, the dynamics of social capital exchange, especially among peers, remain insufficiently understood. Drawing on social capital theory and eleven semi-structured interviews with participants of the Social Impact Award (SIA) program in Germany and Austria (2021–2023), this study finds that SBIs can provide valuable bridging social capital, such as connections to partners and support through mentors. At the same time, peer exchange within the cohort is perceived by founders as highly valuable for motivation to work, testing ideas, sharing best practices, and receiving emotional support, like a sense of belonging. These findings underscore the significance of the cohort itself as a crucial site for social capital formation. To fully enable this potential, SBIs must foster a collaborative environment built on trust and openness. Cohort composition and program design are central levers in facilitating such exchange. This thesis contributes to a more differentiated understanding of SBIs as both brokers of external resources and facilitators of peer learning, offering practical implications for how SBIs can better support the development of social ventures.