Designing a Digital Entrepreneurship Model for Knowledge-Based Companies with Grounded Theory Approach

Considering the importance and development of digital entrepreneurship in modern times and the lack of a systematic study of it in Iran, it is essential to design a model for this phenomenon. There is no research on a digital entrepreneurship model in Iranian knowledge-based companies. This qualitative fundamental study used the Grounded Theory to design a digital entrepreneurship model. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 13 experts who were selected through purposive and theoretical saturation sampling methods through. Afterward, the data were analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding methods, where a total of 18 concepts were identified. The concepts of knowledge and experience, entrepreneurial mentality, personality traits, organizational agility, and team atmosphere and culture were classified as causal conditions; cultural, economic, technological, and legal factors were classified as underlying conditions yielding economic and social values as outcomes. The final digital entrepreneurship model consisted of a set of core categories, causal conditions, underlying conditions, intervening conditions, strategies, and outcomes. Special attention must be paid to all components of these conditions and factors to realize the ultimate goal of digital entrepreneurship.