Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/336869 
Year of Publication: 
2025
Citation: 
[Journal:] Small Business Economics [ISSN:] 1573-0913 [Volume:] 66 [Issue:] 1 [Publisher:] Springer US [Place:] New York, NY [Year:] 2025 [Pages:] 195-214
Publisher: 
Springer US, New York, NY
Abstract: 
Impact-driven startups face major challenges in measuring and reporting their social and environmental impacts. In a related manner, impact investors face challenges when attempting to assess the impact of startups. This is primarily due to a lack of comparability and transparency. Despite the proliferation of tools and frameworks, a misfit persists between the capabilities of startups and the expectations of investors. Resource constraints have a significant impact on the capacity of startups to engage in complex impact measurement. Current impact assessment tools are often ill-suited to the needs of startups, as they require extensive data that smaller companies may not have readily available. The present study proposes a design science research approach to derive design knowledge for the impact assessment of startups and subsequently develop a new tool tailored to the needs of startups. The purpose of this tool is to enable startups to measure and report their potential impact efficiently. The objective is to enhance transparency, comparability, and legitimacy, thereby helping startups attract investment while aligning their business activities with their social and environmental missions.
Subjects: 
Impact measurement
Sustainable entrepreneurship
Design science
Investor assessment
JEL: 
L26
L31
Q56
E22
G11
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Creative Commons License: 
cc-by Logo
Document Type: 
Article
Document Version: 
Published Version

Files in This Item:
File
Size





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.