From ambition to evidence
A practical tool for startup impact assessment
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 14868353 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Christin Eckerle (0000-0001-8488-9772, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, corresponding author), Orestis Terzidis (0000-0001-7865-7190, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 66 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 195-214 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Small Business Economics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0921-898X • E-ISSN: 1573-0913 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s11187-025-01101-7 |
| OpenAlex | W4412933167 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 60 |
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
Business · Entrepreneurship · Community Development and Social Impact · Innovation and Socioeconomic Development · Open Source Software Innovations · Finance
What Impact? A Framework for Measuring the Scale and Scope of Social Performance
Qualitative Content Analysis
Snowball Sampling
Who Loses in Win-Win Investing? A Mixed Methods Study of Impact Risk
Defining and Conceptualizing Impact Investing
Can Sustainable Investing Save the World? Reviewing the Mechanisms of Investor Impact
Social, Environmental and Sustainable Entrepreneurship Research
A Survey of Models and Algorithms for Social Influence Analysis
A Comprehensive Framework for Evaluation in Design Science Research
Focus Groups as Qualitative Research
Nascent ventures’ green initiatives and angel investor judgments of legitimacy and funding
Of Principle and Principal
Developing Design Propositions through Research Synthesis
| Highly cited | No |
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