Sustainable entrepreneurial ventures and the bottom of the pyramid: Creating sustainable values and opportunities

Abstract

There is a need for further research on the value creation from both business and bottom of the pyramid perspectives. In our study, attention was given to this gap and it can be argued that partnerships between sustainable entrepreneurship ventures (SEVs) and bottom of the pyramid (BoP) communities are a relevant approach to creating sustainable value in BoP ecosystems. Accordingly, we propose to find answers to our main research question: How do partnerships between sustainable entrepreneurship ventures (SEVs) and the bottom of the pyramid (BoP) communities create sustainable values and generate benefits and opportunities for BoP? The methodology comprised three case studies of SEV-BoP partnerships in Brazil. Results indicated that SEV-BoP partnerships have the potential to deliver economic, social, and environmental values that enable progress in both businesses and low-income communities. Benefits and opportunities for BoP communities included income generation, professionalization, and business experience, which pushed the BoP communities to develop their enterprises and start new businesses independently. These results show that SEV-BoP partnerships represent an alternative approach to creating sustainable value in the BoP ecosystem, including multidirectional benefits.

Keywords

• sustainable entrepreneurial ventures
• bottom of the pyramid
• sustainable values
• entrepreneurial opportunities