The Genesis and Metamorphosis of Imprints: How Business Model Innovation Evolves in Young Firms

In this research, we ask whether founders imprint business model innovation and what mechanisms they use to do so. Grounded in an in- depth longitudinal multiple-case study of six new ventures, we develop a theoretical framework that explains how founders shape the degree of business model innovation of their firms. Our findings suggest that, besides their direct impact on structural business model imprints, founders also shape cognitive...