Entrepreneurship support organizations help startups survive and grow by compensating for market failure (e.g. inefficiencies in resource allocation), fostering strong business practices, and creating a fruitful environment for business exchange. These organizations arguably play a central role in innovation and business development and many of these initiatives are typically publicly, rather than privately funded. Typical representations of entrepreneurship support organizations are incubators, accelerators, technological transfer offices, and science parks. Recently, a new type of actor has emerged in the entrepreneurial ecosystem called venture builders. Venture builders are privately funded and repeatedly engage in new firm creation and support in collaboration with individual entrepreneurs. Research on the phenomenon of venture builders is still limited. This thesis therefore aims to add to our understanding of venture builders, and how venture builders may extend our understanding of entrepreneurship support organizations. Venture builders primarily work with startups - small and scalable businesses with high growth potential, often within the technology sector. In recent years they have gained significant interest among practitioners. Successful unicorns such as Zalando, Moderna, Snowflake, and Hello Fresh, have emerged from venture builders’ activities and engagement. This research aims to enhance our understanding of venture builders and their role as entrepreneurship support organizations. Theoretically, this research contributes to the entrepreneurship support literature by shedding light on venture builders as for-profit actors having a strategic intent to engage in new venture creation. This is done by following structured methodologies, controlling and committing resources, as well as orchestrating internal and external networks, aiming at fostering successful entrepreneurship. This thesis argues that venture builders may be referred to as a distinct type of entrepreneurship support organization.

This thesis aims to add to our knowledge about venture builders and how they may help extend the understanding of entrepreneurship support organizations. Venture builders are a novel type of for-profit organization that create, develop, and support new ventures. Although scantly researched, venture builders have garnered increasing interest from practitioners and scholars in recent years. They initiate and organize new ventures using structured methodologies, controlling and committing resources, and orchestrating networks to rapidly foster successful businesses. Additionally, this thesis includes four appended papers that shed light on different aspects of venture builders. Theoretically, this thesis contributes to the entrepreneurship support literature by examining venture builders as for-profit actors with a strategic intent to engage in new venture creation. Unlike traditional entrepreneurial support organizations, venture builders act with urgency, use resources effectively, and leverage their business networks to maximize return on investment. Thus, they represent what this thesis refers to as a distinct type of entrepreneurship support organization.