Achieving the hybrid middle ground in modern social entrepreneurship: A conceptual discussion with NYC-based clean technology enterprises as cases in point

The focus of this paper is primarily conceptual. It offers an intellectual and managerial architecture for dealing with social entrepreneurship. The paper argues that traditional views of both entrepreneurship and corporate social responsibility are inadequate as guides for researchers or practitioners involved with social entrepreneurship. The emerging arena of social entrepreneurship is becoming too complex and too dynamic. Instead, succeeding in social entrepreneurship now requires what is termed a “hybrid middle ground” comprising of business/commercial techniques and not-for-profit managerial approaches and a blend of business and social goals. Achieving a “triple bottom line”-incorporating economic, social and environmental metrics-is facilitated by reaching the middle zone as quickly as possible. This conceptual discussion on social entrepreneurship and the utility of the hybrid middle ground is illustrated with a set of two de novo and eight incubator-based startups in the NYC cleantech sector.