From Creativity to New Venture Creation: Exploring the potentials of training creativity and business-opportunity spotting

This paper explores the processes of creating new companies with original and useful business models from a conceptual perspective. Based on data from large-scale creativity training programs and business model development studies in Denmark encompassing over 100 companies and 200 entrepreneurs, the key proposition of the paper is that entrepreneurs can enhance their development processes through training their competences in creativity and opportunity spotting. The paper presents the key training methods identified in this study including an embodied creativity training program for daily creativity training, as well as a software-based framework for identifying useful business model configurations. The notion and potential effect of each program as separate tools is discussed, followed by a more in-depth discussion of the interrelationships between creative processes, opportunity spotting and the choice of business model configurations. The implications of the paper are discussed in terms of a research program under establishment as well as a combined teaching module aimed at new venture creation students within higher-education, high schools and primary school levels.