Entrepreneurship and Innovation: Economic and Social Science Perspectives

Harvard FAS

Entrepreneurship is increasingly recognized as a major driver of innovation and economic growth. At the beginning of 2026, for instance, nine of the eleven companies worldwide worth more than a trillion dollars were less than half a century old, with venture capital financing playing a key role in the growth of each. Venture-backed firms have introduced many of the most important new technologies into the market, from social media to vaccines to artificial intelligence, with profound effects…