Abstract:

Business idea generation is a challenging process that involves creativity and innovation and constant interaction among the participants. This study deals with business idea generation, where international students from a Finnish higher educational institution created novel ideas in a diverse learning environment. We present a case of an entrepreneurial hackathon, where the students participated in the process of business idea generation and created numerous innovative, novel and sustainable business ideas. The ideas were presented to an audience and the judges evaluated the pitches. This study focuses on how the students’ perception of business idea generation changed during the hackathon. First, students’ individual perception of the business idea generation is investigated through a comparison between their initial choices of entrepreneurial skills and traits with their later choices during evaluation. Further, students’ evaluation of their own and peers’ ideas is compared with that of hackathon judges. This study follows a quantitative research methodology. For the purpose of data collection, two surveys were developed. Empirical data was collected at the beginning of the hackathon as well as during the final presentation session, at the end of the event. Our analysis shows that students’ active participation in the hackathon enhanced their understanding of the business idea generation. The results indicate that the students’ entrepreneurial thinking was enriched by providing creative learning environment such as an entrepreneurial hackathon. This study contributes in providing insights into the practice of hackathon as an effective method for entrepreneurial education.

Keywords:

Hackathon, entrepreneurial skills, innovation, business idea generation, higher education.