Digital social entrepreneurs as bridges in public-private partnerships

Developing innovative projects towards the achievement of the socio-economic impact of a technology is a challenge for the researchers, industry, and policymakers. This research develops a new model to identify the key roles in the innovation process by analysing ten projects developed and managed by public-private partnerships. This research describes the role of people (i.e. innovation managers, lead-users, embedded lead-users, social entrepreneurs, technology-reflective individuals and online community leaders) in the social innovation process. The social entrepreneur is the key role acting as a bridge between innovation managers and technology-reflective individuals. Furthermore, reflective people such as young couples with kids, elderly or Millennials are fundamental for the impact creation.