Disease Epidemics and Entrepreneurial Tipping Points: Models of Venture Viability from Customer and Financier Perspectives

Whereas discovery is fundamental to entrepreneurship, there is low understanding of how and why some discovered opportunities spread through market systems. We draw from epidemiological theories of how contagious viruses spread through human populations and propose adaptations of epidemic principles to describe venture spread patterns. We profile venture ideas via epidemiological dimensions (contact rate, market size, adoption rate, useful life). Next, we cross-reference those dimensions to entrepreneurial and financier orientation dimensions. Implications are relevant to the strategic decisions of entrepreneurs and investment decisions of financiers.