Knowledge Management and Entrepreneurship: A Contradictory Recipe

Most literature on knowledge management (KM) focuses on large firms-the domain in which KM was originally developed-and most KM literature on entrepreneurship focuses on entrepreneurial activities in post-revenue firms. The domain of the startup, however, is traditionally very different from these, characterized by a lack of tangible assets and validated value proposition. The authors review the literature on KM and entrepreneurship with a particular focus on young micro-enterprises that have yet to cross the "valley of death" stage of maturation. Using the Dynamic Knowledge Creation Process as a guide, they elaborate on the challenges facing the implementation of KM in startups, and on the subsequent opportunities for startup growth. Finally, the authors reflect upon research questions that may engage future researchers in proposing strategies that better integrate KM as a discipline into the fabric of entrepreneurship and the startup domain.