How does passion evolve across venture development phases? An exploratory multiple case study in the videogame industry

Passion is one of the most debated concepts in entrepreneurship literature. Nevertheless, lack of evidence is still present with respect to two specific issues: (i) the level at which passion may be analysed and (ii) how passion evolves over time. The paper addresses these issues via a multiple case study analysis. The paper shows that passion may be seen at three different levels, namely entrepreneurial, organizational and contextual levels, and it evolves across three different venture development phases, namely pre-startup, startup and growth phases. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.