The Growth Iron Triangle of Entrepreneurship: A Mid-Range Theory of Entrepreneurial Growth

This theory paper proposes the Growth Iron Triangle of Entrepreneurship (GITE) theory, a mid-range theory that frames entrepreneurial growth as a market-driven process achieved through the triangulation of human capital, financial capital, and institutional support. The uneven distribution of entrepreneurial growth remains insufficiently theorized, as existing theories address market gaps, human capital, financial access, and institutional support largely as isolated growth mechanisms. According to GITE, these enabling forces engage in a dynamic interaction process that transforms market gaps into sustained value creation and market expansion. Entrepreneurial growth is explained by five propositions that describe mechanisms driving venture development and that specify the boundary conditions defining its scope and assumptions. GITE contributes to entrepreneurship research by offering a framework that informs entrepreneurs, policymakers, and development organizations on how to integrate theoretical viewpoints to facilitate entrepreneurial growth. This paper introduces the GITE theory for entrepreneurial growth.