A Conceptual Framework for Describing the Phenomenon of Hackathons for Entrepreneurial Behavior

As hackathons bring together participants of diverse backgrounds and skills to solve specific problems, they create a tension between the hackathon intention to create new ventures for innovation problems and the empowerment of the participants to engage in entrepreneurial action. While previous research focuses predominantly on aspects of hackathons that are related to their organization and outcomes, our study takes a fresh perspective by highlighting whether and how hackathons contribute to fostering entrepreneurial behavior at the individual level. Drawing on social cognitive theory, I construct a theoretical framework to show how hackathon characteristics (time pressure, competition-collaboration duality, lack of structure and guidance) influence entrepreneurial self-efficacy via mastery experiences, vicarious learning, social persuasion, and physiological states. Our work suggests that hackathons may not boost participants’ confidence in their entrepreneurial abilities (entrepreneurial self-efficacy) and their likelihood of developing a new venture. The findings can inform the design of hackathons and offer insights into mechanisms that promote entrepreneurial self-efficacy and entrepreneurial behavior after a hackathon.