Framing Ambivalence in Entrepreneurial Ventures: Navigating Present and Future Digital Utopia

This study explores the role of framing ambivalence in entrepreneurial ventures. Through a qualitative analysis of 30 nascent ventures, we examine how entrepreneurs use linguistic frames to prompt blockchain technology. Our analysis revealed five linguistic frames that entrepreneurs use to navigate present and future challenges with blockchain solutions. Central to this is techno-ambivalence, which allows entrepreneurs to balance optimism with reservation, addressing both the innovative potential and inherent challenges of their ventures. This flexibility enables entrepreneurs to simultaneously engage in backcasting from desirable digital utopias while foreshadowing future obstacles. Contrary to the existing views on the use of rhetoric devices to minimize resistance, our findings suggest that entrepreneurs frequently express ambivalence in their innovation strategies. By providing insights into how framing ambivalence shapes the perception and reception of new ventures, this study contributes to the literature on entrepreneurial framing and impacts the success of ventures tackling pressing societal challenges.