Paper short abstract:

Based on the analysis of biographical stories of directors of Russian hi-tech companies tha paper describes the emergence and maintaining identity of the hi-tech entrepreneurs. Several methodological apporaches are discussed, among them M. Weber, Br. Latour, S.Wayet and E.Simakova with C.Koenen.

Paper long abstract:

What makes an innovative SME ? Responses of different theorists and practitioners are over diverse. Marketing textbooks tell us that it is a team of people associated with one idea. M.Weber and his followers look at it wider and said that faith in God and the adoption of related standards of conduct generates the modern entrepreneur the type of economy. B.Latur talks about love and passion for technology as well as delegation of social action to material objects. S.Wayet and E.Simakova with C.Koenen talk about metaphor and the role of discourse in the emergence and promotion of researchers and new technical objects.

Pulling these perspectives on the biographical stories of directors of Russian hi-tech companies we realize that none of them is a sufficient explanation for the occurrence of such phenomenon as a hi-tech entrepreneur. But each of them captures the different stages of company emergence. That description of the ways of emergence and maintain identity of the hi-tech entrepreneurs and innovative companies through them biographical stories was the subject of our study in Russia.