TY - JOUR
T1 - “One tiny drop changes everything”: Constructing opportunity with words
AU - Liuberte, Irina
AU - Dimov, Dimo
N1 - Funding Information:
Context. Theranos was founded by Elizabeth Holmes in 2003 and ceased operation in 2018. Elizabeth Holmes invented micro-needles and associated devices and processes that would allow blood tests and constant health monitoring to become more accessible to a broader population; the invention promised to disrupt the field of medical diagnostics. She became infamous for her vision, receiving significant attention and recognition by the business community, media, and investors, and even became Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship. On top of raising significant amounts of venture capital funding, Theranos assembled a stellar board of directors that included Silicon Valley heroes (Larry Ellison of Oracle) and two former Secretaries of State (Henry Kissinger and George Schulz).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier Inc.
PY - 2021/6/30
Y1 - 2021/6/30
N2 - This paper uses the theory of speech acts to explore how entrepreneurs use language to construct the opportunities they set out to pursue. We use the case of Theranos (a journey from inspiring vision to criminal infamy) as a natural setting that draws a sharp contrast between words as the content of speech (“opportunity”) and world as its object (opportunity). Our analysis of communication from the early days of the company highlights locutionary content (framing, filling, connecting, and committing), illocutionary force (statements, claims, feelings, attitudes, vows, pledges), and perlocutionary effects (agitate, inspire, envisage, mobilize, and reassure) as distinct aspects of opportunity construction.
AB - This paper uses the theory of speech acts to explore how entrepreneurs use language to construct the opportunities they set out to pursue. We use the case of Theranos (a journey from inspiring vision to criminal infamy) as a natural setting that draws a sharp contrast between words as the content of speech (“opportunity”) and world as its object (opportunity). Our analysis of communication from the early days of the company highlights locutionary content (framing, filling, connecting, and committing), illocutionary force (statements, claims, feelings, attitudes, vows, pledges), and perlocutionary effects (agitate, inspire, envisage, mobilize, and reassure) as distinct aspects of opportunity construction.
KW - Entrepreneurial communication
KW - Entrepreneurial journey
KW - Language
KW - Opportunity
KW - Opportunity construction
KW - Speech acts
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85104050656&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jbvi.2021.e00242
DO - 10.1016/j.jbvi.2021.e00242
M3 - Article
SN - 2352-6734
VL - 15
JO - Journal of Business Venturing Insights
JF - Journal of Business Venturing Insights
M1 - e00242
ER -
