Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a deeper insight into the organizational factors and
personal motivations of intrapreneurs that may foster intrapreneurial behaviors of employees in a new
technology-based firm (NTBF).
Design/methodology/approach – The paper takes a qualitative approach to explore organizational
and individual antecedents of employees’ intrapreneurial behavior. A single case study was conducted
on the basis of semi-structured interviews with the founders and top managers of the firm and with
intrapreneurial employees.
Findings – Results show that intrapreneurial projects may arise in firms whose top managers support
corporate entrepreneurship (CE) in a non-active manner. Intrapreneurial behaviors of employees can emerge
despite the lack of time and limited resources available for undertaking projects. Moreover, work discretion
and mutual confidence and the quality of the relationship between employees and top managers are the most
valued factors for intrapreneurs.
Practical implications – Based on the intrapreneurial projects studied, this paper helps to contextualize
intrapreneurs’ perception of organizational support and the personal motivations for leading projects within
an NTBF.
Originality/value – Traditionally, the literature has mainly focused on the top-down implementation of
entrepreneurial projects within large firms. This paper contributes to the understanding of the combination of
firm- and individual-level factors that facilitate intrapreneurial behaviors of employees. It also illustrates the
contextual conditions and the firms’ orientation on CE within an NTBF