Digital Entrepreneurship and Disruptive Innovation in the Greek Maritime Industry: the Case of Harbor Lab

Abstract

The global shipping industry has been rocked by a wave of disruptive innovation driven by a thriving ecosystem of digital technology start-ups that have emerged in the last few years and set up offices in Greece. After the appearance of COVID-19, entrepreneurial leadership has grown in importance for guiding commercial shipping through times of exceptional circumstances. The problem is that there is a lack of understanding of the experiences of Greek digital entrepreneurs launching their tech start-ups within the maritime sector – from the initial vision to a real-world innovative business disruptor. We aim to answer the questions of who the Greek digital entrepreneur in the maritime sector is and how their entrepreneurial actions contribute to a growing knowledge base of digital entrepreneurship for future theoretical research and professional practice. This single-subject, archival case study demonstrates the social and commercial value of the “who” and “how” of digital entrepreneurship in the maritime sector through the case of Harbor Lab, an Athens-based start-up that disrupted the maritime industry through innovative use of emerging technologies to calculate disbursements (port expenses) and through the establishment of a horizontal, empathetic, open workplace culture. The outcomes of this study contributed a fresh perspective of scholarly knowledge on digital entrepreneurship for future theoretical research and professional practice.

Citation

Halkias, D., Esposito, M., Harkiolakis, T., Diaz, J. and Ikpogu, N.M. (2023), "Digital Entrepreneurship and Disruptive Innovation in the Greek Maritime Industry: the Case of Harbor Lab", Ramadani, V., Kjosev, S. and Sergi, B.S. (Ed.) Entrepreneurship Development in the Balkans: Perspective from Diverse Contexts (Lab for Entrepreneurship and Development), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 131-150. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83753-454-820231008