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This study aims to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on knowledge-sharing drivers in small- and medium-sized family firms within the restaurant and fast-food industry. The pandemic has led to significant changes in business culture and consumer behaviour, accelerating digital transformation, disruptions in global supply chains and emerging new business opportunities. These changes have also influenced knowledge sharing (KS) and its underlying drivers.

To address the research objectives, a two-phase study was conducted. In the first phase, an exploratory analysis using the Delphi method was used to identify the essential drivers and factors of KS in family businesses (FBs). This phase aimed to establish a conceptual model for the study. In the second phase, confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to analyse the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the identified knowledge-sharing drivers. The study examined both the pre-pandemic and post-pandemic periods to capture the shifts in attitudes towards KS.

The findings indicate a significant shift in attitudes towards knowledge-sharing drivers. Before the pandemic, organisational drivers played a central role in KS. However, after the emergence of the pandemic, technological drivers became more prominent. This shift highlights the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on KS within FB.

The research contributes to understanding knowledge-sharing in the context of FBs and sheds light on the specific effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on knowledge-sharing drivers. The insights gained from this study can inform strategies and practices aimed at enhancing KS in similar organisational settings.

This paper aims to (1) unveil how artificial intelligence (AI) can be implemented in growth-hacking strategies; and (2) identify the challenges and enabling factors associated with AI’s implementation in these strategies.

The empirical study is based on two distinct groups of analysis units. Firstly, it involves 11 companies (identified as F1 to F11 in Table 1) that employ growth-hacking principles and use AI to support their decision-making and operations. Secondly, interviews were conducted with four businesses and entrepreneurs providing consultancy services in growth and digital strategies. This approach allowed us to gain a broader view of the phenomenon. Data analysis was performed using the Gioia methodology.

The study firstly uncovers the principal benefits and applications of AI in growth hacking, such as enhanced data analysis and user behaviour insights, sales augmentation, traffic and revenue forecasting, campaign development and optimization, and customer service enhancement through chatbots. Secondly, it reveals the challenges and catalysts in AI-driven growth hacking, highlighting the crucial roles of experimentation, creativity and data collection.

This research represents the inaugural scientific investigation into AI’s role in growth-hacking strategies. It uncovers both the challenges and facilitators of AI implementation in this domain. Practically, it offers detailed insights into the operationalization of AI across various phases and aspects of growth hacking, including product-market fit, user acquisition, virality and retention.

Crowdfunding, an alternative funding source to support entrepreneurial initiatives, has increasingly attracted the attention of scholars. However, knowledge of the drivers and outcomes of crowdfunding is currently scant. This study thus presents a review of the extant literature on new ventures soliciting crowdfunding.

The authors conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) of peer-reviewed articles, identifying and thematically analyzing 58 publications.

The thematic analysis revealed six main themes: a) founders and crowdfunding, b) signaling and crowdfunding, c) digitalization and crowdfunding, d) outcomes, e) geography and crowdfunding and f) success factors. In addition, crucial research gaps are identified to guide future research.

Beyond classifying the material on the basis of the thematic analysis and identifying potential future research avenues, the study has main implications. The authors detailed how crowdfunding, as a source of entrepreneurial funding, differed from other funding sources and explored entrepreneurial challenges that may be encountered in managing crowdfunding campaigns. The findings may thus help in the design of crowdfunding campaigns and serve educators in various disciplines when teaching and training participants on designing and promoting crowdfunding campaigns.

After identifying and integrating results from relevant articles on crowdfunding, the authors explained dominant themes in the literature and proposed a conceptual framework wherein the authors highlight factors that influence crowdfunding outcomes. The authors highlight the increasing relevance of crowdfunding for new ventures and elucidate avenues for future research.