Senior Entrepreneurs as Untapped Potential

Referred to as ‘senior’, ‘third-age’, ‘older’, ‘young-old’, ‘encore’, ‘silver’, ‘mature-aged’ and ‘late-career’ entrepreneurs, in the last decade, scholarly interest has snowballed in this burgeoning segment of individuals aged 50 or above who are engaging in entrepreneurial activity. The rising attention given to the senior entrepreneurship phenomena is somewhat predicated on the imperative need to address the challenges of aging populations and an emphasis on active aging. As the fastest growing sector of entrepreneurship, senior entrepreneurs are prone to the highest success rates in high-growth entrepreneurship. This chapter provides theoretical and pragmatic approaches to illustrate areas of opportunity for this growing sector of entrepreneurship, together with a spotlight on contemporary issues such as female senior entrepreneurs, education and training support, and policy and government support. As human, financial and social capital accumulates with age, so too does senior entrepreneurship identify as untapped potential for economic and social sustainability.