ABSTRACT The entrepreneur has played an important role in the economic development of countries. However since its origin in the XVI century the term entrepreneur had different definitions. The objective of this paper is to identify contributions for the formation and the modification in this term throughout three technological paradigms: industrial revolution, mass production and technology of information. The central argument of this paper is that "entrepreneur" refers to a term dynamic and multifaceted, influenced by technological and social revolutions. These paradigms lead to four types of entrepreneurs: individual, intra-entrepreneur, collective and social entrepreneur. Each entrepreneur has different characteristics and motivation, but the main objective is the same: to start a new enterprise. The implications of these different characteristics should be investigated in new studies.
Entrepreneur; Technological paradigms; Intra-entrepreneur; Collective entrepreneur; Social entrepreneur
