intrapreneur

American  

[in-truh-pruh-nur, -noor, -nyoor] / ˌɪn trə prəˈnɜr, -ˈnʊər, -ˈnyʊər /

noun

1. an employee of a large corporation who is given freedom and financial support to create new products, services, systems, etc., and does not have to follow the corporation's usual routines or protocols.

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intrapreneur British  

/ ˌɪntrəprəˈnɜː /

noun

1. a person who while remaining within a larger organization uses entrepreneurial skills to develop a new product or line of business as a subsidiary of the organization

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Usage

What does intrapreneur mean? An intrapreneur is an employee of a company who works to create new business opportunities or products for the company in the style of an entrepreneur (which is someone who starts their own business from scratch). Intrapreneur is based on entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs start their own ventures and work for themselves, often by developing a new product or service. Intrapreneurs are encouraged by their employer to work in much the same way as an entrepreneur would, just within and as part of the company. Example: As an intrapreneur, I get to use some of the same skills as an entrepreneur but without all the risk.

Other Word Forms

• intrapreneurship
  noun

Etymology

Origin of intrapreneur

First recorded in 1975–80; intra- + (entre)preneur

Explanation

An intrapreneur is an employee who develops new ideas, projects, or products from within their company to help the business grow. Intrapreneur was coined in the business world in the late 1970s, a blend of intra-, meaning "inside" or "within," and the last part of the word entrepreneur. Whereas an entrepreneur develops a product or service to start their own business, an intrapreneur works from inside or within somebody else’s business, trying to expand it by adding to the company’s existing line of products and services. This lets the person research and try out ideas without having to invest their own money or absorb any risk.