From Niche to Mainstream: Factors Shaping the Mainstreaming of Circular-Born Startups

Abstract

This study explores how circular-born startups move beyond niche markets to mainstream their business models without compromising their purpose. Using twelve cases from the Netherlands, this research identifies key enablers and barriers across three stages of development: early-stage, growth-stage and mature. Founders were deeply values-driven, with personal motivations shaping their design choices and outreach. Startups faced recurring challenges relating to funding, procurement systems and customer education. Yet they adapted through storytelling, transparency and partnerships. As they matured, their strategies shifted from awareness-building to operational scaling and, eventually, institutional influence. The analysis shows that these ventures do more than survive market pressures, they actively reshape them. Using institutional entrepreneurship as a lens, the study reveals how even resource-constrained startups contribute to broader cultural and structural change in the circular economy. By doing so, they help normalize new expectations around ownership, design and reuse, turning circularity into a lived and visible practice.