The Business Model Canvas in Entrepreneurial Communication: A Genre-Based Integrative Review

The Business Model Canvas (BMC) is a vital genre in entrepreneurship, serving as a heuristic tool for developing, refining, and communicating business models. Widely used in educational programs, business accelerators, and entrepreneurial ventures globally, the BMC helps entrepreneurs visualize key business components and adapt them to real-world conditions. This paper investigates the BMC's role in entrepreneurial professional communication through the lens of genre theory, identifying three primary functions: inducting new entrepreneurs into a community of practice, mediating internal startup activity, and serving as a boundary object for external communication with stakeholders. By applying Writing, Activity, and Genre Research (WAGR) concepts, we demonstrate how the BMC fosters entrepreneurial thinking, guides decision-making, and facilitates collaboration within startups and across stakeholder networks. We conclude by suggesting areas for future research, including examining how startups adapt their use of the BMC over time and how its generic functions support entrepreneurial growth and success.