Abstract
Balancing financial returns with social value remains a key challenge in Sustainable Business Model Innovation (SBMI), particularly when multiple stakeholders hold conflicting goals. This developmental paper addresses this gap by examining how companies navigate multidimensional tensions in health-focused prevention-led SBMI. We adopt a single-case study of a nutrition company launching functional butter category to mitigate cardiovascular disease risks. Through semi-structured interviews and archival documents we explore two iterations of SBMI to understand the multidimensional tensions at micro, mezo and macro levels. Preliminary findings suggest that intellectual property arrangements, selective partnering, and direct consumer feedback serve as important elements of tension-navigation mechanisms. As the study progresses, we will conduct in-depth thematic analysis and map tension-navigation mechanisms to develop an inductive theory for effectively managing VCC tensions in SBMI. Expected outcomes include a deeper theoretical understanding of systemic tensions and the mechanisms for navigating them within orchestrated stakeholder networks during SBMI.