Purpose – The hacker culture is a contemporary subculture representing a technology-based extension of the DIY/DIT (do it yourself/do it together) culture. Corresponding DIY-projects are typically motivated by fun and self-fulfilment and not primarily by external stimuli. Nevertheless many new companies have emerged as a result of the hacker culture based on new products. In fact this subculture stresses unique and innovative applications of technologies, and encourages invention and prototyping. However, there seems to be a lack of knowledge on the relationship between hacker culture, entrepreneurship, and business innovation. The purpose of the present study is to address this gap and to develop insights into the hacker culture and its intersections with entrepreneurship and business innovation. Design/methodology/approach – To explore the research question, a multiple case study approach is used, which is especially useful in exploring the complexities of the entrepreneurial process. Data from five hacker projects was collected through a combination of structured interviews and secondary data. For the study a qualitative content analysis is appropriate as a method for analyzing the in-depth interviews. Originality/value – Compared to entrepreneurs in general, hackers show very particular motivation. Driving force behind the projects seems to be the wish to create something new, which has not existed before, which provides better solutions or at least outperforms existing products. Furthermore hackers typically understand a start-up process as a sequence of creative learning, just like technical problem solving. Trial and error is seen as precondition for improvement and therefore error tolerance seems to be fundamental. Practical implications – Hackers, makers, tinkerers, engineers, artists, and other creative people who pursue own ideas with the intention to build their own business can unquestionably be categorized as entrepreneurs – even if they occasionally do not like terms such as businessman/businesswoman and rather prefer denominations such as bricoleurs or hackers. After all, it is not the question whether to be a hacker or to be an entrepreneur but instead the question is if to be a hacker and an entrepreneur. The study shows examples of so called `maker entrepreneurs´, which means persons or teams which feel related to the hacker community in terms of sharing ideas and sharing knowledge, but also feel the passion to generate new ideas, to solve problems in a new way, and to bring their ideas to the market.