The paper explores the population of business model innovation processes of incumbent rms Thus, the paper identi es and describes different types of business model innovation processes and set out to characterize their relations We suggest that there are (at least) seven types of business model innovation processes: i) No process, (ii) “lazy approach”, (iii) tools approach, (iv) (unintentional) trial and error or “business model innovation happens”, (v) (intentional) experimental approach, (vi) trigger-oriented approach, and (vii) planned (sequential) approach By depicting business model innovation processes as involving (a) cognitive operations, (b) eld activities, and (c) creation of artefacts, the seven identi ed types of business model innovation processes are characterized and related Type (i) and (ii) have rarely been dealt with in the literature, despite their commonality Type (iii) has recently become much used, sometimes being a managerial toy, sometimes as a crucial mechanisms or stage gate for business creation and is often a critical part of the other approaches The paper concludes by suggesting a typology of business model innovation processes, based on the identi cation of three dimensions: intentional vs unintentional, ad hoc vs systematic and event- vs process- oriented