PurposeTo enhance an entrepreneur's business network through the integration of the social network concepts and design principles of virtual communities.Design/methodology/approachThis study documents the design and initial deployment of a virtual community case, Innovation Information Infrastructure, based on social network concepts.FindingsBasic design principles, deployment strategy, and future directions for social network‐based virtual communities are presented.Research limitations/implicationsBecause of resource and time constraints, only basic content service, communication tools, and transaction functions were implemented in the initial deployment. Future extensions of this study may include development of a personalized and intelligent information retrieval system utilizing data mining techniques, development of advanced communication features to promote active participation, and creation of automatic social network‐tracking tools to monitor an individual's network evolution.Practical implicationsSample designs are provided for researchers who are interested in conducting a similar study.Originality/valueThis study serves as a starting‐point for how theories from social network and virtual community research streams can be applied in creating a virtual community that facilitates transformation of knowledge into products and services, which in turn lead to greater economic prosperity.