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Business incubators vs start-ups: a sustainable way of sharing knowledge

Paola Paoloni (Department of Law and Economics of Production Activities, University of Rome La Sapienza, Rome, Italy)
Giuseppe Modaffari (Department of Law and Economics of Production Activities, University of Rome La Sapienza, Rome, Italy)

Journal of Knowledge Management

ISSN: 1367-3270

Article publication date: 9 August 2021

Issue publication date: 28 April 2022

1117

Abstract

Purpose

In recent years the role of business incubators (BIs) within the small-medium enterprise (SME) dimension has grown fast, supporting SMEs, especially during the early stage. For these reasons, this paper aims to investigate how BI supports entrepreneurs in the early stage and what specific instruments are used? What kinds of relations do start-ups use (RQ2)? Finally, the authors intend to explore the long-term influence of these relationships on the economic value of the start-ups (RQ3)?

Design/methodology/approach

The present paper is supported by a qualitative methodology of a single case study. To reach the declared goal in terms of relationship observation, the paper applies the CAOS model (Paoloni, 2021), an interpretative model useful for analysing the relational capital within the SME dimension.

Findings

This first explanatory research confirms the crucial role of the BI in the firm’s development process. Especially in the early stage, the knowledge transfer from the BI allows the start-up to overcome its main difficulties: the organizational aspect and finance capacity.

Research limitations/implications

The limitation concerns the number of start-ups observed. Future lines of research will be focused on the study of other firms to acquire more data on the topic of BI programmes and start-ups.

Practical implications

The managerial implication refers to advancing knowledge and practice in the area of knowledge sharing actuated by BIs. The present work underlines the importance of relational capital as an intangible asset in the development of the younger company.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to two different fields: knowledge sharing by relational capital and gender studies.

Keywords

Citation

Paoloni, P. and Modaffari, G. (2022), "Business incubators vs start-ups: a sustainable way of sharing knowledge", Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. 26 No. 5, pp. 1235-1261. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-12-2020-0923

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited

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