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Article
Publication date: 16 July 2021

Saeed Heshmati and Maysam Shafiee

This study was designed to detect the failures in Iranian accelerators. This paper attempts to identify these effects from the perspective of accelerator managers and founders of…

Abstract

Purpose

This study was designed to detect the failures in Iranian accelerators. This paper attempts to identify these effects from the perspective of accelerator managers and founders of startups. The main goals of this article are as follows: (1) What are the failures of Iran's acceleration programs from the perspective of accelerator managers? (2) What are the failures of Iran's acceleration programs from the perspective of startup teams? (3) What are some of failures of the acceleration programs that both groups agree on?

Design/methodology/approach

It has been attempted to conduct semi-structured interviews with managers of corporate accelerators on the one hand and startups accelerated in these accelerators on the other. The interviewees were selected using snowball method and consisted of 9 accelerator managers out of 7 accelerators and 15 startups based on 5 accelerators. The analysis of the information extracted from the interviews and coding of the failure identified in the accelerators was performed using the thematic analysis method. In order to assess the validity of this study, an entrepreneurial doctoral student was asked to codify the interviews individually to compare the extracted codes.

Findings

Finally, 34 problems have been identified that are divided into four main themes related to mentorship, acceleration program, acceleration structure and infrastructure and internal startup team problems. Overall, the greatest agreement among the failures identified as wrong orientation by untrained mentors, the lack of complementary in ability and skills of team members, the lack of knowledge of mentors, the lack of acceleration managers in entrepreneurship and the lack of a proper leader in startup teams.

Originality/value

This study aimed to investigate the failures of corporate accelerators in Iran as a developing country, which is the first survey in Iran. We have many researches about the pathology and identify failures of accelerators, but in corporate accelerators, little research has been done. The authors have a classification of failures in corporate accelerators by using thematic analysis. In this study, accelerators' managers and founders of startups were interviewed and 34 failures were identified.

Details

World Journal of Science, Technology and Sustainable Development, vol. 18 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-5945

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 November 2017

Martin Kupp, Moyra Marval and Peter Borchers

This paper aims to examine the experience of hub:raum, the accelerator program of Deutsche Telekom, to deduce potential success factors. In today’s fast-paced world, large…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the experience of hub:raum, the accelerator program of Deutsche Telekom, to deduce potential success factors. In today’s fast-paced world, large companies strive to keep up with the disruptive changes in their markets brought by innovative startups. In face of these challenges, the paradigm of open innovation encourages firms to use internal ideas and external sources of knowledge to advance their innovation output (Chesbrough, 2003). Yet, in practice, this is much easier said than done, particularly when large firms engage in partnerships with startups.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is based on interviews and academic collaboration with hub:raum.

Findings

From the five years of experience since the foundation of hub:raum, one of the first German corporate accelerators, the authors have seen five key success factors: transparent and aligned goals, an independent team of startup advocates, a large and committed external network, top-management backing, long-term objectives and performance indicators.

Research limitations/implications

This paper is based on the case study of hub:raum. There are several limitations to this approach. Hub:raum has a clear industry focus in the information and communications technology industry and also acting international has a strong German and European focus.

Practical implications

Based on the identified five success factors, executives working with or designing accelerator programs can significantly increase the chances of success of these kind of programs. Constantly working on the right alignment of these factors with the overall objective of the incubator program is the key task of the management.

Social implications

Designing and running corporate accelerator programs more successfully will also help to enable more startups to join forces with corporates, creating more jobs and developing successful product innovation.

Originality/value

The paper is based on working for five years closely with the hub:raum management, a series of interviews and longitudinal study of this specific accelerator program.

Details

Journal of Business Strategy, vol. 38 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0275-6668

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 May 2023

Alexander Kramer, Philipp Veit, Dominik K. Kanbach, Stephan Stubner and Thomas K. Maran

The purpose of this article is to develop an integrative framework of accelerator design to answer the question of what activities accelerators perform and how they function…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to develop an integrative framework of accelerator design to answer the question of what activities accelerators perform and how they function within a structured framework. Research on the functioning of accelerators as a mechanism for startup engagement produced multiple empirical results. However, the comparability of relevant research is strongly limited, currently hindering theoretical developments. Existing accelerator design models often differ and only partially overlap, which leaves extant literature with a fragmented and discordant conceptual understanding.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a meta-synthesis method using qualitative analysis of 36 accelerator design articles, an integrative framework is developed. After identification of relevant literature, a renowned method for extracting, coding and synthesizing data on individual and cross-study level is applied to identify accelerator design constructs. Eventually, identified accelerator design constructs are integrated into a framework resting on the activity system lens of business model design.

Findings

The article reconciles fragmented knowledge on accelerator design and shows how accelerator design can be holistically conceptualized by 32 key activities clustered in eight design dimensions. The framework is complemented by an initial guideline for measurement. The findings further highlight formerly disregarded aspects of governance and community formation from a processual and structural perspective.

Originality/value

This article is the first to present a comprehensive picture of accelerator design integrating multiple empirical findings of prior research into a single coherent framework. This framework offers a shared foundation for future research exploring the delineations, functioning and impact of accelerators. From a practical perspective, the article provides managers of accelerators a guide to design, review and improve programs according to their value creation goals.

Details

European Journal of Innovation Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1460-1060

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 January 2024

Sonika Jha, Anil Kumar Singh and Sriparna Basu

The purpose of this paper is to provide a systematic review of literature on corporate engagement with start-ups (CEWS) by identifying the modes, contexts, antecedents, barriers…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a systematic review of literature on corporate engagement with start-ups (CEWS) by identifying the modes, contexts, antecedents, barriers and outcomes. As an emerging field, CEWS presently has no such review available which will help in building consensus within the field and shape future research directions.

Design/methodology/approach

The study followed a two-phased systematic review of literature. Three research databases (i.e. Web of Science, ScienceDirect and SCOPUS) were accessed to gather and conduct the review. Of the total 379 papers retrieved, 63 total relevant papers were studied and analysed. The exhaustive review of literature helped to uncover the contexts, perspectives, antecedents, outcomes and barriers reported across the different modes of CEWS.

Findings

The study highlighted the five prominent modes of CEWS favoured by large corporations and start-ups. It found that the large corporations and start-ups associate with one another on the basis of complementarities of activities, resources and motives to pursue their strategic orientations. The engagements also face barriers on the ground, such as incompatibility of goals, power imbalances, cultural differences and weak engagement plans. Most important contexts seen were the high-technology industries in the developed economies like the USA and Europe. It also found that ecosystem creation, accessing innovation and corporate strategy have been preferred as the most productive modes of CEWS in the literature.

Practical implications

This review provides practitioners with a detailed list of the modes and drivers of CEWS. Subsequently, the barriers that need to be managed to successfully execute a specific mode of engagement. This shall enable the practitioners in developing and adopting the best practices while engaging with the start-ups to better facilitate the outcomes of CEWS.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, there is no systematic literature review available in the domain of CEWS – thus, this study makes an important methodological contribution to the field. By consolidating the fragmented yet growing knowledge on CEWS, the study presents a detailed understanding of what drives and obstructs the engagement between large corporations and start-ups.

Details

European Business Review, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0955-534X

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 16 August 2021

Alia Noor

Situated within a context where high-skilled migration is increasingly being featured in policy debates around the world as part of strategies to foster innovation, this chapter…

Abstract

Situated within a context where high-skilled migration is increasingly being featured in policy debates around the world as part of strategies to foster innovation, this chapter examines the ways highly skilled entrepreneurs in tech traverse their entrepreneurship and their subsequent migration via business accelerators. Business accelerators, which are not just promoted as pre-seed funds in financial circles, but also by migration policy as sponsors of migrant innovation, play an important role in the lives of young migrant ventures. However, based on interviews with entrepreneurs that used policy-endorsed accelerators in the United Kingdom, this chapter emphasises that both finance and migration policy considerations are just tiny specks in a larger picture. This chapter shows the boundary-fluid lives entrepreneurs in tech lead, and puts forth that it is the symbolic capital that they amass through their active use of accelerators, that they then convert to economic value. Consequently, it is argued that discussions around social integration of migrants into ‘mainstream’ society need to be viewed with a new lens, as the symbolic capital thus accrued, is at a truly transnational level.

Article
Publication date: 6 November 2019

Alberto Onetti

The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of the current practices in “corporate-startup collaboration” and “Open Innovation” (OI) in Europe. OI has increasingly become…

1520

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of the current practices in “corporate-startup collaboration” and “Open Innovation” (OI) in Europe. OI has increasingly become mainstream. A growing number of European corporates are adopting OI approaches to innovate and benefit from a more agile business environment. As Henry Chesbrough – the father of OI – finds out, there is “no single best model for engagement”. It highly depends on the goals that companies want to achieve. Models and approaches of corporate-startup collaboration are continuously evolving. A study of the variety of their effective-implementations in a real business context is therefore beneficial.

Design/methodology/approach

For the purpose of this research, the authors analyzed the European corporates that are considered as “innovation leaders” according to “SEP Europe’s Corporate Startup Stars” annual ranking. According to experts’ evaluations, these companies represent the most advanced case studies in open innovation. The paper analyses the experience of 31 European large corporates implementing effective corporate-startup collaboration. The research approach is exploratory and descriptive.

Findings

By adopting a practitioner-oriented perspective, the authors contribute to shed new light on how European corporates adopt OI and internalize arising innovations across organizational boundaries. Six key areas of OI activities have been identified and compared based on required resources’ commitment. Nearly all of the corporates have implemented low-commitment strategies such as organizing one-off startup events and/or sharing free resources with startups. By contrast, only a limited number of corporates engaged actively through acquisitions (M&A), which requires the highest level of commitment. Startup procurement and investments seem to be the most effective approaches to startup-corporate collaboration, while corporate accelerators and innovation outposts are adopted by only nearly half of the companies considered.

Research limitations/implications

Although the research is not a comprehensive survey, it is useful to identify current and future trends of successful corporate-startup collaboration as well as best practices by European leading companies working at the forefront of OI.

Practical implications

This study provides evidence of the main trends in corporate-startup collaborations, both opening up their innovation processes for mutual benefits. The results have important implications both for corporates and policy makers since the study also highlights the main barriers that hinder successful corporate-startup collaborations. Although many of the analyzed corporates report to have introduced “startup-friendly procedures” – including shortening payments times, simplification of vendor registration and qualification process – the vast majority of companies still need to be educated about the opportunities and benefits arising from Open Innovation (OI). This is particularly true for mid-size companies and small and medium-sized companies that based on some preliminary evidences have not yet fully engaged in open innovation due to limited resources and lack of ability to understand the disruption threats posed by recent technology and market evolution.

Originality/value

To date, there is little evidence on current practices of “Open Innovation” and “corporate-startup collaboration” in Europe. Only recently, large European corporations have concretely started to engage with startups. This paper attempts to shed new light on this so-far under-explored issue.

Details

Journal of Business Strategy, vol. 42 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0275-6668

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 November 2022

Juliane Möllmann

This paper aims to review the existing literature on structured corporate–startup collaboration programs (SCSCPs) concerning their objectives and organizational design components…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to review the existing literature on structured corporate–startup collaboration programs (SCSCPs) concerning their objectives and organizational design components. The design components of the program execution are analyzed on how they impact knowledge transfer and how the extant literature on SCSCP considers the knowledge management topic. A new perspective to examine its ramifications will be discussed.

Design/methodology/approach

Through an integrative literature review, 103 papers on the topic of SCSCP are analyzed about references of objectives and design components of the programs.

Findings

The literature shows a strong focus on strategic objectives corporations pursue in implementing an SCSCP. The design components can be divided into governance mode, structural decisions, selection of ventures, program execution and follow up.

Research limitations/implications

The literature review shows a lack of insights into the knowledge transfer process between the corporation and the ventures. Therefore, this study suggests a practice-based, longitudinal perspective on the interaction processes that occur during the program execution of an SCSCP.

Originality/value

Compared to existing literature reviews, the study takes the corporation’s perspective on incubation and acceleration and reveals design components specific to the corporate forms. Furthermore, SCSCPs center around strategic value generation and the design of the programs can vary highly. It is proposed that knowledge transfer is the central aspect of corporate programs and that a practice-based perspective would enrich the research on knowledge transfer in highly complex setups like this.

Details

Journal of Knowledge Management, vol. 27 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1367-3270

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 23 April 2020

Lydia Cánovas-Saiz, Isidre March-Chordà and Rosa Maria Yagüe-Perales

Seed accelerators (SAs) appear as a more advanced version of business incubators. These for-profit organizations in exchange of equity, help setting new start-ups by providing…

5216

Abstract

Purpose

Seed accelerators (SAs) appear as a more advanced version of business incubators. These for-profit organizations in exchange of equity, help setting new start-ups by providing mentoring and funding during its first months. Due to their emergent nature, the impact and expectations of SAs remains largely unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to throw new light on this field by empirically assessing for the first time the performance and prospects of these organizations through a survey of 116 SAs.

Design/methodology/approach

A model based on the Business Incubators literature is built with four categories covering size, location, age and profitability variables, leading to two hypotheses to be tested empirically over a survey of 116 SAs.

Findings

Some remarkable findings arise after implementation of both bivariate and multivariate analysis. The results confirm a higher size and performance in the US and in the oldest SAs at statistically significant levels.

Research limitations/implications

The study is not free from limitations but the findings make a contribution to the still scarce existing literature on SAs, and provide some managerial implications to their stockholders, to investors and to entrepreneurs.

Practical implications

The findings concerning performance indicators are especially helpful for investors, primarily concerned with the percentage return on investment factor, the period and the investment rounds needed to achieve exit. Another key issue is the SA's role as an employment seedbed. At first glance, the amount of employment, both overall and per company, might seem small given the young age of these firms. The impact of SAs on the generation of new employment is difficult to measure as it usually takes place in further stages of development of the tenant companies, the so-called scale-up process. Nonetheless, at present, the number of new companies being born is remarkable and, in terms of employment, the results are indeed promising. Our findings also offer important implications for entrepreneurs, venture investors and policy-makers. To entrepreneurs, our findings offer insight on the expectations to hold in the accelerator programs.

Social implications

For policy-makers and would-be accelerator founders, our results support the idea shared in the literature that accelerators can be an effective entrepreneurial intervention, even in small entrepreneurial ecosystems, compared to the strongest entrepreneurial hubs (Hallen et al., 2017).

Originality/value

SAs are a very recent phenomenon which is blooming all over the world, especially in developed countries. SAs are therefore considered a key agent in the prospects of any entrepreneurial ecosystem. However, no studies have so far analysed the impact and performance of this emerging instrument. This is precisely the main purpose of this paper, to offer for the first time an approximate and exploratory assessment on the impact and prospects of SAs, based on a database.

目的

種子促進中心,以企業孵化中心的更高級版本的形態出現。這些營利組織、在企業剛開始營運的首數個月內提供指導及資金,以換來股權。由於種子促進中心是從未有過的,故其影響及人們寄予的期望大致仍為未知之數。因此,本研究旨在這範疇內提供新的知識,以實證方法,透過調查116間種子促進中心,首次對這類組織的表現及前景進行了評估。

研究設計/方法/理念

研究人員根據關於企業孵化中心的文獻建立了一個模型,內容包括四個範疇,﹔涵蓋的變量為:規模大小、地域位置、經營年期及盈利狀況。這模型提供了兩個以實證方法、透過調查116間種子促進中心來進行驗證的假設。

研究結果

透過進行二元及多元分析取得卓越的研究結果。研究結果確認了在美國的種子促進中心及歷史最悠久的種子促進中心在統計意義上顯著地呈較具規模及表現更佳。

研究的局限/含意

本研究不是沒有局限的。唯研究結果為現時在種子促進中心方面的探討仍稀少的文獻提供了貢獻,亦為種子促進中心的股東、投資者及企業家提供了管理方面的提示。

實務方面的含意

與表現指數相關的研究結果對投資者尤為有用。他們主要的關注是投資因素的回報率,進行轉讓所需的時間及籌集投資總額。另一主要問題是種子促進中心作為就業苗床所扮演的角色。乍看之下,如考慮到這些公司短暫的歷史,無論整體的就業數量、或是以每間公司計算的就業數量都看似微小。種子促進中心在製造新工作方面的影響是難以量度的。這是因為新工作的產生通常出現在租戶公司發展的進一步階段內, 這就是所謂放大過程。但目前誕生的新公司的數目另人注目。而且, 以就業方面來說,效果實在是相當不錯的。我們的研究結果也為企業家、風險投資者及政策制定者提供重要的暗示。對企業家而言,我們的研究結果為他們就促進中心方案應持甚麼期望提供了啟示。

社會方面的含意

對政策制定者及未來的促進中心始創人而言,我們的研究結果支持文獻所說:促進中心、與最強大的企業樞紐比較之下,即使是在細小的企業生態系統裏,可以是有效的企業介入 (哈倫等人,2017)(Hallen et al., 2017) 。

研究的原創性/價值

種子促進中心是一個頗為近期才出現的現象。這現象在全球興盛起來,特別是在發達國家。因此,種子促進中心被認為是可為任何一個企業生態系統帶來前景的主要媒介。唯至今仍未有分析這新興工具的影響及表現的研究。這正正就是本研究的主要目的,就是首度根據一個數據庫,為種子促進中心的影響及前景提供一個適當和探索性的研究。

Details

European Journal of Management and Business Economics, vol. 29 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2444-8451

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 August 2021

Stephan M. Wagner

Startups are associated with innovation, emerging technologies, digitalization and disruptive business models. This article aims to provide a better understanding of startups in…

2090

Abstract

Purpose

Startups are associated with innovation, emerging technologies, digitalization and disruptive business models. This article aims to provide a better understanding of startups in logistics and supply chain management, organizes the contemporary discussion around startups in the supply chain ecosystem and outlines opportunities for future research.

Design/methodology/approach

This study draws on the prior supply chain, logistics and entrepreneurship literature and discusses key themes along the six identified startup issues. Furthermore, it proposes several perspectives and theories for grounding future research.

Findings

This study discusses the roles and success factors of startups in the supply chain ecosystem. It lays out how startups need to organize their own supply chains, how supply chain management (SCM) startups incubate and accelerate their ventures, the financing of SCM startups, as well as their positions as service providers, suppliers and customers.

Originality/value

This research brings together the sparse and dispersed literature on startups in the supply chain ecosystem, motivating scholars to increase the involvement of startups as important stakeholders in SCM research.

Details

International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, vol. 51 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0960-0035

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 November 2020

Annika Steiber, Sverker Alänge and Vincenzo Corvello

Corporate-startup collaboration is an opportunity for inter-organizational learning. This paper aims to develop an empirically grounded typology to guide researchers and managers…

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Abstract

Purpose

Corporate-startup collaboration is an opportunity for inter-organizational learning. This paper aims to develop an empirically grounded typology to guide researchers and managers in choosing a model that is coherent with the underlying learning processes.

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical research consisted of three phases. First, 30 large companies were interviewed to identify different models of interaction. Second, eight different models and cases were selected, and a list of key characteristics of each model was drawn based on the empirical data, obtaining a first typology. Third, the typology was tested, improved and validated on nine corporations.

Findings

The main result of the study is an empirically grounded typology of models for corporate-startup interaction and inter-organizational learning. Six dimensions distinguish each model from the others.

Research limitations/implications

The paper contributes to extend the literature on inter-organizational learning through different models of corporate-startups interaction. It also contributes to organizational ambidexterity theory, showing how collaboration with startups can improve exploitation and exploration.

Practical implications

The typology provides an instrument for analyzing and selecting operational models for corporate-startup collaboration and learning. The models can be modified or broadened, creating new hybrids.

Originality/value

The paper presents a novel way of looking at corporate-startup relations by studying them through the lens of organizational learning theory. It explains the existence of different inter-organizational arrangements and provides guidance in selecting the correct model.

Details

The Learning Organization, vol. 28 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-6474

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 1000