aalto1 untyped-item.component.html
The journey is the reward: Internationalization as a strategy for the development of startup support organizations
Loading...
URL
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
School of Business |
Master's thesis
Unless otherwise stated, all rights belong to the author. You may download, display and print this publication for Your own personal use. Commercial use is prohibited.
Authors
Date
Department
Major/Subject
Mcode
Degree programme
Language
en
Pages
85
Series
Abstract
Increasing startup activity in all parts of the world triggered a simultaneous growth of a new industry: startup support. Startup support organizations (SSOs) offer a range of support services for new ventures such as flexible co-working space and shared equipment as well as assistance in developing business, marketing and communication strategies or raising capital. Startup programs are not only developed in one specific geography, the same SSO brand often opens multiple locations across the globe. While research is continuously observing the developments of SSOs per se, the lack of research on the impact of internationalization within this domain motivated this thesis.
With SSOs evolving and expanding, this study describes a new form of governance that emerges within the SSO industry. For the balance of operational excellence and a continuous learning progress, the division between a global and a local layer of the same SSO brand is a crucial starting point. While the global entity solely ensures the transfer and documentation of knowledge, branding guidelines and core values of the SSO brand, local entities represent the interface between SSO brand and external stakeholders such as startups, corporate partners, and mentors. The global entity is disconnected from operational tasks and exclusively caters to all local entities globally. The study is a qualitative approach to identifying best practices of different SSO brands, which restructured their organizations as a result of their internationalization processes. It contributes to an ongoing analysis of contemporary SSO developments. The study also contains important managerial implications for SSO managers who are in the process of internationalizing their organization.