Corporate Accelerator Programs.

How Incumbents' Motives and Operative Support Practices Impact Startup Success

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• Publisher: Cuvillier Verlag
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9783736973855
• eBook ISBN: 9783736963856
• Edition: 1

Corporate Accelerators sind Organisationen zur zeitlich begrenzten Unterstützung von Startups, die von etablierten Unternehmen betrieben werden. Sie imitieren das Model von unabhängigen Accelerators, verfolgen jedoch nicht zwangsläufig das Ziel finanziellen Zugewinns, sondern auch strategische Ziele. Die vorliegende Arbeit hat das Ziel, spezifische Förderpraktiken dieser Programme sowie deren Effekt auf den Startup-Erfolg zu untersuchen. Die Studienergebnisse identifizieren Corporate Accelerator-spezifische Praktiken, die einen positiven Einfluss auf den Startup-Erfolg haben. Die Ergebnisse zeigen zudem, dass die Unterstützung je nach Motiv des etablierten Unternehmens (symbolisch vs. substantiell) variiert. Die resultierenden Ergebnisse liefern relevante Implikationen sind für etablierte Unternehmen, Corporate Accelerator Manager und Startups. Corporate accelerators are intermediary organizations implemented by incumbent firms to support startups with various resources over a short period of time. Although they are built upon the model of independent accelerators, corporate accelerators do not necessarily aim for financial benefits but for strategic objectives. This thesis examines how corporate accelerators support participating startups and how this support impacts subsequent startups' success based on qualitative and quantitative data. The findings of the study identify corporate accelerator-specific practices that positively influence the success of startups. Further the findings indicate that the extent of support varies, as incumbents initiate the programs as a result of substantive and/or symbolic motives. The findings therefore provide relevant implications for incumbents, corporate accelerator managers and startups.

Table of contents

• Index of figures
• Index of tables
• List of abbreviations
• 1 Introduction
• 1.1 Research motivation
• 1.2 Research objectives and contribution
• 1.3 Outline of the thesis
• 2 Theoretical foundation of the accelerator and open innovation
• 2.1 The accelerator as a venture development organization
• 2.2 Open innovation for accessing external resources
• 3 Qualitative exploration of corporate accelerators as a new open innovation approach
• 3.1 Methodology
• 3.2 Findings
• 3.3 Discussion
• 4 Quantitative exploration of incumbents’ motives, design ele-ments, and operative practices in corporate accelerators
• 4.1 Methodology
• 4.2 Empirical findings
• 5 Discussion
• 5.1 Incumbent’s motives and operative practices in corporate accelerators
• 5.2 Operative practices in corporate accelerators
• 6 Conclusion
• 6.1 Theoretical implications
• 6.2 Managerial implications
• 6.3 Limitations and future research
• Appendix