The advancement of digital technology has created a pathway for digital start-ups to flourish very rapidly. However, these companies are facing resilient challenges and barriers during their scaling. Scaling is an important stage for ventures to grow their revenue at an exponential rate while keeping operating costs low. Nevertheless, there are several research papers that reflect the challenges and obstacles that hinder the scaling of digital startups. There are a limited number of scientific studies conducted in the context of developing countries. Therefore, this study aims at investigating the key potential contributing factors in northern Ethiopia (Tigrai). In this study, qualitative exploratory research is considered as a suitable and appropriate method to generate contextual understanding. The outcome of the study shows that the most noticeable themes impeding digital startups scaling are market challenges, lack of financing, lack of support from incubators, poor digital infrastructure, digital culture, and regulatory issues. Based on the findings this research critically suggests key applicable recommendations to overcome those challenges.

Global advances in digital technology are facilitating a corresponding rise in digital entrepreneurship and its startup manifestation. Many uncertainties exist upon the road to digital startup evolution; a number of which may be successfully navigated with the assistance of business incubators. While these organisations provide valuable guidance and support to the startup community, their efforts are, at least in some part, constrained by the lack of a consistent and coherent roadmap to guide both them and their incubatees. This work proposes a solution to that deficiency by addressing the question -  What are the enabling and inhibiting factors in digital startup evolution within an incubator setting? - via a multiple-case study that examined digital startups under the umbrella of three business incubators in the city of Umeå, Sweden. This work builds on the existing literature both through its narrowed focus on incubators as well as through its presentation of the Ideation Dynamics Model as a proposed guide for both incubators and digital startups to follow.

Digital startup firms are key actors in innovation landscapes and a viable part of the Swedish tech industry. They operate within hypercompetitive environments, which are dynamic and volatile due to the nature of digital technologies. However, startups often face challenges such as limited resources in terms of finances, skills, and knowledge that affect their preconditions for innovation. Previous research has failed to address the unique characteristics and required management competencies of startups engaged in digital innovation. We aim to contribute to the field of IS and digital innovation, but also provide deeper insights for new startups on how to manage digital innovation. Therefore, we explore the following research question: how do digital startups manage innovation? We have conducted a multiple case study and our findings included two different approaches for digital innovation management in startups - knowledge-push and need-pull. Our findings suggest that these different approaches to digital innovation management affect several activities within the startups. These are: strategic use of data, value creation, financial resources, knowledge-sharing/capabilities, and networking. Further, we suggest practical implications for startups and suggestions for future research.

Startups indeed play a pivotal role in society as agents of innovation and generators of employment. Despite this, a large proportion of startups fail. As a substantial amount of these temporary project-like companies called startups engage in software development and as application of project management has been correlated with project success, this research exploits a gap in the literature concerned with best practices as it pertains to project management methodologies for software development in startups. Given that a significant number of academic studies have already been conducted in the area of software development practices in startups spanning project management methodologies and software development methodologies, this research applies a strategy of systematic review as along with the application of thematic synthesis is appropriate for ascertaining the current state of knowledge and the search for some consensus. Consequently, this has been deemed to be an appropriate strategy for answering the research question: What are the best practices in applying Project Management Methodologies for software development projects in startups? The scope of the systematic review is the last decade (from 2012 to 2022) and the PRISMA framework has been used to facilitate the identification and screening of records. As a result, 17 studies with varying methods were deemed eligible and of high quality according to the quality assessment guidelines by Garousi et al. The main findings of this study identify three high-order themes for best practices in applying project management methodologies for software development in startups: Agility & Maturity, Empower & Value People, Tool Usage & Support.

Il presente lavoro di tesi ha l’obiettivo di approfondire la conoscenza dei diversi aspetti del marketing del food & beverage, in considerazione dei molteplici cambiamenti occorsi e derivanti non solo dalla tecnologia ma anche dalle preferenze dei consumatori. A tal proposito, la ricerca adotta una triplice prospettiva, prendendo in considerazione l’analisi degli attori fondamentali esperti delle dinamiche del settore: gli insegnanti di educazione alimentare nelle scuole italiene; i professionisti di marketing, trade marketing e vendite nei loro processi di integrazione; le startup digitali coinvolte nello sviluppo di progetti che innovano i canali e le modalità distributivi. Pertanto, ogni capitolo di questo lavoro si focalizza in modo indipendente su ognuno degli attori proposti, presentando evidenze empiriche e spunti di ricerca futuri. L’obiettivo dell’intero studio è dunque di analizzare l’evoluzione del settore food & beverage a livello empirico e di fornire degli avanzamenti dal punto di vista teorico. / This research project deepens the knowledge around many aspects of the marketing of the food and beverage industry to address the new challenges deriving from both incremental and disruptive changes and more unpredictable consumers’ preferences. The research adopts different perspectives of three fundamental actors: consumers, established firms, and new ventures. The first study examines teachers’ perceptions and feelings around nutrition education, to what extent these professional figures can affect students’ behavior and how they perceive the relationship with families. The second study focuses on the integration of marketing, trade marketing, and sales functions within established firms. The third paper analyzes digital startups, and it contributes to the entrepreneurial literature on startups development and survival and the development of dynamic capabilities. The aim of the study is twofold, both empirical and theoretical. At a more empirical level, the goal is to provide an in-depth understanding of the evolution of marketing in the changing and complex environment of the food and beverage system, regarding competition, channels and institutions and consumers. At a theoretical level, it tries to provide some explanatory propositions for each analyzed setting.