This study explains the rise and fall of the Innovations Foundation, the University of Toronto's first office dedicated to the transfer of university-developed technologies to industry. Drawing on extensive archival research, ten interviews with key informants, and other sources, the case study traces the evolution of the Foundation from its launch in 1980 to its closure in 2006. The study delineates three distinct business models under which the Foundation operated from 1980 to 1990, 1990 to 1999, and 1999 to 2006. The reasons for the adoption and failure of each model are explored and a historically grounded, context-sensitive explanation of the university's decision to dismantle the Foundation in 2006 is provided. This explanation emphasizes the importance of managing unrealistic expectations for Canadian university technology transfer, and adds weight to a growing consensus on the importance of historical path-dependence as a conceptual tool for understanding the persistence of differentials in technology transfer performance among universities.

This thesis aims to increase knowledge about the usage and relevance of Project Management (PM) methods and tools within start-up companies, with regard to the previous work experience of the entrepreneur. The underdeveloped connection of PM and entrepreneurship will be further explored by following the research question proposed below that guides the study. What PM methods and tools do entrepreneurs apply in the process of launching the business versus the operation of the start-up, especially considering their previous work experience and contact with PM? In order to answer the proposed research question and pursue the set objectives, the thesis is structured as follows. First, the methodology within this study is represented in theoretical and practical form in chapter 2 and 4. Furthermore, the theoretical context in the field is summarized in chapter 3. The topics of traditional PM and agile PM (APM) with their characteristics and tools are portrayed; especially the latter is extensively presented in chapter 3.2 due to the need of flexibility and adaptability in the highly dynamic business environment nowadays, as well as the strong connection between APM and the IT development sector. Existing theories about the topics of entrepreneurship and start-ups are described in the subsequent chapter, whereby a focus is set on the entrepreneur itself and his or her previous work experience. To summarize the existing theory in the fields of PM and entrepreneurship a conceptual framework was created by the researchers of this study in chapter 3.4, which also serves to represent the findings of the study in the concluding chapter. The empirical findings, which are presented in chapter 5, were organized in chronological order of the conducted semi-structured, qualitative interviews with software development start-ups in Sweden. Valuable results for the research areas of entrepreneurship and PM, as well as for the practical usage in those fields could be generated. The summarized results of this qualitative study are summarized and presented in chapter 6, titled empirical analysis. The authors found out that the majority of the contacted start-ups did not plan a lot in the launching phase of the business, in fact, they did not apply specific PM tools. While the business was growing, so did its complexity, which is why the need for applying PM tools became more present. Even though no clear connection between the previous work experience of the entrepreneur and the applied PM tools could be established, it was noticeable that prior exposure to PM made the entrepreneurs more aware of the methods and tools. They specifically looked for some and used them more knowingly. Further drivers for choosing a PM method and tools were recommendations and personal research. Next to the stage and scale of the business, especially the team size, the location of the team members and their familiarity with each other appeared to influence the decision on using specific tools tremendously. In general, it could be detected in this study, that the APM framework was commonly recognized as highly valuable for start-ups and many of the respondents already follow it or want to do so in the future. Moreover, primarily only one or very few tools were applied within the start-ups to not lose track of the business development and keep everything concise.

Submitted by MARCOS SILVA (mbcs@hotmail.com) on 2014-01-13T17:17:29Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao SILVA MARCOS BARCELLOS DA CUNHA E Versão Final.pdf: 870642 bytes, checksum: 53d7c71ec1229ff707efd8ed4f05f0ae (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Vera Lúcia Mourão (vera.mourao@fgv.br) on 2014-01-13T17:26:17Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao SILVA MARCOS BARCELLOS DA CUNHA E Versão Final.pdf: 870642 bytes, checksum: 53d7c71ec1229ff707efd8ed4f05f0ae (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2014-01-13T17:31:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao SILVA MARCOS BARCELLOS DA CUNHA E Versão Final.pdf: 870642 bytes, checksum: 53d7c71ec1229ff707efd8ed4f05f0ae (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-12-12 / O acesso ao capital por empreendedores em start-ups está tradicionalmente fundamentado na indústria de Venture Capital (VC). Nos países emergentes, incluindo o Brasil, foi somente na última década que essa indústria passou a ter uma importância relativa maior às outras fontes de capital disponíveis. Ocorreu que a indústria passou a contar com a migração de fundos estrangeiros tradicionais atraídos pelo potencial de crescimento, pelas oportunidades de novos negócios e incentivos governamentais nesses países. Dessa forma, pode-se considerar que o desenvolvimento da indústria de VC é algo relativamente embrionário no Brasil. Este estudo tem como objetivo principal identificar quais foram os fatores determinantes para que os investidores (Venture Capital) e os investidos (start-up) decidissem por desenvolver uma sociedade em determinado negócio, sob o contexto institucional brasileiro. A pesquisa qualitativa foi realizada pela abordagem exploratória, a partir de entrevistas em profundidade (quatorze, no total) com investidores e investidos brasileiros que já haviam realizado uma sociedade há até dois anos. As entrevistas totalizaram nove matchings, ou pares de investidores e investidos num negócio. Os resultados oriundos dessas entrevistas demonstraram padrões e processos muito similares aos estudados nos países em que essa indústria é considerada desenvolvida. Os dados demonstram, porém, que no Brasil, como em outros países emergentes, a questão do relacionamento entre investidor e investido representa o principal fator para a realização de um negócio entre as partes. Além disso, indica que o relacionamento interpessoal representa um peso maior quando comparado aos outros fatores identificados na pesquisa.

創業之目的是突破現狀，追求創新，創業家必須擁有資源才能創新產品與服務，但他們卻因資源受限而有志難伸。新創企業如何以拼湊有限資源來翻轉劣勢，是隨創（bricolage）所提倡的主導做法。可是，拼湊資源是透過怎樣的時機，當今文獻卻討論有限，因此，時機辨識成為是當前亟需探索之重點。本研究選取三個原住民族新創企業個案，分析他們的經營歷程、挑戰與如何透過辨識時機進行資源拼湊。本研究發現，原住民族文化是重要的資源，這些在地資源成為識別機會、突破資源稀缺的服務創新關鍵。在學術意涵上，本研究提出三個議題。第一，辨識時機需要觀察資源轉換脈絡；第二，辨識時機需要設定資源使用情境；第三，辨識時機需找出資源調合方式。在實務啟示上，本研究提出辨識時機的各種可能，並歸納多樣的隨創原則。進行隨創時，若能掌握在地文化便可以找出適當時機，讓有限的資源拼湊出無限的創新。 / The objective of entrepreneurship is to seek breakthrough innovation within status quo. Entrepreneurs must obtain resources in order to innovate new products or services. But their aspirations often are frustrated due to resource constraints. The dominant approach to entrepreneurial bricolage is to advise new ventures to turnaround adversities by making-do with resources. But, when could entrepreneurs identify opportunity for tinkering limited resources? This is an inquiry worth further investigation. This research selects three case studies of indigenous start-ups while analyzes their entrepreneurial process and challenges within; and examines how they recognize opportunities in creative resource tinkering. This study found that indigenous culture is a kind of critical local resource, which may trigger opportunity recognition in order to guide resource making-do and achieve service innovation. Theoretically, this study suggests that (1) opportunity recognition must understand the context that is suitable for the transformation of resource quality; (2) opportunity recognition must pay attention to resource deployment in situ; (3) opportunity recognition should identify methods of resource blending. Practically, this study proposes several possibilities of opportunity recognition and summarizes a variety of bricolage principles. When engaging entrepreneurial bricolage, if we could get a grip with local culture, it increases our chance to identify the right moment and allow limited resources to enact unlimited innovation.

In recent years, new technologies have led to disruption and change within most industries, resulting in the emergence of digitally-born start-ups. The purpose of this thesis is to complement the scarce theory about what the drivers of business model adaptation in start-ups consist of and how the adaptation process is managed to stay competitive. The findings not only provide theoretical contributions, but can also help managers to steer their start-upsthrough the growth phase.The research is set within the realms of business model theory in the strategic management field. An exploratory study with a qualitative, inductive approach was chosen to gain insights into the business model dynamics of nine firms from the fintech and healthtech industries.The results showed that foreign market adaptation, industry dynamics, funding, and legislation are perceived challenges, whereas legislation and exogenous shocks are opportunities that drive business model adaptation in start-ups. The business model elements of strategic decision-making, resources and capabilities, and network and partners were found to be integral to the adaptation process, as their core components not only need to be adapted to the environment but also aligned with each other. Those components should be revised in an iterative trial-and-error process driven by feedback.

Institutional policies or terms and conditions of credit allocation complicate the demand and supply of small business enterprise (SBE) credit, causing lost profits. Banks leaders losing 28% of profitable projects because of the high rejection rate of credit applications for SBE loans is a concern. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies Southeastern Nigerian state bank leaders use to minimize lost profit from SBE credit rejections. The conceptual framework that grounded this study was credit rationing focused on the lender-borrower relationship. Data collection involved reviews of company documents and face-to-face semistructured interviews of 6 participants from 3 banks in the Southeastern Nigerian state. Based on the Schorr's modified data analysis approach, 5 themes emerged (a) credit rationing depends on sufficient information (b) business accounts statements are a fall back for credit availability (c) character may be more important than collateral (d) government policies are challenges to the formal banking system (e) profits may be a hedge for high-interest rates. Findings may be used to enhance the profitability of banks in the Southeastern Nigerian state. Implications for positive social change may include the support of community projects for individuals living at or below the poverty level in the region.

This thesis investigates how Jönköping Science Park frames and supports sustainable entrepreneurship in the region. More specifically, it discusses how this Science Park implements sustainability in collaboration with entrepreneurs and start-ups. In addition, the study evaluates how the Jönköping Science Park offering meets entrepreneurs' needs and expectations. In light of the gaps identified, recommendations are made for improving Science Park's sustainability support services in the future. The study applies Klaus Fichter and Karsten Hurrelmann’s conceptual framework for analyzing and designing sustainability orientation in incubators and science parks. This paper also uses the Client-Oriented Model of Evaluation by Evert Vedung to analyze how current Science Park sustainability support meets entrepreneurs' needs. A qualitative research approach was used in this study, with content analysis of open sources and internal documents, three interviews with Science Park officials, and corresponding email correspondence. The data was also gained through ten interviews with entrepreneurs and start-ups. The results show that Science Park implements sustainability in their collaboration with entrepreneurs and start-ups on the strategic level (vision, mission, strategy, and communication) and operational level (programs, activities, methods, and tools). The study's findings revealed that Science Park exhibits a clear strategic commitment to sustainability and acknowledges the responsibility to provide fully sustainable business development support to entrepreneurs and startups. On the operational level, sustainability implementation is fragmented and can be characterized by the “learning-by-doing” approach. Overall, Science Park places more emphasis on promoting sustainability and fostering a sustainability mindset than on providing extensive sustainability education. It is attributed to the fact that Science Park does not specialize in sustainability consultancy or services. Moreover, their focus primarily on early-stage entrepreneurship presents challenges when implementing sustainability support for entrepreneurs and start-ups.  Based on the identified gaps and provided recommendations, Science Park can strengthen its sustainability support offering in a practical perspective and contribute to tackling entrepreneurs' misunderstandings of the sustainability concept which is crucial for creating sustainability-oriented enterprises.

This thesis seeks to explore the importance of sustainability within start-up organisations and investigate the sustainability transition within selected ventures. The research conducted applies a multiple case study design, combined with a literature review to answer the research question: ‘How Important is Sustainability for Start-ups?’. Six case studies are conducted from various industries, in order to obtain a purposive sample. The sample comprises start-ups that are technology focused, of a size below ten people and located in Stockholm, Sweden. Within this investigation, the concept of sustainability is defined through the triple bottom line approach; social, environmental, and economic, and supported by the 17 Sustainable Development Goals developed by the United Nations. Further concepts of Social Economy are applied, while the basis of the research questionnaire is the Social Economy Canvas. Moreover, the Multi-Level Perspective theoretical framework is applied to provide structure and support to the developed theories, placing sustainability within a broader perspective. As a result of the data collection and analysis, the following findings are presented. Firstly, digital start-ups struggle to have an impact on environmental sustainability when not working directly within this area. Secondly, in the ideation stages, start-ups have the intention of becoming sustainable according to the triple bottom line. However, when start-ups evolve, their sustainability goals may come into conflict with other factors that add layers of complexity in decision making. Thirdly, it is evidenced that a sustainability transition occurs in the observed case studies, as start-ups adopt more sustainable business practices and entrepreneurs are inspired to pursue new businesses or sustainability-oriented business models. Lastly, Sweden proves itself as a sustainability enabler, offering significant sustainability advantages to organisations based in Sweden. / Denna avhandling undersöker vikten av hållbarhet inom nystartade företag och undersöker hållbarhetsövergången inom utvalda företag. Den genomförda forskningen tillämpar flera fallstudier i kombination med en litteraturöversikt för att besvara forskningsfrågan: "Hur viktigt är hållbarhet för start-ups?" Sex fallstudier har genomförts från olika branscher för att få till en ändamålsenlig provstorlek. Urvalet omfattar nystartade företag som är teknologifokuserade, av en storlek under tio personer och som ligger i Stockholm, Sverige. Inom denna utredning definieras begreppet hållbarhet genom den tredubbla strategin: social, miljömässig och ekonomisk, och stöttas av de 17 hållbarhetsmål som utvecklats av FN. Ytterligare begrepp om social ekonomi tillämpas, medan grunden för forskningsundersökningen är en socialekonomisk canvas. Dessutom tillämpas det teoretiska ramverket på flera nivåer för att ge struktur och stöd till de utvecklade teorierna och placera hållbarhet i ett bredare perspektiv. Som ett resultat av datainsamlingen och analysen presenteras följande resultat. För det första har digitala nystartade företag svårigheter att påverka miljöns hållbarhet när de inte arbetar direkt inom detta område. För det andra, i ideationsstadierna har nyetablerade företag avsikter att bli hållbara enligt ”triple bottom line”-modellen. Men när nystartade företag utvecklas kan deras hållbarhetsmål komma i konflikt med andra faktorer som komplicerar beslutsfattandet. För det tredje framgår det att en hållbarhetsövergång inträffar i de observerade fallstudierna när nystartade företag använder mer hållbara affärsmetoder och entreprenörer inspireras att bedriva nya företag eller hållbarhetsinriktade affärsmodeller. Slutligen visar Sverige sig vara en hållbarhetsfaktor som erbjuder betydande hållbarhetsfördelar till organisationer med bas i Sverige.

Klimatpåverkan till följd av produktion och konsumtion är ett högaktuellt samhällsproblem. Många företag gynnas av ekonomisk tillväxt som följd av konsumtion vilket kan skapa en konflikt där klimatpåverkan ställs mot ekonomisk vinning. Det finns många möjligheter som följer av att integrera ekologisk hållbarhet i sin produktutveckling, till exempel att skapa en ny marknad, en ny typ av teknik eller en ny produktkategori. Vetskapen om att det bildas många nya företag varje år och deras begränsade ekonomiska förutsättningar gör det intressant att studera det förhållningssätt som finns till ekologisk hållbarhet i produktutvecklingsprocessen på nystartade företag. Syftet med arbetet var att undersöka hur integrering av ekologisk hållbarhet sker i produktutvecklingsprocessen på nystartade företag, hur miljöarbete prioriteras gentemot andra faktorer i att starta upp ett företag och av vilka anledningar företaget valt sina prioriteringar. En litteraturstudie låg till grund för problematiseringen och den teoretiska referensramen. Studien baserades på en kvalitativ intervjustudie där sex respondenter från fem nystartade företag intervjuades. Företagen var från olika branscher, hade bolagsregistrerat sig mellan 2017 och 2019 och var lokaliserade i Stockholm. Resultat från studien visade på att flera av de intervjuade företagen gör ekologiskt medvetna design- och konstruktionsval, planerar tillämpa cirkulär ekonomi genom att produkterna skickas tillbaka till företaget och försöker minimera sitt ekologiska fotavtryck. Företagen var begränsade med både tid och resurser vilket bland annat visar sig i icke genomförda miljöcertifieringar och i att inte kunna välja leverantörer i Sverige och Europa med anledning av att det är för dyrt. En stor utmaning för flera av företagen var att de var en liten aktör på marknaden och därför hade svårt att ställa miljörelaterade krav på leverantörer och frångå branschnormer. Grundarnas personliga drivkrafter återspeglades inte alltid i företagsstrukturen och prioriteringen av ekologisk hållbarhet i produktutvecklingsprocessen. / Climate impact of production and consumption is a current societal problem. Many companies benefit in economic growth from consumption, which can create a conflict where the climate impact is set against economic gain. Many opportunities arise from integrating ecological sustainability into the company´s product development, such as the opportunity to create a new market, a new type of technology or a new product category. Knowing that many new companies are started every year, and their limited financial capabilities makes it interesting to study the approach to ecological sustainability in the product development process of start-ups. The purpose of the paper was to investigate how the integration of ecological sustainability and environmental aspects take place in the product development process in start-ups, how environmental work is prioritized against other factors in starting up a company and why the company chose its priorities. A literature study has formed the basis for the problematization and the theoretical frame of reference. The study was based on a qualitative interview study in which six respondents from five start-ups were interviewed. The companies were from different industries, registered between 2017 and 2019 and were based in Stockholm. Results from the study showed that several of the interviewed companies made ecologically conscious design and construction decisions, applied circular economy as they planned to have products returned to the company and tried to minimize their ecological footprint. The companies were limited in both time and economic resources, which is evident in lack of environmental certifications and being unable to choose suppliers in Sweden and Europe because they were too expensive. A major challenge for many of the companies was that they were small companies in the market and therefore found it difficult to place environmental requirements on suppliers and deviate from industry standards. The respondents’ personal driving forces were not always reflected in the company structure and the priority of ecological sustainability in the product development process.

New ventures started by entrepreneurs need access to the right amount of financial resourcesin order to grow and expand businesses. Venture capital financing and partnerships withventure capital firms is a common route for entrepreneurial companies to acquire the neededfinancing for growing the venture, which in turn benefits a country’s economy as a whole.The partnership between the venture capital firm and the entrepreneur may involve conflicts,due to different goals and objectives towards the business, difference in management stylesand personal background as well as task and contextual conflicts, to mention some examples.We discovered a knowledge gap regarding conflicts between venture capital firms andentrepreneurs in Sweden and hence our aim with this study is to provide an answer on howventure capital firms and entrepreneurs are dealing with these potential conflicts in Sweden.To find out the answer, we reviewed selected and relevant literature on the subject andadapted a theoretical framework, based on existing literature. In terms of methodologicalapproach, we chose to be constructionists by following the abductive approach, in order toeffectively answer our research question and be able to add and complement our theoreticalframework, based on our empirical findings.Our empirical findings consists of four valuable interviews with venture capital firmmanagers and another four interviews with entrepreneurial CEOs and/or company founders,to get the view of both parties involved in venture capital partnerships. Based on ourempirical findings, our main conclusion is that the venture capital partnership often suffersfrom lacking communication from either or both parties, which could start or worsen theconflicts. Many of these problems are also derived by the vastly different backgrounds ofventure capital firm managers compared to entrepreneurs.Additionally, our study notes a tendency for less patience for conflicts among venture capitalfirms compared to entrepreneurs, as venture capital firms are willing to replace the currentCEO or make an early exit the venture or even liquidate its shares, if they deem problems assevere. On the other hand, entrepreneurs want to keep the dialogue going and seem to havemore patience. To mitigate the conflicts in the venture capital partnership, based on ourfindings, we propose that venture capital firms should hire managers or consultants with amore technical background when evaluating and working with certain entrepreneurs.Furthermore, venture capital firms may need to be more dynamic in terms of their controlmeasurements as opposed to being overly static on a long-term business plan which may getoutdated or lose relevancy.Entrepreneurs, nonetheless, need training and support in many cases, to understand how tocommunicate in business contexts and write business plans in order to facilitate thecollaboration with their venture capitalists.