Startups surgem com o intuito de explorar comercialmente uma ideia de potencial inovador. Para isso, necessitam de um conjunto de capacidades técnicas e de negócios, alocando recursos de modo eficiente para obter um produto com valor de mercado. Elas necessitam, portanto, tornar-se firmas e executar um modelo de negócios. Nesse processo, muitas startups fracassam, enquanto outras atingem um bom desempenho e conseguem realizar a oferta pública de ações (IPO), ou mesmo vender o negócio. Torna-se crucial, então, identificar quais são os conjuntos de capacidades necessários para o sucesso e a sobrevivência das startups. Enquanto firmas possuem diferentes arranjos de quatro capacidades de inovação, nomeadamente as capacidades de desenvolvimento, de operação, de gestão e de transação, o assunto ainda é pouco investigado em startups. Isso posto, este estudo tem por objetivo identificar como se configuram as capacidades de inovação em startups. Para alcançar esse objetivo foi realizado um estudo exploratório de abordagem qualitativa no Vale do Silício, no qual foram entrevistadas 11 startups de base tecnológica e 7 profissionais com conhecimentos na área. O estudo evidenciou que startups não possuem as quatro capacidades de inovação, mas necessitam desenvolvê-las a fim de comercializar um bem/serviço no mercado, tornandose firmas. Enquanto as capacidades de desenvolvimento e a de transação são as primeiras a serem desenvolvidas (sendo as mais desenvolvidas), as capacidades de operação e de gestão necessitam ser desenvolvidas à medida que o negócio se expande. O aprendizado por startups também foi identificado como relevante para a construção das capacidades de inovação, processo no qual o rico ecossistema do Vale do Silício desempenha um papel fundamental. Embora esse ecossistema seja importante, a seleção e aplicação dos conhecimentos externos na construção de tais capacidades é uma tarefa que cabe apenas à startup. Evidenciaram-se também os diferentes arranjos de capacidades que podem levar à venda, transformação em firma e fracasso das startups. A principal contribuição teórica do presente estudo foi avaliar, em um único estudo, não apenas capacidades de cunho tecnológico, mas também operacionais, gerenciais e transacionais em startups, destacando sua importância para o sucesso do negócio. Uma segunda contribuição está em evidenciar, por meio da perspectiva da firma, que conhecimentos amplamente disponíveis no ecossistema podem ser irrelevantes para a startup se não forem aplicados adequadamente no desenvolvimento das capacidades. Como contribuição gerencial evidencia-se a necessidade de avaliar o desempenho da startup por meio de métricas, não negligenciando a importância da gestão. Às instituições governamentais sugere-se uma maior ênfase na cobrança de resultados das startups. / Startups are created to commercially explore an ideia with innovative potential. To do so, they need a set of technical and business capabilities, efficiently allocating resources to obtain a product with market value. They need, in such an understanding, to become firms and execute a business model. While searching for such a business model, a high percentage of startups fail, while others perform well and reach the initial public offering (IPO), or even sell the business. It seems crucial, then, to identify which capability arrangements are required for the success and the survival of startups. While firms have different arrangements of four innovation capabilities, namely development capability, operation capabillity, management capability and transaction capability, the issue is still under-researched for startups. That being said, this study aims to identify how innovation capabilities are arranged in startups. To accomplish that, an exploratory study with a qualitative approach was performed in Silicon Valley, in which 11 startups and 7 knowledgeable professionals related to the field were interviewed. It was found that startups do not have the four innovation capabilities, but need to develop them in order to transact goods/services in the market, allowing them to become firms. While the development capability and the transaction capability are the first developed by the startup (and also the most developed ones), the operation and management capabilities need to be developed once the business starts to grow. Learning by startups was also identified as relevant to the construction of their innovation capabilities, in which the rich ecosystem in Silicon Valley plays a key role. Although the importance of such an ecosystem, the selection and application of such external information into the construction of such capabilities is a task that can only be performed by the startup. Different arrangements of innovation capabilities were also identified, that might lead a startup to be sold, to turn into a firm or to follow a failure path. The main theoretical contribution was to evaluate, in a single study, not only technological capabilities, but also operational, management and transactional capabilities in startups, highlighting their importance to the startups’ sucess. A second contribution relies in identifying, through the lenses of the theory of the firm, that knowledge widely available in the ecosystem might be irrelevant to the startup if not properly applied in the development of capabilities. As a managerial contribution, the study highlights the need to evaluate the startup performance through metrics, without neglecting the importance of management. It is also suggested that governmental institutions should put a higher emphasis in demanding results from startups.

Dissertação (Mestrado em Administração de Empresas) - Centro Universitário FEI, São Paulo, 2018.

Submitted by Silvana Teresinha Dornelles Studzinski (sstudzinski) on 2016-08-23T13:49:32Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Carla Giovana Ceron Zortea_.pdf: 1743114 bytes, checksum: 481d5ce9a934c3302b0679ff3339df50 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-23T13:49:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Carla Giovana Ceron Zortea_.pdf: 1743114 bytes, checksum: 481d5ce9a934c3302b0679ff3339df50 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-05-31 / Nenhuma / As startups aumentaram o interesse pelo empreendedorismo, sendo vistas como alternativa para alcançar sucesso, dinheiro e prestígio por meio de atividades criativas, com grande potencial de rentabilidade, mas também de alto risco. O reconhecimento da importância de fomentar a criação de empresas de base tecnológica como um elemento essencial para os países em desenvolvimento, estimulando a competitividade e a criatividade nos mercados mediante a inovação, está aumentando. Este ecossistema inclui, segundo a OECD (2015b), uma série de fatores, como a regulação, o acesso a investimentos, condições de mercado adequadas, cultura empresarial, produção e disseminação de conhecimento. Este estudo tem como objetivo analisar e comparar os mecanismos de aceleração de programas públicos para incentivar startups Start-Up Brasil e Start-Up Chile, colaborar para a sua evolução, e, na medida do possível, contribuir para os estudos de incentivo ao empreendedorismo em mercados emergentes. A estratégia de pesquisa empregada foi a de estudo de casos múltiplos, e os programas foram analisados como casos isolados. Para a coleta de dados, utilizou-se pesquisa documental, entrevistas com empresários que passaram pelo processo de aceleração de cada um dos programas e entrevistas com os membros das suas equipes de aceleração. A narrativa dos casos manteve a preocupação de triangular os dados e mostrar os diferentes entendimentos das partes sobre os mecanismos usados pelos programas. Na sequência, foi realizada a análise cruzada dos casos, na qual, foram comparadas as contribuições dos programas e elencadas sugestões para a sua evolução. Os resultados mostraram que os mecanismos de aceleração adotadas pelos programas favorecem o desempenho das startups e que o Start-Up Brasil e o Start-Up Chile, em geral, desempenharam papéis importantes nas trajetórias dessas empresas. Analisados os modos de operação dos programas e estudadas as indicações de melhorias feitas pelos entrevistados, foram elencadas sugestões na atuação de cada um dos seus mecanismos. / Startups caused increased interest by entrepreneurship, being seen as an alternative to achieve success, money and prestige through creative business, with great potential for profitability but also high risk. It's increasing the recognition importance of stimulating the creation of technology-based companies to an element important for developing countries, stimulating competitiveness and creativity in markets through innovation. This ecosystem includes, according to OECD (2015b), a number of factors such as regulation, access to investments, appropriate market conditions, entrepreneurial culture, knowledge production and dissemination. This study aims to analyze and compare the acceleration mechanisms of government programs for encouraging startups Start-up Brazil and Start-Up Chile, contribute to their evolution, and, as far as possible, contribute to the studies of encouraging entrepreneurship in emerging markets. The research strategy used was the study of multiple cases, and the programs analyzed as single cases. To collect data, we used desk research, interviews with entrepreneurs who have gone through the acceleration process of each of them and members of their teams’ acceleration. The narrative of cases remained the concern of data triangulation and shows the different understandings of the parties regarding the mechanisms used by the programs. Following, a cross analysis of cases was performed. In it, the programs’ contributions were compared and were listed suggestions for their evolution. The results showed that the acceleration mechanisms adopted by the programs, are supportive to the startups performance and that Start-Up Brasil e Start-Up Chile generally played important roles in their trajectories. After analyzing the programs operating modes and study the suggestions for improvement made by the respondents, it was possible to list suggestions for actions in each of its mechanisms.

La presente tesis desarrolla la investigación enfocada en el fenómeno conocido como start-ups, donde Perú ha sido escenario del rápido crecimiento de este tipo de innovaciones y cómo algunos de ellos ya están alcanzando mercados internacionales. Precisamente, el foco de esta investigación es conocer de manera más profunda aquellos factores que han logrado facilitar a estos emprendedores el ingreso a mercados extranjeros. Es en este punto que se busca conocer el nivel de importancia que representa para las start-ups cada uno de estos factores. La investigación se desarrolla considerando distintos puntos de vista. Por un lado, se encuentran los expertos del ecosistema emprendedor, representantes de instituciones públicas y privadas que están directamente relacionadas con las start-ups y el desarrollo de su ecosistema. Por otro lado, se tiene a los mismos emprendedores que son los usuarios de todas estas herramientas generadas en dicho ecosistema y cómo eso llevó a que algunos pudieran lograr la internacionalización. A partir de este enfoque, se logró identificar una serie de factores claves que necesitaban ser validados por la población de start-ups peruanas a través de una encuesta de opinión. Esto con el objetivo de identificar a los principales factores y tener un aporte que sirva de guía para aquellos que pertenecen al ecosistema. Conocer si existen relaciones o patrones entre los factores y las características de las start-ups, a través de metodologías cuantitativas. Finalmente, la tesis expone todos los resultados obtenidos, las conclusiones, recomendaciones e incluso las limitaciones bajo las que se desarrolló la investigación, contribuyendo de esta manera con el ecosistema emprendedor para que este documento sirva como guía para investigaciones más profundas acerca de este fenómeno que cada vez tiene mayor importancia en el Perú. / This thesis develops research focused on the phenomenon known as start-ups, where Peru has been the scenario of the rapid growth of this type of innovation and how some of them are already reaching international markets. Precisely, the focus of this research is to know more deeply those factors that have managed to facilitate these entrepreneurs entering foreign markets. It is at this point that we seek to know the level of importance that each of these factors represents for start-ups. The research was developed considering different points of view. On one hand, there are experts from the entrepreneurial ecosystem, representatives of public and private institutions that are directly related to start-ups and the development of their ecosystem. On the other hand, we have the entrepreneurs who are the users of all these tools generated in this ecosystem and how that led some of them to achieve internationalization. Based on this approach, it was possible to identify a series of key factors that needed to be validated by the Peruvian start-up population through an opinion poll. This with the objective of identifying the main factors and having a contribution that serves as a guide for those who belong to the ecosystem. To know if there are relations or patterns between the factors and the characteristics of the start-ups, through quantitative methodologies. Finally, the thesis exposes all the obtained results, conclusions, recommendations and even limitations under which the research was developed, contributing in this way with the entrepreneurial ecosystem so that this document serves as a guide for deeper investigations about this phenomenon that it is increasingly important in Peru. / Tesis

There has been a continuous interest in academia with regard to the venture capital (VC) as themain flourishing aid to new business. Nowadays, academia and the public consider it ‘hot‘ to argue and invest in business that define their activities with sustainable goals, and callthemselves ‘green’, ‘clean’ or ‘eco’. Furthermore, circles of discussions about sustainability, triple bottom line, green, clean, eco, and other terms related with positive impact towards society environment alongside financial returns have created uncertainty with respect to what defines an entity as green and how this can be used as a competitive advantage in the attractiveness of the business in the very first steps of its existence. However, green startups are considered a strong tool for the emergence of the environmentally friendly solutions needed in order to avoid dangerous and irreversible climate change. Furthermore, venture capitalists (VCs) are a key provider of financial capital for emerging firms. Therefore, given the complex nature of the VC investment decision, it is paramount to understand the VCs perspective on what are the factors andcharacteristics that attract and repel investors toward green startups. By undertaking this investigation, we seek to create an understanding of the evaluation criteria, as well as, characteristics and challenges related to VC investments in green startups. Therefore, contributing to the fields of environmental entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial finance, by identifying what VCs take in consideration when evaluating green startups. To develop this understanding of the VCs perspective on green startups we first developed an in-depth literature review of the extant research, then we conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with practitioners from the mainstream and the greenVC industry operating in Sweden. Furthermore, we implemented an interpretative approach which enabled us to analyze the individual perspectives of VC depending on the context in which they operate. This study provided interesting results that complement the existing literature and provide useful insights on the current state of green VC. Combining the findings of our study with the theories discussed in our comprehensive literature review on green entrepreneurs, green startups and venture capital, we provide an understanding of the evaluation criteria and investment thesis relevant to green startups as well as, insight on characteristics, challenges and opportunities related to investments in green startups. Therefore, this study generates new knowledge in this scarcely studied area of research and provide interesting insights for future research. To the end of this continuum, both actors involved - VCs and green entrepreneurs - will benefit from the findings which provide: green entrepreneurs with the tools to develop green startups with more potential to attract investors; and VCs with an understanding of the nature, challenges and opportunities of green startups´ investments.

Background: In the past few decades the world business map has shrunk considerably. Economic unions, tighter cooperation between different countries and across continents is nowadays setting the pace of current economy trends. Moreover, the rise of the internet and technology has interconnected people and markets more than ever. In this dynamic new setting, entrepreneurs and novel ideas have found the ideal ground to flourish. Startups are taking the business world by storm. Moreover, many of them are ambitious enough to engage in International markets right after their conception. It would be interesting to study the process they undergo and revisit it through the application of C-K Design Thinking Theory. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis dissertation is to apply Design Thinking C-K Theory in the Internationalization process of Startups and study how it can serve as model of reasoning for that process. Methodology: Primary data in the form of qualitative interviews were retrieved from three Startups concerning their Internationalization process. They were in turn analyzed by being revisited, with the application of Design Thinking Theory of C- K (Concept – Knowledge) and supported by relevant theory. The results were thought-provoking and will demonstrate how C-K can be used as a model of reasoning for this Process. Results: The study demonstrated that C-K Theory can be used as a model of reasoning for the Internationalization process by strengthening reasoning, improving management and organizing and working synergistically with other theories to generate creativity and problem solving.

Social media is a very important marketing channel for marketers. Marketing through social media can easily enhance the effects of viral marketing or accelerate the word-of-mouth effect. How small e-stores and startups that lack marketing resources conduct their online marketing strategies and overcome their marketing weaknesses are the points of interest in this research. This research examines how new online shops implement marketing strategies using social media. Our samples come from the E-commerce Idea Competition of 2009 and 2010. The students who participate in this competition only have two months to operate their online stores so that they can be taken as typical samples of new online shops. We encode 141 online shops¡¦ contents, including their final reports and website contents of blogs, Facebook, micro-blogs and YouTube. We use the content analysis method to analyze the dimensions of product information, trust messages, promotions, interactivities, multimedia contents and brand stories. This research is to answer two research questions. The first research question asked is how small e-stores implement their marketing strategies using social media. The findings show that information is exposed more completely in blogs because of the students¡¦ familiarity with blog platforms and the variety of information that it can handle. Promotions information such as special offers is the most commonly used information pattern on social media. The second research question is how the e-stores enhance and overcome marketing weaknesses in using social media. We found out that trust messages are seldom used in social media and only a few promotions skills were used. These are caused by the time constraints and the unfamiliarity with social media. From the results, it was shown that these students used very limited resources in implementing their marketing strategies. Analyzing the contents of the social media can give us a better understanding of the behavior and strategies of small e-stores and startups. To overcome these weaknesses, it is suggested that the features of the social media they want to use be studied first and to reduce the numbers of social media usage to become more familiar with the social media platform. The current study found what the operating characteristics of small e-stores and startups are and some suggestions are given to strengthen their weaknesses and establish long-term businesses. We hope that these suggestions can be applied to the e-commerce environment so that future startups can have a better working understanding of marketing using the social media.

This dissertation consists of three essays in applied econometrics that analyze the strategic interactions between individuals and institutions. The first chapter examines the relationship between employee benefits and the performance of startups. Using national longitudinal data on startups, I find that an increase in the share of employee benefits in total compensation packages leads to increased productivity of startups. Results indicate that a 10 percent increase in the share of employee benefits leads to an increase ranging from 1.5 to 3.9 percent in productivity even if the returns to the employee benefits are heterogeneous across startups. I also find that an increase in the share of employee benefits increases the chance of survival of startups. The second chapter investigates the dynamics of employee screening and transitions from temporary to permanent employment. I analyze unique German data that contains specific information about the dynamics of the transition from temporary to permanent employment, I find that employers screen the abilities of employees only before they hire them. I find no evidence that employers screen the cognitive ability of employees during temporary employment. The third chapter examines the relationship between housing prices and the availability of curbside parking. Using a policy change in Istanbul as a quasi-experiment, this chapter explores the effect of Istanbul’s switch from informal and free curbside parking to formal and paid curbside parking on housing prices. In a differences-in-differences model coupled with a propensity score matching, we find that an exogenous change in the availability of parking leads to a statistically significant decrease in house prices. We estimate that house prices per square meter decrease by 13 percent in the neighborhoods where the city starts charging curbside parking spaces. However, rents stay the same compared to the other neighborhoods. / text

The digitalization of the electricity grid can provide politicians and different kinds of companies with solid benefits in terms of efficiency, renewable integration and control. However, some part of the deployment of smart grids is only possible with the engagement of consumers who are required to change their behavior significantly. This behavioral change can be induced if energy companies (incumbents and new players) adopt business models that do not sell a technology but use technology to wrap a viable business case around the core task to “solving a customer’s problem”. This paper investigates different business models in the smart grid context on their possibility to diffuse in the market. Furthermore, it stresses that the emergence of smart grids will provide incumbents and new companies with new possibilities to offer new services. However for incumbent companies these new roles, increased competition, and new services also imply challenges. Old paradigms of the traditionally conservative utilities need to be changed. This paper finds out that the electricity consumer of today is not uniform, but rather can be divided into four segments who seem to describe the market well (at least in Germany) and have very different needs and preferences. In order to become agents of change in the future utilities will have to transform their business model, if they are not already on their way to do so. Throughout the paper, a EU (European Union) and North American perspective is considered, with primary focus on Sweden, Germany, and the USA.

The purpose of this thesis was exploring stakeholder influence on brand identity co-creation in startups, by answering the research question: "How do stakeholders influence brand identity co-creation in startups?". To answer this question, a multiple case study was conducted, consisting of interviews with six B2C (business-to-customer) startups. Furthermore, the startups studied are all tenants of incubators. This context is of interest, since incubators have been suggested to provide extensive resources and knowledge for startups struggling with their businesses' establishment. To analyze the data from the case studies, mainly the Corporate Brand Identity Matrix (Urde, 2013) was used, which helps to provide an overview of how different elements of brand identity are co-created with stakeholders in startups. In addition, to study this subject requires an overview and discussion of brand management research, stakeholder theory and co-creation litertature.  The findings show that several of the brand identity elements are co-created with stakeholders in startups. The stakeholders identified in co-creation are several, mainly cusomers, financiers, producers, designers and programmers. Furthermore, an interesting correlation between startups' orientations and co-creation, was discovered. The startups with a mainly market-oriented approach to branding are co-creating the brand identity elements to a much further extent, than brand-oriented startups. Finally, incubators are revealed as co-creators of several of the brand identity elements in startups, but the study also provides further insightsd into their important role in supporting the startups and facilitating networking opportunities.