This thesis investigates the pre-seed funding process for technology start-ups. Furthermore, it aims to investigate, how the process of acquiring pre-seed funding is, and which challenges entrepreneurs are facing during this process. The data of this thesis were collected through semi-structured interviews with tech start-ups that recently have gone through the funding process and where therefore able to contribute with perspectives of the pre-seed funding process. After analysing the data from the interviews, we investigated how entrepreneurs experience the process of acquiring early-stage funding. We found that the pre-seed funding process for tech start-ups first of all is time consuming. The applications to funding-organisations takes up valuable time for the start-up. Furthermore, entrepreneurs should consider the framing and pitching of the business when applying for funding. The entrepreneurs face several challenges during the process, including limitations on how the money can be spent. Many of the funding programme applications are very bureaucratic and demanding, and some startups require external assistance just to fill out these applications. The lack of network for early-stage entrepreneurs is a challenge, when applying for funding for the company. For entrepreneurs, credibility is also an important part when applying for early-stage funding. These are the areas this thesis will touch upon, as they are central aspects to processes and challenges that entrepreneurs are facing during the pre-seed funding phase. Since this thesis comprises a small group of tech start-ups from Uppsala and Stockholm in Sweden, it is not able to say anything about the possible differences in the pre-seed funding processes in other countries. However, this study gives an initial view about the process of acquiring pre-seed funding in these cities and should stimulate for further research addressing this subject in Sweden and abroad.

This thesis aims to better understand the process of the funding of young innovative ventures, and how a deeper understanding of this process can help public policy to better stimulate entrepreneurial firms—especially in high-technology industries. I interpret entrepreneurial finance broadly to mean financing issues facing young innovative ventures. It includes three essays which deal with a set of economic, institutional, and public policy issues to examine entrepreneurial finance.

Firm internationalisation has been a broadly examined subject, which has generated various established theories. Previous business activities are described as structured, incremental and predictable, which has enabled the development of frameworks that describe how the business internationalisation is conducted. Today’s technological advances, globalisation and changes in demographics are contemporary environmental forces of change, and the Swedish tech industry is growing in a steady phase. The tech start-ups internationalise rapidly and from an early age but in various ways, and therefore, reflecting diverse internationalisation theories to different extents. The wave of tech start-up is increasing and are seemingly operating in an unconventional manner and contradicts well-known theories, leaving scholars in the search for profound understanding about this phenomenon. Consequently, lack of previous research based on tech start-ups internationalisation processes has provided motivation for this study, with the intention to provide knowledge to companies and contribute with new theory angles to the existing literature. The purpose with this study was to fill the research gap on tech start-up internationalisation by investigating and analyse how the Stockholm-based tech start-ups internationalise, what barriers and drivers they have encountered while pursuing the expansion as well as, how these have affected the internationalisation. The literature review emphasises on internationalisation theories as well as, barriers and drivers of the internationalisation process and is summarised with a conceptual framework. The study was conducted through a qualitative case study including four companies of, which all four had established international operations and therefore, generated insightful information about the subject. Moreover, interviews with founders and CEOs of the companies were conducted through semi-structured approach, which including questions related to their internationalisation process and the barriers and drivers. The empirical data was thereafter organised and paralleled with previous theories as well as, with the authors' considerations. Finally, the conclusion highlight answers to the research questions and provide theoretical and practical implications, as well as suggestions for further research.

Disruption innovation theory has been the zeitgeist for building globally disruptive tech companies since 1997. One decade later, disruptive tech start-ups are moving away from traditional marketing strategies in favour of growth hacking. There is a seemingly growing consensus by online tech experts, tech entrepreneurs, advisors and investors, that suggests that growth hacking is becoming increasingly important practice for disruption based tech start-ups. Furthermore, Sweden is becoming the Silicon Valley of the Nordics, producing more unicorns per capita than any other country in the world. This case study research is an investigation of the relevance and enactment of growth hacking by disruptive tech start-ups in Sweden. The main objective is to determine whether growth hacking is actually being used and how it is enacted by the start-ups. The goal is to explore how relevant this new term is, if it as popular as suggested in online literature and if so which growth hacks are being used. The study is conducted by carrying out a qualitative case study on five tech start-ups in Sweden: Fidesmo, a smart-chip payment system based on NFC technology that can be implanted into everyday objects such as watches, bracelets and cards, and that allows users to update and add new digital services as well as open doors or pay with a simple tap; TaskRunner, a geo-location based ‘help on demand’ platform that allows people to post ads for help with tasks while nearby task runners can bid to be hired to complete those tasks; Beleco, a unique marketplace for furniture rentals with a modern white-glove approach, that allows people to change or rent, rent-to-own or buy their furniture with the utmost ease; &frankly, a continuous tracking application software that helps create happier and productive workspaces by triggering and measuring engagement and surveys between employees and employers in a non-hierarchical manner; and Wunderino; a Malta-based online casino platform started by Swedish entrepreneurs with the goal of taking the traditional pressures associated with gambling away and replacing it with an element of fun and gaming. Empirical data collection consisted of the interviews and observational study of their innovation on their platform or website. The results were interpreted and contextualized within the disruption innovation theory framework. The results of the study reveal that growth hacking is relevant to disruptive tech start-ups, and is becoming increasingly important to them as their companies develop. Additionally the study reveals that growth hacking occurs organically within these start-up structures, already integrated into their marketing and strategy, without a separate or official definition of the practices. Additionally, growth hacking may have initially been seen as lower cost approach to marketing, however the research reveals that it is not lower cost if there isn’t someone who is highly technical on the founding team. Finally, the results reveal that growth hacking is not fully operationalized or defined as growth hacking to the extent of its popularity online and in popular texts, however it does lay on the horizon as a goal for tech start-ups.

This paper examines how small high-tech start-ups in Sweden source their funding and aims to understand the underlying factors affecting these firms financing behaviour, contributing to the relatively limited field of research conducted in Europe. To fulfil the purpose of the study, a multiple case study method was implemented as the study’s research design. A literature review generated in a theoretical framework consisting of capital structure and specifically the pecking order theory. Together with our empirics, consisting of data from interviews with six different companies, the theoretical framework composed the basis for our analysis. The data from our sample displays that these firms initially source their funding through internal funds, suggesting that small high-tech start-up firms in Sweden rely heavily on their own saved funds or other personal resources available to them at the start-up face. Our findings suggests that these firms are limited in their financial options but also that independency and control is to be seen as factors to initially be funded through internal funds. Inconsistent with the pecking order theory, evidence in this paper finds that when looking for external funds, equity is the funding source rather than debt. Two conclusions can be drawn from this. First, the high-tech start-up firms seem to value the advisory of equity investor. Second, capital imperfections makes it hard to access debt. Furthermore, we find that majority of the case companies does not implement a capital structure policy since it seems to limited their financial options.

Dialogical communication is considered to be the most ethical way of practicing public relations. Especially social medias’ potential for engaging in dialogue is mostly not exploited to its full potential. This study aims to shed light on new technology-based firms’ use of dialogical communication on Twitter. The focus hereby is on the formal side of dialogue and not on its content. Moreover possible explanations for the presence or absence of dialogue are taken into consideration. To be able to classify the results they are discussed in the context of the Fortune 500 companies’ use of Twitter. In order to do so a content analysis of both the Twitter profiles and tweets of 89 new technology-based firms was undertaken. The results showed that the Fortune 500 companies were communicating more dialogically than the new technology-based firms did. Bigger companies engaged in dialogue more often. The performance was furthermore improved by listening rather than posting. An implication is that a profound knowledge of communication is necessary in order to use the social medium successfully. A pure knowledge of technology was not found to be beneficial for this public relations practice.

Of late, technology entrepreneurship has been receiving growing importance as a means of contribution to national economic growth, both from Empirical Researchers and Policy Makers. According to NASSCOM, India has emerged as the third largest base for high-tech start-ups in the world. Although there is a surge in start-up creation rates in India, very little is known about the vital factors that are required for these star-ups to survive, sustain and grow into large enterprises. This study reviews the entrepreneurial, firm-specific and external environment specific aspects that influence the key lifecycle stages of high-tech star -ups and identifies the key factors that influence each of the milestones. There are very few studies in this domain that have examined the unique features and influential factors of different lifecycle stages of start-ups in the context of emerging economies like India. This limited exploration on the structure, process and strategies adapted by high-tech start-ups has resulted in insufficient understanding about the high-tech start-up lifecycle. This study therefore, attempts to fill these gaps. Accordingly, the objectives of this study are to determine the factors that influence the creation, survival and growth of the high-tech start-ups operating out of India. Further, an examination of what factors influence and impact the entire lifecycle of high-tech start-ups is also carried out – to obtain an integrated perspective on the lifecycle of high-tech start-ups. Primary data gathered from 275 high-tech start-ups, operating at different stages of the lifecycle formed the basis of the present study. To obtain additional insights on the factors influencing the milestones of the high-tech start-up lifecycle, the available data are analyzed against three segments – based on the target market segment that these start-ups focused on (B2B or B2C), based on the region of operations of the start-ups and based on whether the founding team had transnational work or start-up exposure or not. Our findings indicate that age and technical education of the entrepreneurs (from entrepreneur-specific perspective), the R&D and financial capitalization capabilities of the start-ups (from firm-specific perspective) and the external ecosystem parameters such as a robust SDP growth rate, presence and occurrence of VC funded deals in the region of start-ups operations have an influence on the high-tech start-up lifecycle in India. The findings of the study formed the basis to derive implications for entrepreneurs, other ecosystem stakeholders and policy makers.

新經濟體系的來臨，以技術為基礎的新創科技公司如雨後春筍般的出現，這些新創科技公司的價值已非過去龐大的有形資產，取而代之的是無形資產，如專利權、商標權、著作權、授權契約或公司的研發團隊等，然而傳統的財務報表係儘反映公司過去的財務狀況和經營成果，對於自行研發而非外購的智慧財產權，卻無法認列在財務報表上，使得公司的價值被嚴重低估，有潛力的公司無法獲得所需資金而功敗垂成，十分可惜。 本研究係以實際經營管理的觀點切入，探討以智慧財產權做為融資擔保標的時所會遭遇到的困難為何？再經由所得知的實際困難找出智慧財產權融資所需營運機制和可行之營運模式。 由於智慧財產權融資大部份的風險都處於資金供給方，因此融資可行與否大致上都決定於資金供給者必須在那些條件具備的情況下才願意接受以智慧財產權做擔保的融資模式，因此本研究主要探討的問題從資金供給者的角度出發，主要研究的資金供給對象為國內銀行和創業投資公司。 透過次級文獻蒐集、集體焦點訪談、個別訪談和郵寄問卷等方法得到主要發現如下： 一、國外智慧財產權融資尚在起步階段，且西方國家與東方國家有關智慧財產權的營運模式皆不盡相同。 二、國內缺乏智慧財產權融資實際個案，雖然有關智慧財產權融資擔保有其基本法源可茲適用，但相關配套法規欠缺。 三、國內創業投資公司多以整體性評估新創科技公司，除少數新創科技公司（如生物科技公司）外，智慧財產並非單一關鍵性考量因素。 四、智慧財產權融資模式對創業投資公司有其間接性影響，其中有關鑑價機制和技術交易市場為創業投資公司所關切重點。 五、國內傳統銀行以利差為主要獲利來源之營運特性使智慧財產權融資高風險之融資形式不易為銀行所接受。 六、銀行本身缺乏智慧財產權鑑價能力和管理能力，此為銀行承做智慧財產權融資首要解決之務。 七、銀行傾向以政府保證的方式來進行智慧財產權融資，以降低本身所承擔風險。 八、以目前整體的環境而言，智慧財產權融資在智慧財產權觀念上、鑑價機制、管理能力、交易市場和法令規範等方面有著許多實行上的困難有待解決。 由以上可知智慧財產權融資以目前各方面的環境而言具有高風險性，其可行性的營運模式建議分為短期和長期來看： 一、初期營運模式： 1、初期政府可用保證基金的形式來分散資金供給者的風險。 2、初期可先透過國外的鑑價機制和交易市場來進行。 二、遠期營運模式： 建立具有國際化的鑑價機構和交易市場，根據「契約自由化」原則，只要交易雙方對於契約內容達成一致性的決議，則交易即可完成，以促進自由市場高流動性的運作。 關鍵字：智慧財產權融資、新創科技公司、創業投資公司、銀行、鑑價機制、技術交易市場、信用保證基金、關鍵要素。 / By the coming of the new economy, high-tech start-ups are mushrooming like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. The value of high-tech start-ups does not base on hard assets, but of their principal assets. The principal assets contain both the intangible assets and intellectual property right (IPR), such as patent, trademark, copyright, license contract as well as R&D team. However, traditional financial statements record only the past financial profile and operating results of companies. They've invested large amount of money on R&D, and therefore, to obtain the IPR. But the right obtained can not be shown on the financial statements. As a result, a large number of high-tech start-ups are underestimated, and unfortunately, most of the potential high-tech start-ups were not able to survive due to the inability to find the fund needed. From the view of the practical operating management, this study discusses problems that should be confronted when operating the financing IPR. Moreover, according to the problems found, the study anticipates by offering the operating mechanism and feasible business models for financing IPR. As we know, the majority of risk lies in the fund suppliers when financing IPR, so mostly the feasibility of financing IPR depends on fund suppliers that will receive IPR as collateral under a certain number requirements possessed. Thus, the study will then offer suggestions mainly in terms of fund suppliers, and the focus will be on domestic banks and venture capitalists. Based on the literature review, group focus interview, individuall interview, posted survey and so on are conducted for the study. Some of insights are derived as bellow: 1. For overseas countries, the financing IPR is just at the beginning period. There are differences in the business models of financing IPR between western countries and eastern countries. 2. There are few real cases about financing IPR in Taiwan although there are some basic laws to apply for financing IPR. Nevertheless, more related regulations are needed. 3. Most of the venture capitalists evaluate high-tech start-ups in an overall way. Hence, excluding a small numbers of high-tech start-ups such as bio-tech companies, IPR is not the only key evaluation factor. 4. The model of financing IPR has an indirect influence to venture capitalists. They emphasize more on the valuation mechanism and the technology marketplace. 5. The profit of traditional banks in Taiwan comes from the interest. From the conservative operating system, these banks are hard to accept the financing IPR that is with high risk. 6. The domestic banks are in short of the IPR valuation and IPR management capabilities. Thus, these problems should first be solved, and then the financing IPR will be able to be taken into action. 7. The domestic banks are in favor of reducing risk by getting guarantee from the government. 8. In terms of the whole financial environment in Taiwan, there are lots of difficulties in the concepts of IPR, valuation mechanism, management capability, technology marketplace, laws and decrees and so forth to be confronted. Above all, financing IPR has high risk in Taiwan at the moment. Therefore, this paper recommends that feasible business models of financing IPR should be divided as follow: 1. Short-run business model: (1) Diversify the risk of the fund suppliers from the guarantee fund offered by the government. (2) Finance IPR by foreign valuation mechanism and technology marketplace. 2. Long-run business model: First, more efforts should be put to set up our own international valuation institutions and technology marketplace. Second, the financing IPR should be taken by contract liberalization principle in compliance with the mechanism of the free market. When both sides agree to the contract, then the deal will be done. By doing so,the IPR financing will be highly promoted at the same time. Key words: Financing IPR, High-tech Start-ups, Venture Capitalists, Domestic Banks, Valuation Mechanism, Technology Marketplace, Credit Guarantee Fund, Key factors.

如果你是一名技術創業家，你會選擇在台灣創業，抑或直接到美國創業？如果台灣要成為技術創業家的「天堂」，這座天堂會是長成什麼模樣？若以美國創業環境作為現今台灣「打造創業天堂」的學習典範，台灣應如何「布置」這一座創業天堂？ 知識經濟時代，以知識、技術為基礎而進行之創業活動勢必與智慧財產權密切相關，因此本研究即藉由對於與智慧財產作價投資有關的幾項重要議題，包括智慧財產作價投資之概念、智慧財產作價投資與國內投資、智慧財產作價投資與國際投資、我國研發能量之釋放與科技基本法、智慧財產作價投資之會計處理、智慧財產作價投資之租稅問題、智慧財產作價投資之契約與章程等，進行研究及探討，最後針對美國Google公司之技術創業進行個案研究。內容相當廣泛，涉及法律、投資、會計、租稅、契約、評價、智慧財產、技術移轉等面向，並於探討上述議題後，對於台灣現狀提出如下之政策配套及法令修改建議，期許營造台灣成為一座鼓勵創新及創業活動的技術創業天堂： 一、 公司法應允許投資人得以「勞務」出資，建議放寬公司法第156條第5項對於出資種類之限制，並輔以「勞務作價股份銷除制度」作為配套。 二、 公司法應允許得銷除特定股份，而非一體性地等比例銷除，建議修改公司法第168條，賦予公司得以章程規定就特定股份為銷除之權限。。 三、 智慧財產評價之進行，應嚴守於「評價當時」智慧財產權所具有的價值，詳細區分「智慧財產/技術」與「勞務」之不同，而非將經勞務提供後所帶來的經濟價值一併計算在內。 四、 公司法應允許包括「發起設立時」、「募集設立時」，及「發行新股時」等，均得以智慧財產作價投資，建議對於公司法第131條、第156條及第272條之適用要件，予以一致化。 五、 技術並非法律上所規範之權利客體，建議將公司法第156條第5項所稱「技術」修改為「智慧財產」。 六、 對於擁有龐大智慧財產的公立學校及政府機關，應為其尋思解套方法。建議立法規定公立學校及行政機關得另成立一法人組織或基金會，將其所擁有之智慧財產權全部移轉至該智權控股機構或基金會中，由該組織或基金會來運用該些智慧財產權。 七、 現行政府之對外投資政策及法令仍處於管制經濟之思維，建議應加快我國對外投資自由化之腳步。 八、 科技基本法將智財權下放予執行單位，而行政院及各主管機關又訂定辦法對於執行單位之各項智權運用活動課以程序上之繁瑣要求，包括公開、公正之程序，境外實施需事前經主管機關許可等等，此些限制實已造成「智財之不完全下放」現象，嚴重阻礙以智慧財產作價投資建構技術創業天堂之實現。 九、 關於專利權及專門技術之攤折問題，建議應委請公正單位評估該技術之有效生命週期，同時提出該專利權及專門技術之「可能享有年限」，以作為會計上攤折之依據，並顧及企業營運上財務報表資訊之如實揭露。 十、 針對課稅時點之問題，由於作價投資所取得之股票，乃是「財產形式之轉變」，投資人實際上並未獲取所得，必須等到賣出股票時才有所得產生，故建議應於「股票轉讓時」始進行所得稅課徵。 十一、 技術創業要成功，重點是技術移轉要成功，因此，技術移轉之內容及方法便需於契約中詳加規範。 十二、 美國矽谷地區，創業人擁有創新與創業精神，並持續進行技術研發；學校提供創業所需資源、人脈予新創公司及創業人；而創投公司及天使投資人的資金挹注及管理要求與導入，更是新創公司成功的重要因素。此外，整體的外在大環境，包括冒險精神、會計制度、公司制度、租稅制度、法令制度及專業服務機構等等，都是營造創業天堂所不可或缺的要素。 / If you are a technology entrepreneur, will you start your business in Taiwan or in the U.S.? What is the Paradise for technology entrepreneurs if Taiwan chooses to become one? What should Taiwan provide in the environment if Taiwan takes the U.S. as a model of Entrepreneurship Paradise? In the era of knowledge-based economy, any start-up based on knowledge and technology will be closely related to issues of intellectual property. The thesis will focus on several important issues about investment with contribution of intellectual property as equity, such as its concept, domestic and international investment with contribution of intellectual property as equity, industrialization and commercialization of R&D results in Taiwan and the Science and Technology Basic Law, accounting procedures and taxation issues, contracts and regulations of investment with contribution of intellectual property as equity. The thesis will also illustrate with the case study of Google. The discussion tries to elaborate the issue from various aspects, including law, investment, accounting, taxation, contracts, technology evaluation, intellectual property and technology transfer. The thesis concludes with the following suggestions for governmental policy and law on the issues discussed, to build a paradise, friendly to innovation and start-ups, for technology entrepreneurs in Taiwan. 1. Labor should be recognized as an investment in Company Act. The limitation of investment category of Article 156 (5) should be expanded and be complemented with an elimination system of labor equity. 2. Elimination of specific shares, instead of elimination by ratio, should be allowed in Company Act. The thesis also proposes to amend Company Act Article 168 to authorize the enterprise to eliminate specific shares. 3. The evaluation of intellectual property should faithfully reflect its value for the time being. It should also distinguish the difference between the value of intellectual property/ technology and of labor, instead of a compound evaluation of both. 4. The investment with contribution of intellectual property as equity should be allowed when a company is established by means of promotion and by means of offer as well as when it issues new stocks. The applicable conditions of Company Act Article 131, 156, and 272 should be unified. 5. The term “technology” should be changed into “intellectual property” in Company Act Article 156 (5), given that “technology” is not an object of right defined by law. 6. There should be more channels for public universities and governmental institutions for the release of intellectual property. The government or legislators should enable public universities and governmental institutions to establish an institution or foundation and to transfer/ license their intellectual property to the institution for better use. 7. The government should abandon economic controlling measure through policy and regulation about overseas investment and speed up the liberation. 8. Science and Technology Basic Law authorize intellectual property rights to the executives. However, the Executive Yuan and other authorities set up orders and regulations on procedures about the application of intellectual property, including “public and fair procedure,” “overseas execution permission,” and so on. Those orders and regulations violate the spirits of Science and Technology Basic Law and prevent Taiwan from the Paradise for entrepreneurs. 9. Life cycle of patent and know-how should be evaluated by impartial organizations. The prediction of possible effective year of said patent and know-how should be taken for depreciation and amortization in accounting and be publicized as financial information of a company. 10. The investment with contribution of intellectual property should be taxed when stocks are transferred because such investments are transformation of asset types and the investors do not obtain actual income until the stocks are sold. 11. The success of a technology start-up depends on the success of technology transfer. Hence, the content and method of technology transfer should be defined in detail in the contract. 12. The entrepreneurs in the Silicon Valley in the U.S. possess the spirits of innovation and entrepreneurship and keeps on technology research and development. The universities provide resources and personnel network for start-ups and entrepreneurs. Financing, introduction and demand of effective management from Venture Capitals and Angel Funds are the key factors for the success of start-up companies. Besides, the environment, including venture spirits, accounting and taxation system, company structures, law and regulation, and professional institutions, are indispensible for the establishment of the Paradise for entrepreneurs.

This thesis aims to better understand the process of the funding of young innovative<p>ventures, and how a deeper understanding of this process can help public policy to better<p>stimulate entrepreneurial firms—especially in high-technology industries. I interpret<p>entrepreneurial finance broadly to mean financing issues facing young innovative<p>ventures. It includes three essays which deal with a set of economic, institutional, and<p>public policy issues to examine entrepreneurial finance. / Doctorat en Sciences économiques et de gestion / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished