Research pick: Platforming startups - "The perfect match! Open innovation platforms – assets for collaborative start-ups"

Startups face a major challenge in trying to home in on open innovation partners. Research in the International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, looks at the various ways in which startups search for such partners, the platforms they use to find connections, and the advantages and limitations of those platforms.

Izabella Bereczki and Johann Füller of the University of Innsbruck in Austria, and Oana Stănculescu of the Transylvanian Furniture Cluster in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, point out that previous studies have tended to focus on corporate entities and SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises), startups have not been the subject of research in this context to any significant degree so far. Indeed, previous researchers have highlighted the fact that there is a need to remedy this situation.

Startups it can be said are often highly innovative. Indeed, the very nature of such companies is usually underpinned by an entirely novel idea aimed at fulfilling an unrequited need. However, they, by definition might lack experience and certainly rarely have substantial resources at their disposal. Generally, the researchers say, firms can innovate with customers, suppliers, universities, research institutions or even competitors in order to foster innovation. Seeking out these partners is time-consuming and can be costly. Manual approaches are not always effective nor efficient and so many startups might turn to digital platforms that facilitate networking between those who have and those who have not, as it were.

“We believe open innovation is fundamental to innovation effectiveness because it promotes innovation and a cooperation culture,” the team writes. “Open business models can be used by start-ups to create and capture value through systematic collaboration with external partners.” The team points out that the platforms at present focus on corporations who want to search for partners. The converse search is not catered for so well and is therefore an opportunity in the making for the platforms that could ultimately be beneficial to all parties including startups, which are currently missing out.

Bereczki, I., Füller, J. and Stanculescu, O. (2022) ‘The perfect match! Open innovation platforms – assets for collaborative start-ups’, Int. J. Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, Vol. 26, Nos. 3/4, pp.133–160.