• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.253-270
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• 2023

Research on investment determinants of accelerators, which are attracting attention by greatly improving the survival rate of startups by providing professional incubation and investment to startups at the same time, is gradually expanding. However, previous studies do not have a theoretical basis in developing investment determinants in the early stages, and they use factors of angel investors or venture capital, which are similar investors, and are still in the stage of analyzing importance and priority through empirical research. Therefore, this study verified for the first time in Korea the discrimination and effectiveness of investment determinants using accelerator investment determinants developed based on the business model innovation framework in previous studies. To this end, we first set the criteria for success and failure of startup investment based on scale-up theory and conducted a survey of 22 investment experts from 14 accelerators in Korea, and secured valid data on a total of 97 startups, including 52 successful scale-up startups and 45 failed scale-up startups, were obtained and an independent sample t-test was conducted to verify the mean difference between these two groups by accelerator investment determinants. As a result of the analysis, it was confirmed that the investment determinants of accelerators based on business model innovation framework have considerable discrimination in finding successful startups and making investment decisions. In addition, as a result of analyzing manufacturing-related startups and service-related startups considering the characteristics of innovation by industry, manufacturing-related startups differed in business model, strategy, and dynamic capability factors, while service-related startups differed in dynamic capabilities. This study has great academic implications in that it verified the practical effectiveness of accelerator investment determinants derived based on business model innovation framework for the first time in Korea, and it has high practical value in that it can make effective investments by providing theoretical grounds and detailed information for investment decisions.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.67-80
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• 2022

This study was conducted to derive policy measures such as fostering and supporting by examining the actual conditions of domestic startups. The subject of this study was the start-ups located in Seongnam-si, where Pangyo Techno Valley, which is the highest-level innovation cluster in Korea and is evaluated as a start-up mecca. Startups were defined as startups under 7 years old based on new technologies such as IT, BT, and CT, and the subjects of the study were selected. This can be seen as a step forward from previous research in that it embodies the concept of a startup that was previously abstract in a quantitatively measurable way. As a result of the analysis, about 94% of startups are distributed in the so-called "Death Valley" growth stage, and startups above scale-up, which means full-scale growth beyond BEP, account for about 6%. appeared to be occupied. He cited the problem of start-up funds as the biggest difficulty in the early stages of startups, and cited the loan evaluation method that prioritizes sales or collateral in raising funds as the biggest problem. In addition, start-ups rated the access to private investment capital such as VC, AC, and angel investors at a low level compared to policy funds, which are public funds. Most startups showed a lot of interest in overseas expansion, and they chose matching overseas investors such as overseas VCs as the biggest support for overseas expansion. The overall competitiveness in the overseas market was 49.6 points, which is less than 50 points out of 100, indicating that the overall competitiveness was somewhat inferior. It was analyzed that public support and investment in overseas sales channels (sales channels, distribution networks, etc.) should be prioritized along with enhancement of technological competitiveness in order for domestic startups to increase their competitiveness in overseas markets as well as in the domestic market.

• World Technopolis Review
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.59-70
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• 2018

Taiwan's economy has been characterized by the strong existence and continuous creation of small and medium-sized enterprises. This phenomenon is commonly regarded to be the result of a culturally embedded strong entrepreneurial spirit. In the process of developing a high-technology industry in southern Taiwan, linking a newly established science park with existing local industries was one of the major challenges. This article reviewed the development history of Tainan Technopolis. Following a concise review of Southern Taiwan Science Park's struggle against becoming an assembly of spillover establishments from Hsinchu Science Park, the authors focused on the efforts of incubating startups. Although only an initial study, the authors demonstrated the roles of National Cheng Kung University and Southern Taiwan Science Park Administration in introducing a two-track incubation system based on collaboration between the two institutions and startups.

• World Technopolis Review
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.82-96
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• 2018

This paper discussed the application process of the Dot Idea program. The Dot Idea program is an incubation and open innovation program co-created by Unitec, an incubator at Tecnosinos Tech Park, and an SAP innovation team. The main objective of this study was to cover an existing gap in the literature regarding the practical application of an open innovation methodology. Many companies seek interaction with external parties to enable advancement toward identified innovation opportunities. Technology clusters, parks, and incubators have played an important role in promoting connections and interaction. Consequently, the Dot Idea program emerged as a result of a joint effort to create a program using a design science research methodology aiming to foster new businesses and strengthen Brazil and Latin America as a hub to develop new solutions for traditional organizations. In regards to lessons learned, the Dot.health trial had some success but also experienced difficulties; these related to the relationships between startups and a hospital's internal teams, and startups' needs to be funded from the beginning in order to be fully dedicated to a project.

• The Journal of Economics, Marketing and Management
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.9-16
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• 2022

Purpose: This research investigates the differences in knowledge exchange activities and performances between startups and large companies in software industry clusters. Research design, data, and methodology: Six independent factors of human resource information, R&D and technology, marketing knowledge, government support information, strategic knowledge, and cooperation information were extracted to test the firm size effect in the relationships with two performance factors such as satisfaction with industry cluster location and satisfaction with financial performances. Data were collected through a survey of entrepreneurs, managers, and employees and tested by statistical analysis methodologies. Results: Three independent factors of human resource information, R&D and technology, and cooperation information were particularly significant in the relationship with both dependent factors. Strategic knowledge significantly affected financial performance. Knowledge exchange activities were more important in startups than in large companies for all eight factors. Conclusion: Policies for software industry clusters need a different approach for startups and large companies.

• Asian Journal of Innovation and Policy
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.330-354
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• 2021

To know the long-term growth patterns and determinants of successful startups, 15-year (2006-2020) panel data of 252 companies that had a growth rate of over 20% every year in the last three years were used. In the first analysis, statistics on the period required to designate a gazelle company or listed on the stock market were examined. In addition, five long-term growth patterns were presented. In the panel analysis, the R&D intensity, operating profit ratio, size, and age of the company were pointed out as determinants of growth. The operating profit margin and R&D intensity have a positive effect on growth. Gibrat's law was not supported, but an inverted U-shape was observed. Jovanovic's law was confirmed. Although many studies tend not to point to profitability as a determinant of long-term growth, this is an important long-term growth factor of a company. The operating profit ratio was used in this study.

• International journal of advanced smart convergence
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.57-68
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• 2024

In this paper, we are interested in how creator economy startups allowing creators to make money from doing that they love. So, we look at European creator economy startups among Web3.0 business model landscape surveyed in 2022, because the US is home of Web2.0 giant platforms like YouTube. Totally seventeen European startups are investigated, and the theoretical logic is the disruptive innovation. We firstly review the survey published in 2022 and utilize the theory of the disruptive innovation to design the research framework including questions with each type of the disruptive innovation. In this paper, we firstly show, Kalao and Gem as NFT ecosystem platforms aim at service convenience. Secondly, Talkbase, Passionfroot, Bildr, Customuse, and Earnr aim at providing creator tools for under-skilled customers. Lastly, when it comes direct monetization with a decentralized business model, CrowdPad, Admix, GOALS, Realm, Dropstar, Pianity, Sonomo, Stage11, Miiji, and ReadyPlayerMe are representative. Despite the relatively small data size, the results are meaningful as they contribute to a more profound comprehension of the Web3.0 business models and offer guidance for future research directions.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.1-13
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• 2019

As a way to find new and innovative technologies, many companies have invested in and acquired skilled startups. Because startups are usually small in size and have a small history of past business experience, there are many risks involved in acquiring them as they have limited technical skills and business feasibility verification methods. Thus, venture capital plays an important role in discovering and investing competitive startups. While Independent Venture Capital generally values financial returns, Corporate Venture Capital, which plays investment roles in the firm, values business synergies with the parent company from a strategic perspective. In an industry sector where development of technology is rapid and whether new technology is held determines a company's competitiveness, existing companies incorporate startups with innovative technologies into their investment portfolios, collaborate together, and take over for comprehensive cooperation. In addition, new investments and acquisitions are carried out through the management of portfolio companies to obtain and utilize industry information. In this paper, major U.S. companies listed in the U.S. verified their investment activities through corporate venture capital and their impact on parent companies and startups through regression, while the parent company's acquisition performance was analyzed through an event study based on a stock price analysis. The criteria for startup were defined as companies with less than 12 years of experience, and the analysis showed that the parent companies with corporate venture capital with a larger number of investments actively take over startups. In addition, increasing corporate venture capital's financial investment activities shows a negative impact on the parent companies' acquisition activities, and the acquisition performance increased when the parent companies took over startups in its portfolio.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.13-29
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• 2023

Overcoming the death valley, a period in which resources are depleted and profitability declines or stagnates in the entrepreneurial process, is an essential procedure for success. In this study, we examined how the strategic orientation(technology, customer, competitor orientations) and absorptive capacity(potential, realized capacities) of startups affect the possibility of startups to overcome the challenges of death valley, and also empirically analyzed whether support of open innovation and venture capital has a moderating influence to the overcoming of death valley. The result of this study shows that customer orientation and realized absorptive capacity have a positive influence on overcoming the death valley. In addition, we found that the support of open innovation and venture capital has a moderating effect only in the technology orientation among the three types of strategic orientations. The result of this research emphasizes (1) the need for startups to take a more customer-oriented approach to overcome the death valley. The customer-oriented behavior and strategies of startups are vital for their longterm survival and success if we consider the fact that most of the companies investigated in this study were technology-based startups and only customer orientation showed significant results in overcoming the death valley. The research outcome also shows that (2) implementing innovation in a more open way and securing venture capital funding can make it easier for startups to overcome the death valley. This study has academic significance in that it empirically analyzed the relationship of key factors influencing the overcoming of death valley in a situation where the majority of existing research remains at the conceptual level of discussion or methodology of case study. Furthermore, this research also provides practical implications for the establishment and implementation of effective strategies to confront the challenges of death valley for startups, government and related organizations.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.119-130
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• 2019

Although a well-established line of research has addressed the funding decision, the activities of investee startups to receive funding have been overlooked because prior research has been conduced from investor's point of view. In addition, funding does not result from one off decisions but from decision process with many stages. Moreover, the emphasis placed on specific investment criteria varies by different stages during the process. Therefore, understanding the initial funding of startups requires to analyze the strategic behaviors of startups throughout the entire funding decision process from first meeting with investors to funding success. This study investigates the initial funding process of startups, and the analysis is based on a case study of LetinAR one of the successful startups founded by students in South Korea. This study investigates how early start-ups were able to receive funding from startup's point of view, and the analysis is based on a case study of LetinAR, an augmented reality(AR) startup using Pin mirror technology. By adding "legitimacy building" stage that had not been addressed previously, we divided funding process into four stages: 1) legitimacy building, 2) familiarization, 3) screening, and 4) bargaining phase. We did not only analyze major criteria, but also strategic activities of startup at each stage. This study makes a contribution by helping us understand complicated process of funding and the successful strategic behavior of investor backed startups.