Search Results (5)

To date, deep-tech entrepreneurship and sustainable entrepreneurship are both attracting the interest of researchers. Indeed, deep-tech is being employed to address future sustainable challenges in the present. Nevertheless, the process of deep-tech startups is filled with distinct obstacles. These types of startups may necessitate a more targeted sustainable entrepreneurial process and specialised knowledge compared to conventional technological startups or general sustainable entrepreneurial processes. Currently, most publications discuss either a sustainable entrepreneurial process or conventional technical startups. Therefore, this article aims to investigate the process of sustainable entrepreneurs as they transition from startup ventures to scaleup enterprises within the context of the deep-tech industry. Based on previous sustainable entrepreneurial processes, a multiple case study was conducted within six deep-tech startups, using a narrative progress research strategy, to find the sustainable process pattern. A conceptual model of a sustainable entrepreneurial process in deep-tech industry is established, including five phases with six activities: (i) Sustainable idea definition; (ii) Sustainable opportunity recognition and evaluation; (iii) Venture launch; (iv.i) Sustainable products/services development; (iv.ii) New sustainable enterprise financing; and (v) Sustainable enterprise scaleup. This process enables sustainable deep-tech entrepreneurs, policymakers, and financial investors to necessarily have an overview of the key entrepreneurial stages to navigate from the startup to the scaleup process. Full article

Innovation models are key to fostering technology-focused entrepreneurship in higher education institutions (HEIs). These models create dynamic environments that encourage collaboration, creativity, and problem-solving skills among students and faculty. HEIs face several challenges in fostering entrepreneurship, including allocating sufficient financial and human resources, integrating entrepreneurship education across disciplines, and managing intellectual property. Overcoming these challenges requires HEIs to cultivate an entrepreneurial culture and establish strong partnerships with industry stakeholders. To achieve these goals, HEIs must adopt successful innovation models proven to work. This article presents an international case study highlighting such models and the factors contributing to their success. This study explores the implementation and impact of innovation models, specifically IDEATION and DEETECHTIVE, within HEIs to foster technology-focused entrepreneurship. By implementing numerous actions focusing on online education integration and the Quintuple Helix Innovation Model, these models support shifting engineering students’ mindsets toward entrepreneurship. This research highlights the importance of academia–industry collaboration, international partnerships, and the integration of entrepreneurship education in technology-focused disciplines. This study presents two models. The first, IDEATION, focuses on open innovation and sharing economy aspects. This model underwent rigorous testing and refinement, evolving into the second model, DEETECHTIVE, which is more comprehensive and deep tech-focused. These models have been validated as effective frameworks for fostering entrepreneurship and innovation within HEIs. This study’s findings underscore the potential of these models to enhance innovation capacity, foster an entrepreneurial culture, and create ecosystems rich in creativity and advancement. Practical implications include the establishment of open innovation-oriented structures and mechanisms, the development of specialized curriculum components, and the creation of enhanced collaboration platforms. Full article

Deep-tech startups have enormous potential to solve major societal challenges, but their failure rates are quite high (above 90%). In this respect, deep-tech systems and products have long development times and thus require substantial amounts of investment capital long before the first customer can be served. Moreover, potential investors increasingly expect that the value proposition of a deep-tech venture has a clear sustainability dimension. We therefore designed a tool that serves to develop a convincing value proposition for investors, one that is explicitly connected to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. We adopted a design science approach to develop and test this tool in the context of a deep-tech venture builder located in the Netherlands. The final tool arising from this study extends and integrates various existing tools with an explicit connection to the SDGs. As such, this tool enables deep-tech entrepreneurs to develop a value proposition that is more likely to attract early-stage investors. Full article

Women from around the world are making substantive contributions to new ventures. Research on this phenomenon is starting to increase, but to this point, most of the research on female entrepreneurship has only examined it from the perspective of developed countries. As such, there is a gap in understanding this phenomenon from the perspective of developing countries. Due to the lack of theoretical underpinnings, and exploratory research approach to unearthing new ideas was called for. Using 10 female entrepreneurs as case studies and depth interviews as the main source of data, this study explores female entrepreneurship in India. The study’s findings suggest that deep-rooted gender bias and family pressures are major challenges that female entrepreneurs in India face. This study’s findings also suggest that supportive husbands, stress management, and maintaining a good work–life balance are important to helping female high-tech entrepreneurs in India overcome the challenges that they face. The results from this study inform the literature on the plight of female entrepreneurs in India, and more broadly, the study contributes to the understanding of the challenges that female entrepreneurs all around the world face. Full article

The Brainport-Eindhoven region has developed into a leading location for deeptech entrepreneurship in Europe. Against all odds, it has transformed itself from a region that heavily depended on the multinational company Philips, into a diverse and fast-growing deeptech ecosystem. While this success has not gone unnoticed, there is not yet a clear account of how and why the Eindhoven region emerged as a global hotspot for deeptech innovation and entrepreneurship. Moreover, such an account might provide an exemplary model of a collaborative ecosystem, one that provides an alternative to the “winner-takes-all” entrepreneurial culture of Silicon Valley. This essay explores the performance of the Eindhoven region in terms of three structural conditions. First, the focus on deeptech R&D and entrepreneurship appears to be deeply rooted in the region’s history as well as strong competencies in systems engineering, design thinking, and multidisciplinary collaboration. Second, a collaborative approach to regional policy gives industrial, academic, and governmental actors an equivalent position in its “triple helix” governance. Finally, the Eindhoven region benefits from a systemic approach toward co-locating R&D and entrepreneurial activities on five campuses. Overall, the huge complexity of deeptech systems and products apparently requires a truly collaborative approach at all levels of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Full article