Digital Startup Ecosystem

for research and technology-based ventures

Who I am

A brief introduction

Prof. Dr. Hannes Rothe

Assistant professor
Educational Service Engineering &
IT-Entrepreneurship

Freie Universität Berlin

Coordinates entrepreneurship education @fu_berlin since 2013

Teaching for bachelor and PhD students across all disciplines, and masters in information systems

Launch of the Digital Entrepreneurship Hub in 2018

Co-founded a European Postdocs-to-Innovators network

Academic Career paths

or "why are we here, today"?

Image by Haag, R; Urner, L.: Trans Pro Idee – Lehrpreis 2014 und Forschungscampus Dahlem, Berlin, 27.1.2015.

~80% of the Postdocs hold short-term contracts (<2 yrs)

~15% of the Postdocs secure a tenure position (in the US)

an increasing fraction end up in nonacademic or non-research careers that do not require the years of advanced research training provided by the postdoctoral position. (NIH 2014)

~80-90% of master students persue doctoral studies in chemistry
(GDCh, 2014)

The need for two mindsets

Need for an entrepreneurial and ecosystem mindset

Ref. Ndonzau, F.; Prinay, F.; Surlemont, B. (2002): A stage model of academic spin-off creation, Technovation Vol. 22, Nr. 2, S. 281-289.

Macy, W. 1968. Discovery to Patent to License. Science (162(3858), 1075.

The "Independent"
Entrepreneurial Mindset

The "Ecosystem"
Entrepreneurial Mindset

The "independent" entrepreneur

Learning about research- and technology-based ventures

Ref. Ndonzau, F.; Prinay, F.; Surlemont, B. (2002): A stage model of academic spin-off creation, Technovation Vol. 22, Nr. 2, S. 281-289.

Macy, W. 1968. Discovery to Patent to License. Science (162(3858), 1075.

Many academic investigators … overlook or ignore the invention and patentable results of their work​ (Macy, 1968)

Support the "independent" @fu_berlin

K 12/13

Bachelor

Postdoc

PhD

Master

TransProIdee

Unternehmertum in Netzwerken

DRS Pro Business

EE powered by companies

8 curr. courses,
e.g.,

6 curr. courses,
e.g.,

The "independent" entrepreneur

Entrepreneurial Ecosystems

From metaphor to concept: access resources from the ecosystem

Dependencies among members of the Ecosystem

Ref. Spigel, B., & Harrison, R. (2017). Toward a process theory of entrepreneurial ecosystems. Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal; Jackson, D. J. (2011). What is an innovation ecosystem. National Science Foundation, 1; Adner & Kapoor, 2010; Iansiti & Levien, 2004; Teece, 2009

Common set of goals and objectives

shared set of knowledge and skills 

 innovation ecosystem model the economic [...] relationships that are formed between actors or entities whose functional goal is to enable technology development and innovation.

 biological ecosystem is a complex set of relationships among the living resources, habitats, and residents of an area, whose functional goal is to maintain an equilibrium sustaining state.

Ecosystems provide resources; and you might want to know how to access them.

Entrepreneurial Ecosystems

Hubbased ecosystems / the old world changes

Ref. www.bmw.de, http://www.autonews.com/article/20140106/CUTAWAY/140109986/suppliers-to-the-2014-bmw-x5
Ahn, M. J., Meeks, M., Davenport, S., & Bednarek, R. (2010). Exploring technology agglomeration patterns for multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms. Journal of Commercial Biotechnology, 16(1), 17-32.

Thinking in ecosystems is nothing new for big industry

Digitalization changed many ecosystems, as it integrates new actors, e.g., customers

Many ecosystems are dominated by central actors: the hub platform

e.g., Apple AppStore, Google Maps, Facebook, Intel Microprocessor,  USB, Pfizer's Biotech, Bayer Incubation Programs

Excursion: #Digitalization

beyond the buzz word

Ref. Hess, T., Legner, C., Esswein, W., Maaß, W., Matt, C., Österle, H., ... & Zarnekow, R. (2014). Digital life as a topic of business and information systems engineering?. Business & Information Systems Engineering, 6(4), 247-253.

 

digitalization has been coined to describe the manifold sociotechnical phenomena and processes of adopting and using these [digital] technologies in broader individual, organizational, and societal contexts.
(T. Hess et al., 2014)

1995

2000
(200M connected devices)

2013

(10B connected devices)

2020

(50B connected devices)

1:n connection

direct n:n-connection

(in)direct n:n-connection (the cloud)

n:n & m:m connections

Digitalization & mobile ecosystems

Technology changes changed the mobile ecosystem

Ref. Basole, R. C., Russell, M. G., Huhtamäki, J., Rubens, N., Still, K., & Park, H. (2015). Understanding business ecosystem dynamics: a data-driven approach. ACM Transactions on Management Information Systems (TMIS), 6(2), 6.

 

2006

2007

Three types of actors:

Mobile Platform Providers (Symbian, Windows...)

Mobile Device Manufacturer (Nokia, Samsung...)

Mobile Network Operator (AT&T, E-Plus...)

(Mobile Application Providers)

Digitalization & mobile ecosystems

Technology shifts changed the mobile ecosystem

Ref. Basole, R. C., Russell, M. G., Huhtamäki, J., Rubens, N., Still, K., & Park, H. (2015). Understanding business ecosystem dynamics: a data-driven approach. ACM Transactions on Management Information Systems (TMIS), 6(2), 6.

 

2010

Mobile Application Providers:

Apps per User (Nielsen, 2010)

Operating System Apps available (2010) Apps available (2010)
Android Market (Google) 50,444 352,800
iOS (Apple) 212,362 (iPhone) 395,254 (iPhone)
Ovi Store (Symbian) 10,833 104,576
App World (Blackberry) 7,846 17,662
Phone 7 Marketplace (Windows) 1,069 35,000

Entrepreneurial Ecosystems

Participating in platforms hubbased ecosystems

Ref. e.g., Ceccagnoli, Forman, Huang, & Wu, 2012; Eisenmann, Parker, & Van Alstyne, 2009.

instant access to established markets

branding / reputational advantage

access to intellectual property and know-how

enhanced financing opportunities

skilled team members, and partners who have the ability and willingness to work in a highly scalable business

support structures
(incl. education & mentorship)

Entrepreneurial Ecosystems

More entrepreneurs, create platforms hubbased ecosystems

Ref. https://www.advanced-uv.de/en/topics/

Let others create added value on your technology

Ecosystem partners are competitors and collaborators (enablers of innovation)

Sharing resources ( knowledge, technology, assets) may inhibit risks

Case - using material as a hub

Entrepreneurial Ecosystems

Ecosystem are industry agnostic; so are all most startups

"Big chemical industry sells commodities, chemical start-ups do not"
(excerpt from an interview with green chemistry VC)

Ref. Spigel, B., & Harrison, R. (2017). Toward a process theory of entrepreneurial ecosystems. Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal.

Ventures mostly compete with a global market, not the local ecosystem (high willingness to share resources with other startups,
just visit a co-working space once)

Entrepreneurial Ecosystems

Exploring Ecosystem resources in Berlin

own data

Incubators & Accelerators

Co-working spaces

Entrepreneurial Ecosystems

Exploring Berlin: Incubators and Accelerators

own data

You "will never walk alone"

As member of FU Berlin, you are already a part of an ecosystem

Idea development

Pre foundation

Foundation

Entrepreneurship Education

Scouting & Consultation

Before we leave for the sunset....

...let me just say this:
Thank you!

Videos: Coverr, Images: own and Pixabay