Research
Projects

In our study of 75 Canadian startups over five years, we found that certain digital capabilities are crucial for success. We identified four main types of these skills: platform, infrastructure, adaptation, and knowledge. By using a configurational approach, we figured out the best combinations of these skills for startups at different stages of growth. We discovered that startups that are already very digital need different skills compared to those that are less digital. Our research not only helps startups understand what they need to succeed but also provides practical advice for their development.

Despite the widespread use of digital technologies in startup support, the digital foundations of entrepreneurial innovation remain largely unexplored. This project delves into the collaborative generation of entrepreneurial innovation by startups and university incubators, employing a microfoundations perspective. Through a detailed examination of six university incubators within a shared entrepreneurial ecosystem, we unearth three key sets of digitally-enabled social mechanisms. These mechanisms encompass situational factors shaping startup strategies, action-formation processes guiding entrepreneurial endeavors, and transformational pathways culminating in ecosystem-wide innovation outcomes. 

In the realm of entrepreneurship support, publicly-funded business incubators (PBIs) emerge as digital ecosystem orchestrators, wielding resources to foster innovation and enterprise. However, while information systems research extensively explores digital capabilities, the specific influence of these capabilities on PBI agility and performance remains largely unexplored. To address this gap, this study adopts a dynamic capabilities perspective, focusing on dynamic digital capabilities within the incubator context. By leveraging resource orchestration theory, we conceptualize resource orchestration capabilities as pivotal drivers of PBI effectiveness.