Thesis defended at the Institute of Geosciences wins the Mário Quartin Graça Scientific Prize, aimed at studies carried out at universities in Portugal and Latin America
The Brazilian entrepreneurial ecosystem has been witnessing an intense movement of innovation in large companies for some time through relationships with startups. The new economy, characterized by rapid technological changes, intense competition, increasingly shorter product development cycles and scarcity of resources, has innovation as a path to survive in the market and grow. Executives are responsible for deciding on the best engagement model with startups: as suppliers, accelerators, incubators, investors and even through acquisition.
Seeking to understand the factors that influence large companies in terms of engagement with startups, the researcher Carla Kitsuta, from the Department of Scientific and Technological Policy (DPCT) of the Unicamp Institute of Geosciences, defended The thesis "Corporate engagement with startups: business environment, innovation management capabilities and modes of engagement.” The study won the Mário Quartin Graça Scientific Prize 2021 in the Economic and Business Sciences category. The award, established by Casa da América Latina and Banco Santander, is intended to distinguish theses developed at universities in Portugal and Latin America.
SUnder the guidance of professor Ruy Quadros, Carla began her research on corporate engagement with startups in Brazil in 2016, in an attempt to understand what factors could influence companies in the decision-making process regarding the way to initiate engagement, the program to be followed and the way in which such initiatives fit into the organizations' innovation strategy. “We explored the influence of the business environment, management capabilities and strategic objectives of companies in the decision-making process regarding engagement with startups”, says Carla, who mapped company initiatives with a predominance of startup and acceleration programs. “We analyzed companies that adopted engagement modes such as startup programs, accelerators, incubators, venture builders e Corporate Venture Capital (CVC). They have different characteristics and differ in terms of the level of flexibility and commitment they demand from organizations”, he explains.
According to the researcher, digital transformation was the main driver for corporate engagement with startups. “Companies that operate in highly competitive environments, with internal capacity for digital innovation and with an entrepreneurial strategic vision in relation to digital transformation have adopted modes of engagement characterized by high commitment and low flexibility, such as internal startup incubators and CVC”, he analyzes. Such companies aimed to create new business models based on digital technologies, contributing to the renewal and redefinition of their business. “Those that defined strategic objectives related to efficiency/effectiveness and learning/knowledge adopted modes of engagement characterized by low commitment and high flexibility, such as outside-in startup programs and acceleration programs”, he adds.
The thesis, funded by CNPq and defended in February 2021, contributes to deepening knowledge of digital transformation, the main focus of research at the Laboratory for Strategic Management of Technology and Innovation (LabGETI), led by Ruy Quadros. Carla rode an database on Brazilian corporations that develop engagement programs with startups with basic information about the company's sector: whether national or foreign, year the startup program started, its objectives, among others. From there, he designed the context in which the main part of the research was developed, based on multiple case studies from an intentional sample.
The Mário Quartin Graça Scientific Prize was awarded on the 9rd of December. “The thesis explores the influence of the business environment, innovation capabilities and companies' strategies on the adoption of specific relationship modes between companies and startups”, noted the jury in announcing the winners. The originality of the theme, the relevance for strengthening relations between countries and the quality of the research were the aspects evaluated to distinguish Carla's thesis. Two other categories were included: Social and Human Sciences, Technologies and Natural Sciences. This year, 80 applications were received, from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Portugal and Venezuela. The honor has been awarded for 12 years, with 33 theses awarded during this period. “The Award is a recognition of the importance of the work, which starts from a solid theoretical basis, but seeks to advance knowledge of the phenomenon based on well-conducted empirical research. In this way, it recognizes our contribution in a very relevant field from an economic-social point of view, as well as the efforts made by LabGETI in research on digital transformation and innovation management”, concludes Carla.
