The concept of Innovation Ecosystem has taken on a central role in corporate innovation strategies and industrial policies, representing a key element for competitiveness and economic growth. Innovation Ecosystems differ from traditional ecosystems due to their emphasis on cross-sector cooperation and the integration of heterogeneous skills, facilitating the alignment of supply and demand for innovation and fostering knowledge dissemination. In this context, startups emerge as key players thanks to their agility, experimentation capabilities, and focus on technological discontinuity.
However, startups face numerous challenges, including a high risk of failure, technological and market uncertainty, and difficulties in accessing financial resources and strategic networks. To overcome these obstacles, they often engage in collaborations with established companies within an Innovation Ecosystem, in line with the Open Innovation paradigm. Despite the growing attention to these ecosystems, the startup perspective remains underexplored in academic literature.
This study aims to analyze the main factors influencing the success or failure of startups in Innovation Ecosystems, with a particular focus on the role of collaborations with large companies, sustainability, and digitalization. To achieve this goal, the research framework is structured into three main phases: (1) a systematic literature review to identify key variables and build a solid theoretical foundation; (2) the design of a questionnaire and a structured interview protocol based on the literature review findings; (3) an empirical analysis conducted through interviews with innovative startups operating in Innovation Ecosystems. The methodological approach combines quantitative and qualitative tools, enabling an in-depth understanding of collaboration dynamics.
The proposed analysis will contribute to expanding knowledge on interactions between startups and established companies, highlighting the necessary conditions for effective collaboration and the strategic role of digitalization and sustainability. The findings will provide valuable insights for both theory and practice, supporting businesses and policymakers in designing more effective and inclusive innovation ecosystems.