| dc.description.abstract | A startup ecosystem is an entrepreneurial ecosystem that consists of different
actors functioning together to make the ecosystem advantageous for startups to grow
and survive. Among these actors, startups and incubators are closely associated with
one another. Startups are business enterprises and incubators guide them in solving
their problems and prospering. Business relationships developed by startups and
incubators are crucial for the development and survival of startups. Understanding
these business relationships gives insight about the suitability of the startup ecosystem
for different categories of startups. Kerala is one of the leading startup ecosystems in
India, with more than 30 active incubators assisting different startups in their success.
The strength of business relationships among startups and incubators in Kerala is
studied using Actor-Resource-Activity model. Data from thirty eight active incubators
in the state and 288 startups associated with them are considered for the study.
Business relationships are analysed at two levels: company analysis and relationship
analysis. Activity structure, organisation structure and resource collection of
individual actors are analysed in company analysis. Activity links, actor bonds and
resource ties between two actors are analysed in relationship analysis. The business
relationships of startups with other startups and incubators, as well as those of
incubators with other incubators and startups are considered for relationship analysis.
The perspective of startups and incubators about other supporting actors in the
ecosystem, like the state government, investors/funding organisations, universities/
educational institutions and mentors, has also been analysed. The Chi-square test,
Fisher’s Exact test, Kruskal-Wallis H test, Mann-Whitney U test, Spearman’s Rank
Correlation and multiple regression analysis using PLS-SEM models are the various
statistical tests used for analysis. Following the analysis, it can be understood that the
startup ecosystem in Kerala is suitable for startups that use technology and are product
oriented. Most technology startups in the state are IT/software based. Service oriented
startups and non-technology startups have few opportunities in the state.
Bootstrapping is the major source of funding for startups and even today, funding is
one of the major problems faced by startups. Actor bonds and resource ties of startups
are dependent on one another. Incubators that provide incubation facilities to all
categories of startups are few in the state. Incubators have a low level of coordination
with each other while performing different activities, but they coordinate well with
startups in various incubation activities. Kerala has a great startup ecosystem, but it
also has many flaws that need to be addressed to make the ecosystem suitable for all
the different categories of startups. | en_US |
