This master thesis qualitatively and quantitatively investigates the customer centricity of startups within their process from the idea to the foundation until the scaling of their business, which is called the venture creation process. In order to make customer centricity tangible, it is analyzed weather the new ideation and development methods Lean Startup and Design Thinking are used from startups and whether and how they help to improve their customer centricity. For the startups, the focus lies on the ones that received professional support for their founding process through a support program. Therefore, the theoretical part of the thesis analyzes the venture creation process, explains the basic theory models of Design Thinking and Lean Startup and delineates the startup support programs of incubator, accelerator and company builder. The empirical part of this thesis is based on a multiple case study, which qualitatively analyses the founding process of six startup support programs and quantitative explores 25 startups in their utilization of Design Thinking and Lean Startup. With this approach, a generic venture creation process is defined comprising a macro level of seven process steps and a micro level described by input, tasks and output. With the help of the findings from the startup analysis, this process is also extended to an own developed holistic framework for a customer-centered venture creation process. Therefore, it is analyzed that the utilization of Design Thinking and Lean Startup for a customer-centered approach in practice is given, albeit with two application mistakes: first customer orientation is defined one-dimensionally with a strong focus on competitors rather than customers themselves; and second, the methods are not used consistently and in a process-compliant manner. This thesis also offers directions for further research on customer centricity in the startup scene.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- 1. Introduction
- 1.1. Problem statement and scope
- 1.2. Objective and structure
- 2. Theoretical background
- 2.1. The venture creation process
- 2.2. Lean Startup and Design Thinking
- 2.2.1. Background and theory
- 2.2.2. Lean Startup
- 2.2.3. Design Thinking
- 2.2.4. Customer centricity
- 2.2.5. Differences between LS and DT
- 2.3. Definitional delimitations of SSP
- 2.3.1. Incubator
- 2.3.2. Accelerator
- 2.3.3. Company builder
- 2.3.4. Summary demarcation
- 3. Methodology
- 3.1. Research questions and research framework
- 3.2. Research procedure
- 3.3. Research methodology
- 3.3.1. Guide-based expert interview
- 3.3.2. Online survey
- 4. Results
- 4.1. Results from the expert interviews
- 4.1.1. Etventure
- 4.1.2. Siemens AG next47
- 4.1.3. BMW Accelerator Next (ACC Next)
- 4.1.4. Allianz X
- 4.1.5. Tech Founders
- 4.1.6. Rocket Internet
- 4.2. Results from the online survey
- 4.2.1. Analysis of the general questions
- 4.2.2. Analysis of the customer orientation questions
- 4.2.3. Analysis of the feedback on new methods and tools
- 4.3. Cross-case analysis
- 4.3.1. The customer-centric founding process
- 4.3.2. Customer centricity of startups
- 5. Discussion and critical reflection
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This master thesis investigates the customer centricity of startups during their venture creation process, from ideation to scaling. The research analyzes the use of Lean Startup and Design Thinking methodologies by startups supported through professional programs. The theoretical part explores the venture creation process, the theoretical models of Design Thinking and Lean Startup, and the characteristics of startup support programs such as incubators, accelerators, and company builders. The empirical part uses a multiple case study to analyze six startup support programs and quantitatively examines 25 startups to evaluate their utilization of Design Thinking and Lean Startup. This approach helps define a generic venture creation process and develop a holistic framework for a customer-centered venture creation process.
- The venture creation process of startups
- The role of Lean Startup and Design Thinking in startup development
- The impact of startup support programs (incubators, accelerators, company builders) on customer centricity
- Analysis of the customer-centric approach of startups in practice
- Development of a holistic framework for a customer-centered venture creation process
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Chapter 1: Introduction This chapter introduces the topic of customer centricity in the venture creation process of startups, outlines the research problem and scope, and defines the objectives and structure of the thesis.
- Chapter 2: Theoretical background This chapter provides a theoretical background for the research, covering the venture creation process, the concepts of Lean Startup and Design Thinking, and the definition and differentiation of startup support programs (incubation, acceleration, and company building).
- Chapter 3: Methodology This chapter describes the research approach and methods used, including the research questions, research framework, procedures, and methodologies (guide-based expert interviews and online survey).
- Chapter 4: Results This chapter presents the findings from the qualitative and quantitative analysis. It includes results from expert interviews conducted with representatives of six startup support programs (Etventure, Siemens AG next47, BMW Accelerator Next, Allianz X, Tech Founders, and Rocket Internet) and analysis of an online survey conducted with 25 startups.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The core focus of this thesis is on the customer-centric venture creation process of startups, using qualitative and quantitative approaches. It examines the use of Lean Startup and Design Thinking methodologies within startups supported through professional programs like incubators, accelerators, and company builders. Key concepts include customer centricity, venture creation, Lean Startup, Design Thinking, startup support programs, and empirical analysis.
- Quote paper
- Kristal Robles (Author), 2018, How customer-centric is the venture creation process of startups?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/453910