The portuguese startup ecosystem

: key success factors o the entrepreneurial ecosystem

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to identify the main driver for Portuguese startups between team oriented factors and product/market oriented factors. Given the importance of startups in the economic growth of modern economies - in job creation or innovation, it is crucial to identify what drives startup success and how it differs between ecosystems. We aim at understand the characteristics of the Portuguese entrepreneurial ecosystem and compare the Portuguese environment with startup ecosystems in the USA and in Germany. First in terms of strengths and areas for improvement of the national ecosystem, and second on the critical factors for success in the perspective of entrepreneurs. The research was developed through survey interviews in which was asked to 92 entrepreneurs from Portuguese startups that participated in Web Summit 2016 to rank ecosystem factors in terms of satisfaction and importance to success. In this study, the factors that affect the startup ecosystems are analyzed and compared, suggesting that the Portuguese ecosystem for startups has a favorable human capital pool and a conductive culture that fosters entrepreneurship. On the other hand, should improve government policy and support from accelerators and incubators. The Portuguese entrepreneurial ecosystem, even though mixed in terms of primary driver for success, is mainly driven by people factors, being key in this ecosystem to access and capture talented people, but also to access international markets. It is found that ecosystems conditions are favorable to the main drivers for success in the perspective of entrepreneurs.

Date of Award	17 Feb 2017
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Cláudia Isabel de Sousa Costa (Supervisor)