Uusien teknologiayritysten syntypolut

Since the economic crisis in 2008, the Finnish economy has not managed to pick up on its previous tracks and the challenges have been under discussion in the recent times. The challenges can be seen especially in the Finnish manufacturing industry that has not managed to properly recover since its slump. Despite the relative role of manufacturing decreasing overall, it is still important for the economy in creating jobs and growth. Especially important in this growth are new technological innovations that affect performance both on firm and national level, by contributing to growth, jobs, efficiency and renewal. Learning how these new technological innovations can appear and be fostered can then contribute on both on the national and firm level. Focusing on the equipment and machinery sector, the goal of the research is therefore to learn how new technology companies emerge. It will study the resources required and the ways to attain them in the process from discovery of an idea to commercialization. Interviews with case companies were chosen as the empirical part of the study. The case companies were chosen according to three criteria: operating in the equipment and machinery industry, located in Finland and year of incorporation after 2010. Finally, 21 companies were included in the sample. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to discuss the research themes with the companies. All the interviews were recorded and transcribed. The data was analyzed and examined based on the most relevant topics. The results indicate that most opportunities are based on discovery instead of a purposeful search. There are several sources where the initial opportunity may spawn: personal needs or needs within a business, market opportunity, personal interests and scientific research. The teams can consist of varying experience, bring important resources to the team and usually build from existing social networks. The companies have a narrow view of the ecosystem, focusing on their own needs and operations. The role of re-sources was particularly highlighted in the evidence. The companies often face challenges during their path, especially related to finance and marketing. Most companies require external funding for development and for their product to reach the markets, highlighting the importance to enable different ways to attain this. The companies usually have strong competences in technology but lack on the marketing side. Once their orientation turned from development to more to the commercialization side, they usually faced most challenges in establishing the business