Marketing for start-ups

The chapter focuses on marketing activities of start-up firms. While this is traditionally understood as analyzing the customer needs and how to bridge that gap, for example, through segmentation and branding activities, this chapter has focused on bridging the gaps between industrial actors in order to build networks. The rationale behind this focus relates to the fact that science- and technology-based start-ups often do not sell directly to the end consumer or user; instead marketing activities are often targeted toward industrial actors. The formation of network relationships is necessary for value creation. However, network-building activities can be particularly troublesome for newly formed firms as they often lack resources and business legitimacy. This chapter discusses how start-up firms interact, how their networks are built, and what contributions various actors have in terms of how they add to the possibility of the start-up developing in the long term. Two cases are presented and particular interest is aimed at the actors with whom the start-ups interact in the innovation support and business spheres, respectively. The chapter describes how the logistics of these two spheres differ and how they affect the start-up firms