Purpose The purpose of this article is to develop an integrative framework of accelerator design to answer the question of what activities accelerators perform and how they function within a structured framework. Research on the functioning of accelerators as a mechanism for startup engagement produced multiple empirical results. However, the comparability of relevant research is strongly limited, currently hindering theoretical developments. Existing accelerator design models often differ and only partially overlap, which leaves extant literature with a fragmented and discordant conceptual understanding. Design/methodology/approach Based on a meta-synthesis method using qualitative analysis of 36 accelerator design articles, an integrative framework is developed. After identification of relevant literature, a renowned method for extracting, coding and synthesizing data on individual and cross-study level is applied to identify accelerator design constructs. Eventually, identified accelerator design constructs are integrated into a framework resting on the activity system lens of business model design. Findings The article reconciles fragmented knowledge on accelerator design and shows how accelerator design can be holistically conceptualized by 32 key activities clustered in eight design dimensions. The framework is complemented by an initial guideline for measurement. The findings further highlight formerly disregarded aspects of governance and community formation from a processual and structural perspective. Originality/value This article is the first to present a comprehensive picture of accelerator design integrating multiple empirical findings of prior research into a single coherent framework. This framework offers a shared foundation for future research exploring the delineations, functioning and impact of accelerators. From a practical perspective, the article provides managers of accelerators a guide to design, review and improve programs according to their value creation goals.

A higher degree of digitalization in new ventures’ product/service offerings and their processes can lead to a faster time to market and the ability to rapidly scale. Hence, it has the possibility to significantly impact the performance. To increase the degree of digitalization in new ventures, they can implement a digital strategy. Currently there is no evidence if this measure has a strong impact on the degree of digitalization. We therefore empirically investigate the influence of a digital strategy on the degree of digitalization in new ventures’ products/services and processes. We analyzed 102 new ventures using SEM. Building on the contingency theory, we show that only having a digital strategy is insufficient to achieve a high degree of digitalization. The digitalization of products/services is partially mediated by digital IT capabilities, and the effect of digital strategy on process digitalization is partially mediated by digital IT capabilities and a digital culture.

Corporate accelerators have become integral actors in entrepreneurial ecosystems. They are heterogeneous and rapidly developing entities differing significantly in objectives and design. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive corporate accelerator taxonomy and present its evolution over time. We analyse the population of corporate accelerator programmes active in Germany in late 2019. Building on a unique dataset of 87 semi-structured interviews with managing directors of corporate accelerators, participating startups and corporate documents, we derive distinctive archetypes, differing in strategic objectives and defining characteristics. Based on this contemporary taxonomy, we discuss how corporate accelerators have evolved over recent years and delimit them to similar concepts such as incubators. Thereby, we contribute a holistic understanding of corporate accelerator commonalities and differences and provide the foundation for an evolutionary perspective to the field of corporate accelerator research. For entrepreneurial practice, we add novel insights on the experience-based learnings behind a considerable archetype evolution.

Corporate accelerators have emerged rapidly over the last few years and have become a cross-industrial global phenomenon. Established companies interact with startups through these programmes in a structured approach. Recent academic research shows that programmes exist with diverse characteristics, providing various resources and services such as investment capital, office space, mentoring or training to the startups. Currently, the corporate accelerator landscape is undergoing change, with companies adjusting their programme characteristics. One reason for this development seems to be that companies struggle to provide the right resources to startups. The extant corporate accelerator literature, however, does not provide any insights into the value of the different resources provided to startups in such programmes. Thus, we analyse, empirically and in-depth, one of the longest active corporate accelerator programmes, taking the startups' perspective. Investigating Wayra, the corporate accelerator of Telefónica in Germany, we shed light on what is satisfying, what is relevant and what corporates can improve on.

Corporate venture capital (CVC) units help their ventures flourish by offering value-adding services. Effective CVC initiatives offer services that help ventures design, implement, and manage activities to create and capture value. Our qualitative multiple case study across 26 CVC units reveals a comprehensive set of value creation and value capture services that these units offer, configured in any of four different ways to provide tailor-made support for specific venture needs and sponsor strategic goals.

More than 15 years after the introduction of familiness into the literature, the term has evolved into one of the most popular concepts in family firm research. Despite the steadily growing body of studies that build on familiness, recent calls suggest a need to revisit its conceptualization due to a lack of a common understanding that could affect future research endeavours. In our systematic literature review of 25 studies, we find support for this notion and show that the discussion on the concept has reached a dead end. We present a systematization of familiness research that highlights an inconsistent conceptualization, a lack of validation and even a partial hijacking of the term into contexts different from those originally proposed by Habbershon and Williams in 1999. Based on these findings, we present a research agenda aimed at overcoming the current limitations and rejuvenating familiness as a suitable approach to understanding family firm heterogeneity. Keywords: familiness, familiness concept, familiness evolution, familiness definition, literature review, family business, family firms, family firm research, family business research, resources, competitive advantage, resource-based view

In 2012, one of us – Gregor Gimmy, a California-based serial entrepreneur and former IDEO consultant – accepted a new role at BMW’s corporate R&D headquarters. Gimmy’s task was clear, but highly demanding: to reimagine the way BMW innovates with startups. The prevalent model of startup cooperation in recent years has been corporate venture capital and accelerators (CVC&As). Between 2012 and 2015, the number of global CVC deals almost doubled and their investments quadrupled to $29.1 billion. However all this corporate venturing doesn’t seem to be accomplishing strategic innovation goals. In recent years, many high-profile companies including Volkswagen, Yahoo, Turner/Warner Bros, and Coca-Cola have shuttered their VC arms or accelerators entirely. In fact, in 2011, BMW had also founded a corporate venture capital unit, called BMW iVentures, but it exclusively invested in service startups. His time in Silicon Valley had shown Gimmy that Corporate VCs and accelerators struggle to lure the best startups from private venture capitalists. Gimmy’s insight was that the key to improving corporate co-innovation is not for companies to compete more effectively with private venture capitalists or accelerators, but to focus on what they can offer to top startups that others cannot. Startups require three things to grow: capital, coaching, and clients. Private VCs and other professional investors can provide the first two. But only large corporates can offer the last one.

This article examines the relationship between long-term orientation, family iolvement in the top management team (TMT), and family firm performance. On the basis of agency and stewardship theory, we propose that the inclusion of family members in the TMT only enhances firm performance if it induces a long-term orientation among management. An empirical analysis iolving 201 privately owned family firms from Germany supports our theory that a long-term orientation helps align family and organizational goals. As such, it represents an important mediator that links family iolvement in the TMT to performance.

Corporate accelerators have become a frequently used form of start-up engagement for established companies. However, little guidance on how to set up such a program based on the specific requirements of a company is available. When Media-Saturn-Holding GmbH, Europe´s leading consumer electronics retailer, decided to create a corporate accelerator, they were faced with a multitude of questions that required a response. The case illustrates which approach the management team surrounding CEO Pieter Haas has taken to develop the company’s own accelerator. In the first part, the case introduces the background and the potential accelerator design options. In the second part, the text discusses the decisions made and the SPACELAB concept_x000D_ Learning objective: The case is appropriate for use in entrepreneurship, strategic management, and innovation management courses in the context of modules or discussions on corporate entrepreneurship and venturing, entrepreneurial strategies, entrepreneurial ecosystems, and managing corporate innovation. The case can be used in undergraduate courses and graduate and MBA courses, as well as executive education courses. The case study has two main learning objectives structured along the two parts of the case: to provide knowledge about the potential design options companies have when setting up a corporate accelerator (part 1) and to understand how and why Media-Saturn has made the decisions they’ve made for their SPACELAB accelerator (part 2).