How strategic decisions are formed and revised in an early-stage AI startup: A single case study of Weon

Sammanfattning

Strategic decision-making under uncertainty poses a central challenge for early-stagestartups, and this complexity is further amplified in AI-driven environments characterized byrapid technological advancements and unpredictable markets. This study examines howstrategic decisions are shaped and revised in an early-stage AI startup, with a particular focuson the interplay between technological and market uncertainty, based on a qualitativesingle-case study. The findings show that strategic decision-making in an early-stage AIstartup does not follow a linear or predetermined process, but is shaped as an iterative andemergent process, with direction gradually developed through experimentation, marketinteraction, and organizational learning. The process is characterized by recurring tensionsbetween customer desires and the internal vision, between technical possibilities and marketdemands, and between short-term survival needs and long-term ambitions. In addition,contextual factors such as resource constraints and the rapid development of AI technologyboth limit and enable the strategic decisions that can be made and implemented. Based onthese insights, the study contributes to the literature by developing a process-orientedunderstanding of strategic decision-making in early-stage AI startups, where technologicaland market uncertainty interact simultaneously and the tensions between these dimensionsshape how strategic decision-making evolves over time.