Strengthening Incubator Support for Sustainability Startups A Study in the Lombardy Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

Sammanfattning

SUMMARYSustainability startups develop innovative solutions to environmental andsocial problems, making them important contributors to sustainabledevelopment. However, they often face challenges when trying to grow andscale their businesses. Their progress depends to large extent on the foundingteam, but the surrounding entrepreneurial ecosystem and the supportstructures within are also of critical importance. Incubators are key actors thathelp startups grow, but limited research has looked at how incubators canadapt their support to the specific needs of sustainability startups.The purpose of this study is to investigate the challenges faced bysustainability startups in the Lombardy entrepreneurial ecosystem, and toexamine how incubators can improve their support to better address thesechallenges. The research is based on a qualitative and exploratory designusing an abductive approach. Data were collected through semi-structuredinterviews with 26 interviewees, including sustainability startup founders,incubator representatives, and other support actors.The findings identify six main types of challenges; financial constraints, aconservative ecosystem and risk aversion, a lack of internal capabilities,market understanding and positioning, market access and adoption, andpolicy and regulatory barriers. Furthermore, four areas of incubator supportare seen as valuable; business and regulatory support, capital access andfinancial navigation, networking access and exposure, and mentorship. Thestudy also shows that incubator support is most effective when it is tailoredto the specific needs of each startup, delivered through close and selectiveengagement, and backed by incentive models linked to measurable valuecreation. Finally, the findings shape a framework aimed at strengtheningincubator support for sustainability startups, improving the understanding ofhow these actors work together in the Lombardy entrepreneurial ecosystem.