The Role of Incubators in Facilitating Networks

Sammanfattning

Startups often rely on business networks to access resources, knowledge, and opportunities. While business incubators have been widely recognized as network facilitators, limited attention has been directed to how industry-specific incubators support network access within particular industry contexts. To address this gap, this study aims to enhance the understanding of how industry-specific incubators facilitate network access for startups. To achieve this, an inductive, qualitative case study of a Swedish life science incubator was conducted. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews with incubator personnel, startup representatives, alumni representatives, and external informants, and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings suggest that incubators function as network intermediaries by facilitating contact with external actors, through a combination of formal initiatives, informal interactions, and alumni networks. Informal interactions that are made possible through the incubator appeared to be particularly valuable to obtain new knowledge and generate business opportunities. The findings further indicate that the access to international networks is especially important within the life science industry, but that the incubator’s effectiveness in facilitating such access varies across startups and sub-industries. Ultimately, the study contributes to the incubator literature by providing additional insights into how industry-specific incubators facilitate network access for startups. In particular, the study highlights that the usefulness of incubator-facilitated network access depends on the relevance of the incubator’s network to startups’ specific needs and industry niches.