How Do Start-ups Manage the Uncertainties of Innovation Ecosystem Development? The case of a start-up using Electric Vehicles for Corporate Employee Transport Service in Bangalore, India

Thesis defended on the 16th of July 2021 at 2:30 pm, it hold by videoconference

Abstract:

Business Model Innovation (BMI) is a way for companies to develop its competitive advantage. The upstream-supply of technologies and products, in parallel to the development of key infrastructures are indispensable for a company to build the value network of a new business model. However, the development of innovation ecosystems is dependent to the factors external to the company and to the managers. Companies face varying constraints to achieve BMI when the development of relevant innovation ecosystem remains uncertain. The thesis focuses on the pre-stage of a BMI: the phase when the technology or the product required to achieve a BMI is not yet available. How do managers deal with this pre-stage situation?

The research uses a case-study analysis of a start-up based in Bangalore that was the first company in India to use Electric Vehicles (EVs) to provide Corporate Employee Transport (CET) services. The company aims to scale-up its service line-up beyond CET service before other potential market players in order to build a first-mover’s advantage. However, appropriate EV models required for service diversification are not yet available since the innovation ecosystem of EV remains under development. The thesis suggests that a clear recognition of the pre-stage of BMI is critical to better understand the BMI process, especially because the organizational capabilities required during the prestage differ from those of post-pre-stage such as Dynamic Capabilities: capabilities to execute a BMI.

Key words : Business model innovation ecosystem, mobility service, start-up, electric vehicule, India

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