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Crossing the Valley of Death

Sandwång, Ida LU and Palm, Anna LU (2025) BUSN09 20251
Department of Business Administration
Abstract
Startups in the foodtech sector, particularly those working with fermentation-based technologies, face substantial challenges in scaling their innovations. These challenges, commonly known as the Valley of Death, include lack of access to specialized infrastructure, regulatory complexity, and limited knowledge-sharing mechanisms. While Public-Private Partnerships are frequently proposed as instruments to mitigate such barriers, there is limited empirical research examining how Public-Private Partnerships function in practice to support early-stage ventures in this domain. Drawing on the Resource-Based View, the thesis examines how access to critical external resources can enhance startups’ competitive advantage. The thesis applies a... (More)
Startups in the foodtech sector, particularly those working with fermentation-based technologies, face substantial challenges in scaling their innovations. These challenges, commonly known as the Valley of Death, include lack of access to specialized infrastructure, regulatory complexity, and limited knowledge-sharing mechanisms. While Public-Private Partnerships are frequently proposed as instruments to mitigate such barriers, there is limited empirical research examining how Public-Private Partnerships function in practice to support early-stage ventures in this domain. Drawing on the Resource-Based View, the thesis examines how access to critical external resources can enhance startups’ competitive advantage. The thesis applies a qualitative, multiple case study design, focusing on four Swedish foodtech startups and the Public-Private Partnerships Biotech Heights. Data was collected through nine expert interviews and analyzed using a deductive content analysis framework.

The findings suggest that Public-Private Partnerships play four distinct roles in relation to startup development: Infrastructure Providers, Capital Access Enablers, Knowledge Brokers, and Scale-Up Catalysts. However, the effectiveness of these roles is conditioned by the governance structures of the Public-Private Partnership, the startup’s internal capabilities, and the clarity of resource access pathways. The study highlights the heterogeneity among startups and the need for adaptive Public-Private Partnership models that can accommodate different levels of absorptive capacity and strategic needs. The thesis underlines the importance of designing Public-Private Partnerships with startups in mind, offering not only technical resources. The study concludes that while Public-Private Partnerships hold potential as enablers of sustainable food innovation, their impact depends on their ability to act as responsive, inclusive, and strategically aligned partners. (Less)
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author
Sandwång, Ida LU and Palm, Anna LU
supervisor
organization
alternative title
A Multiple Case Study of Resource Sharing Between Public-Private Partnerships and Foodtech Startups in Sweden
course
BUSN09 20251
year
type
H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
subject
language
English
id
9207417
date added to LUP
2025-07-01 07:48:16
date last changed
2025-07-01 07:48:16
@misc{9207417,
  abstract     = {{Startups in the foodtech sector, particularly those working with fermentation-based technologies, face substantial challenges in scaling their innovations. These challenges, commonly known as the Valley of Death, include lack of access to specialized infrastructure, regulatory complexity, and limited knowledge-sharing mechanisms. While Public-Private Partnerships are frequently proposed as instruments to mitigate such barriers, there is limited empirical research examining how Public-Private Partnerships function in practice to support early-stage ventures in this domain. Drawing on the Resource-Based View, the thesis examines how access to critical external resources can enhance startups’ competitive advantage. The thesis applies a qualitative, multiple case study design, focusing on four Swedish foodtech startups and the Public-Private Partnerships Biotech Heights. Data was collected through nine expert interviews and analyzed using a deductive content analysis framework.

The findings suggest that Public-Private Partnerships play four distinct roles in relation to startup development: Infrastructure Providers, Capital Access Enablers, Knowledge Brokers, and Scale-Up Catalysts. However, the effectiveness of these roles is conditioned by the governance structures of the Public-Private Partnership, the startup’s internal capabilities, and the clarity of resource access pathways. The study highlights the heterogeneity among startups and the need for adaptive Public-Private Partnership models that can accommodate different levels of absorptive capacity and strategic needs. The thesis underlines the importance of designing Public-Private Partnerships with startups in mind, offering not only technical resources. The study concludes that while Public-Private Partnerships hold potential as enablers of sustainable food innovation, their impact depends on their ability to act as responsive, inclusive, and strategically aligned partners.}},
  author       = {{Sandwång, Ida and Palm, Anna}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Crossing the Valley of Death}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}