Internal Research Seminars

Our cleantech startup strategy research examines how cleantech start-ups cope with resource constraints while pursuing both economic and environmental objectives. We focus on how firms can achieve balanced growth without mission drift. Building on bricolage theory, we conceptualize firms’ responses as configurations of hybrid harvesting strategies, including partnerships, networking, local resource utilisation, customer empowerment, and inclusive employment. Using fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) on data from a questionnaire survey and qualitative interviews with cleantech start-ups, we explore how different strategy configurations perform under varying resource constraints. The research is conducted within the project “Resilience and impact of clean-tech start-ups in Bavaria and the Czech Republic” in collaboration with the Technical University of Munich. Preliminary findings suggest multiple pathways to balanced growth, but also configurations associated with mission drift, indicating that outcomes depend on both strategy combinations and the context in which they are applied.