The Role of Business Incubators in Facilitating the Growth of Creative Startup Companies

Ava Lee (1), Jaden Tan (2), Rachel Chan (3)
(1) Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore,
(2) Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), Singapore,
(3) Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), Singapore

Abstract

The rise of creative startups has become an important phenomenon in today’s entrepreneurial landscape. These companies, often operating in industries such as design, media, technology, and entertainment, play a crucial role in driving innovation and economic growth. Business incubators have emerged as key players in supporting the development and growth of these startups by providing essential resources, mentoring, and networking opportunities. However, the specific role and impact of business incubators on creative startups remain underexplored, particularly in the context of their long-term growth and sustainability. This study aims to examine the role of business incubators in facilitating the growth of creative startup companies. It seeks to understand how incubators contribute to the development of creative industries by providing both tangible and intangible support to entrepreneurs. The research adopts a mixed-methods approach, utilizing both qualitative interviews with incubator managers and creative entrepreneurs and quantitative surveys to assess the impact of incubator support on startup performance. Data was collected from several business incubators in key startup hubs. The findings indicate that business incubators play a critical role in providing creative startups with access to funding, mentorship, networking opportunities, and workspace. Startups that participated in incubator programs showed significantly higher rates of growth, innovation, and market readiness compared to those outside the incubators. Business incubators are essential for the success and growth of creative startups. Their support mechanisms help bridge the gap between idea development and market execution, contributing to the overall success and sustainability of creative industries.


 

Full text article

Generated from XML file

References

Ahmed, I. (2021). Predicting entrepreneurial intentions through self-efficacy, family support, and regret: A moderated mediation explanation. Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies, 13(1), 26–38. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEEE-07-2019-0093

Ahmed, N. (2022). Impact of Business Incubators on Sustainable Entrepreneurship Growth with Mediation Effect. Entrepreneurship Research Journal, 12(2), 137–160. https://doi.org/10.1515/erj-2019-0116

Ahsan, M. (2021). Perceived institutional support and small venture performance: The mediating role of entrepreneurial persistence. International Small Business Journal: Researching Entrepreneurship, 39(1), 18–39. https://doi.org/10.1177/0266242620943194

Almansour, M. (2024). Business Incubators and Entrepreneurial Training: Leveraging Technological Innovations and Digital Marketing. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 71(Query date: 2024-12-08 07:58:07), 13586–13597. https://doi.org/10.1109/TEM.2022.3180212

Anjum, T. (2021). The impact of entrepreneurial passion on the entrepreneurial intention; moderating impact of perception of university support. Administrative Sciences, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci11020045

Ayyash, S. A. (2022). Towards a New Perspective on the Heterogeneity of Business Incubator-Incubation Definitions. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 69(4), 1738–1752. https://doi.org/10.1109/TEM.2020.2984169

Bergman, B. J. (2022). Helping Entrepreneurs Help Themselves: A Review and Relational Research Agenda on Entrepreneurial Support Organizations. Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, 46(3), 688–728. https://doi.org/10.1177/10422587211028736

Deyanova, K. (2022). Hatching start-ups for sustainable growth: A bibliometric review on business incubators. Review of Managerial Science, 16(7), 2083–2109. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11846-022-00525-9

Escobar, D. D. E. (2022). Business Incubators and Survival of Startups in Times of COVID-19. Sustainability (Switzerland), 14(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/su14042139

Gao, Q. (2021). Business incubators as international knowledge intermediaries: Exploring their role in the internationalization of start-ups from an emerging market. Journal of International Management, 27(4). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intman.2021.100861

Hassan, N. A. (2024). University business incubators as a tool for accelerating entrepreneurship: Theoretical perspective. Review of Economics and Political Science, 9(5), 434–453. https://doi.org/10.1108/REPS-10-2019-0142

Hossain, M. U. (2024). Personality Traits, Social Self-Efficacy, Social Support, and Social Entrepreneurial Intention: The Moderating Role of Gender. Journal of Social Entrepreneurship, 15(1), 119–139. https://doi.org/10.1080/19420676.2021.1936614

Jones, O. (2021). Situated learning in a business incubator: Encouraging students to become real entrepreneurs. Industry and Higher Education, 35(4), 367–383. https://doi.org/10.1177/09504222211008117

Kim, S. (2021). Frame Restructuration: The Making of an Alternative Business Incubator amid Detroit’s Crisis. Administrative Science Quarterly, 66(3), 753–805. https://doi.org/10.1177/0001839220986464

Leitão, J. (2022). Business Incubators, Accelerators, and Performance of Technology-Based Ventures: A Systematic Literature Review. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/joitmc8010046

Li, D. (2020). Nanosol SERS quantitative analytical method: A review. TrAC - Trends in Analytical Chemistry, 127(Query date: 2024-12-01 09:57:11). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trac.2020.115885

Li, Z. (2020). From community-acquired pneumonia to COVID-19: A deep learning–based method for quantitative analysis of COVID-19 on thick-section CT scans. European Radiology, 30(12), 6828–6837. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-020-07042-x

Lin-Lian, C. (2021). Value creation of business incubator functions: Economic and social sustainability in the covid-19 scenario. Sustainability (Switzerland), 13(12). https://doi.org/10.3390/su13126888

Lizarelli, F. L. (2021). Integration of SERVQUAL, Analytical Kano, and QFD using fuzzy approaches to support improvement decisions in an entrepreneurial education service. Applied Soft Computing, 112(Query date: 2024-12-08 07:59:06). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asoc.2021.107786

Lu, G. (2021). How university entrepreneurship support affects college students’ entrepreneurial intentions: An empirical analysis from China. Sustainability (Switzerland), 13(6). https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063224

Maheshwari, G. (2021). Factors influencing entrepreneurial intentions the most for university students in Vietnam: Educational support, personality traits or TPB components? Education and Training, 63(7), 1138–1153. https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-02-2021-0074

Maheshwari, G. (2022). Investigating the relationship between educational support and entrepreneurial intention in Vietnam: The mediating role of entrepreneurial self-efficacy in the theory of planned behavior. International Journal of Management Education, 20(2). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2021.100553

Nair, S. (2022). TOWARD THE EMERGENCE OF ENTREPRENEURIAL OPPORTUNITIES: ORGANIZING EARLY-PHASE NEW VENTURE CREATION SUPPORT SYSTEMS. Academy of Management Review, 47(1), 162–183. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMR.2019.0040

Nauta, M. (2023). From Anecdotal Evidence to Quantitative Evaluation Methods: A Systematic Review on Evaluating Explainable AI. ACM Computing Surveys, 55(13). https://doi.org/10.1145/3583558

Neneh, B. N. (2022). Entrepreneurial passion and entrepreneurial intention: The role of social support and entrepreneurial self-efficacy. Studies in Higher Education, 47(3), 587–603. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2020.1770716

Nicholls-Nixon, C. L. (2021). Entrepreneurial ecosystems and the lifecycle of university business incubators: An integrative case study. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 17(2), 809–837. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-019-00622-4

O’Brien, W. (2020). Does telecommuting save energy? A critical review of quantitative studies and their research methods. Energy and Buildings, 225(Query date: 2024-12-01 09:57:11). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2020.110298

Page, A. (2023). Enablers and inhibitors of digital startup evolution: A multi-case study of Swedish business incubators. Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13731-023-00306-y

Paoloni, P. (2022). Business incubators vs start-ups: A sustainable way of sharing knowledge. Journal of Knowledge Management, 26(5), 1235–1261. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-12-2020-0923

Pattanasak, P. (2022). Critical Factors and Performance Measurement of Business Incubators: A Systematic Literature Review. Sustainability (Switzerland), 14(8). https://doi.org/10.3390/su14084610

Pellegrini, M. (2021). The Evolution of University Business Incubators: Transnational Hubs for Entrepreneurship. Journal of Business and Technical Communication, 35(2), 185–218. https://doi.org/10.1177/1050651920979983

Rijnsoever, F. J. van. (2022). Intermediaries for the greater good: How entrepreneurial support organizations can embed constrained sustainable development startups in entrepreneurial ecosystems. Research Policy, 51(2). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2021.104438

Roessler, M. (2022). Situated Entrepreneurial Cognition in Corporate Incubators and Accelerators: The Business Model as a Boundary Object. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 69(4), 1696–1711. https://doi.org/10.1109/TEM.2019.2955505

Rosado-Cubero, A. (2023). Promotion of entrepreneurship through business incubators: Regional analysis in Spain. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 190(Query date: 2024-12-08 07:58:07). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2023.122419

Seyoum, B. (2021). Social support as a driver of social entrepreneurial intentions: The moderating roles of entrepreneurial education and proximity to the US small business administration. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 28(3), 337–359. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSBED-08-2020-0306

Su, Y. (2021). Factors influencing entrepreneurial intention of university students in china: Integrating the perceived university support and theory of planned behavior. Sustainability (Switzerland), 13(8). https://doi.org/10.3390/su13084519

Tang, M. (2021). Exploring technology business incubators and their business incubation models: Case studies from China. Journal of Technology Transfer, 46(1), 90–116. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-019-09759-4

Tu, S. (2021). Diagnostic accuracy of quantitative flow ratio for assessment of coronary stenosis significance from a single angiographic view: A novel method based on bifurcation fractal law. Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions, 97(Query date: 2024-12-01 09:57:11), 1040–1047. https://doi.org/10.1002/ccd.29592

Yasin, N. (2021). Exploring the challenges for entrepreneurship business incubator hubs in the United Arab Emirates. International Journal of Globalisation and Small Business, 12(2), 190–212. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJGSB.2021.114575

Younis, A. (2021). Impact of positivity and empathy on social entrepreneurial intention: The moderating role of perceived social support. Journal of Public Affairs, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2124

Authors

Ava Lee
avalee@hmail.com (Primary Contact)
Jaden Tan
Rachel Chan
Lee, A., Tan, J., & Chan, R. (2024). The Role of Business Incubators in Facilitating the Growth of Creative Startup Companies. Journal of Social Entrepreneurship and Creative Technology, 1(4), 200–211. https://doi.org/10.70177/jseact.v1i4.1731

Article Details