Collaboration between startups and large corporations is essential for driving transformative innovation. But what makes these partnerships successful? What challenges do startups face when working with industry giants? Solmaz Filiz Karabag, Professor of Industrial Management and Strategy, is investigating these key dynamics to provide insights that businesses can apply in practice.
At the heart of her study is IndX, the startup collaboration platform facilitated by Linköping Science Park, which connects young tech companies with industry leaders such as Husqvarna Group, Toyota Material Handling Europe, Saab, SICK, and Väderstad.
“Startups bring agility and breakthrough ideas, while large companies offer resources, networks, and experience. The challenge is making these elements work together effectively,” explains Filiz.
It’s not just about finding startups—internal scouting is key
Many startup collaboration programs focus on scouting the right startups—but that’s only part of the equation. For partnerships to succeed, large corporations also need to find the right internal champions who can integrate the startup’s technology into real business operations.
IndX plays a dual role:
- It helps startups connect with industry leaders.
- It also fosters knowledge-sharing and collaboration among corporates themselves—creating valuable cross-industry synergies.
“Having a great technology idea isn’t enough for a startup. They need to explain how their solution fits within a corporate environment and who in the company can use it. That’s where internal scouting becomes crucial,” says Filiz.
What startups and corporates need for a successful partnership
From interviews and workshops with both startups and corporate partners, Filiz has identified key factors that make or break these collaborations:
- Clear expectations and structured processes lead to better results.
- Startups and corporates work at different speeds—aligning work processes is essential.
- Startups need to articulate how their technology fits into corporate need—a great idea alone isn’t enough.
- Cross-learning is key—corporates bring market expertise, while startups push boundaries.
“Synchronizing these different ways of working is one of the biggest challenges—but also one of the biggest opportunities for innovation,” Filiz explains.
Why this research matters for Sweden’s transformative innovation system
Sweden is a global leader in innovation, but staying ahead means continuously improving how startups and established companies collaborate. The study, funded by Vinnova in collaboration with Linköping University and Linköping Science Park supports Sweden’s Transformative Innovation Policy (TIP) by identifying what’s needed to accelerate innovation in critical areas like digitalization and sustainability.
- Optimizing startup collaboration platforms like IndX to ensure they deliver long-term value.
- Developing policy recommendations that create scalable models for startup-incumbent collaboration.
- Encouraging inter-corporate and inter-startup collaboration—because partnerships within industries are just as important as partnerships across industries.
- Strengthening Sweden’s role as a global innovation leader by making collaboration more structured and impact-driven.
“For Sweden to maintain its position as an innovation leader, we need to move beyond just connecting startups with corporations. We need a system where innovation flows across multiple levels—from policy to practice and back again,” Filiz explains.
This research helps bridge the gap between innovation platforms, industry needs, and national transformative policy goals by combining real-world business insights with strategic policy recommendations.
Bridging academia and industry—with real-world impact
Filiz believes that applied and practice-based research like this helps bridge the gap between academia and industry.
“This study isn’t just about theory—it’s about real-world practices and impact. We want to provide startups and corporations with tools and knowledge that make collaboration easier and more productive. We will also use our learning to train our students at Linköping University,” she explains.
Her research contributes to Sweden’s competitiveness and transformation in the global market by strengthening the connections between research, industry, and innovation platforms like IndX.
Learn more:
Read more about Solmaz Filiz Karabag’s research
Interested in IndX? Read more here.
