Competências como recursos para o sucesso empresarial de startups e spin-offs acadêmicas: o caso de duas IEBTs universitárias em Minas Gerais, Brasil

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between the resources provided by technology-based business incubators (TBBIs) and the development of organizational capabilities that contribute to the success of startups and academic spin-offs. The literature on entrepreneurial support environments emphasizes incubators as key instruments for promoting innovation and developing organizational capabilities in the early stages of new ventures (Mian et al., 2016; Bruneel et al., 2012). Empirical studies indicate that, by offering infrastructure, specialized services, and access to business networks, incubators help reduce business mortality and foster capabilities associated with competitiveness (Lasrado et al., 2016; Wasdani, Vijaygopal ; Manimala, 2022). In Brazil, university-affiliated TBBIs have gained importance as mechanisms of knowledge transfer, supporting the consolidation of startups and academic spin-offs (Barbosa & Hoffmann, 2013; Rosa, 2014). However, research also reveals limitations in their impact when resources are fragmented or inadequately absorbed by incubated firms (Song et al., 2019; Colombo & Delmastro, 2002). Understanding how these resources relate to capability formation is therefore essential for improving incubation practices and for designing more effective public policies. This research adopts a qualitative, applied, and explanatory approach, grounded in the inductive method. The empirical analysis covered two TBBIs affiliated with federal universities in Minas Gerais and seventeen incubated firms. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with incubator managers and firm representatives, following interview guides aimed at identifying the resources offered and their relationship with the development of organizational capabilities, which were subsequently associated with key indicators of success. According to Ruas (2005), organizational capability manifests in at least two forms, defined by competitiveness level: basic organizational capability, which ensures the organization’s medium-term survival, and selective organizational capability, which provides a competitive advantage. The study also examined the absorptive capacity of incubated firms, that is, their ability to recognize, integrate, and apply knowledge derived from the resources received. Data were analyzed using Bardin’s (2004) content analysis technique, complemented by the principles of active and methodological listening recommended by Bourdieu (1997), to minimize interpretative bias. In the final stage, fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) was applied to identify combinations of factors influencing firm performance, taking success indicators, such as revenue and survival, as reference points, and using basic and selective capabilities as analytical variables. The results demonstrate that TBBIs contribute to the development of basic capabilities through the training, infrastructure, and networks they provide. However, selective capabilities depend more on the teams’ prior knowledge than on incubator support, highlighting the importance of absorptive capacity. The study concludes that, although essential to the innovation ecosystem, TBBIs must refine their support strategies to enable incubated firms to make better use of the resources offered.