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And the winner is—Acquired. Entrepreneurship as a contest yielding radical innovations

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  • Henkel, Joachim
  • Rønde, Thomas
  • Wagner, Marcus
Abstract
New entrants to a market tend to be superior to incumbents in originating radical innovations. We provide a new explanation for this phenomenon, based on markets for technology. It applies in industries where successful entrepreneurial firms, or their technologies, are acquired by incumbents that then commercialize the innovation. To this end we analyze an innovation game between one incumbent and a large number of entrants. In the first stage, firms compete to develop innovations of high quality. They do so by choosing, at equal cost, the success probability of their R&D approach, where a lower probability accompanies higher value in case of success—that is, a more radical innovation. In the second stage, successful entrants bid to be acquired by the incumbent. We assume that entrants cannot survive on their own, so being acquired amounts to a prize in a contest. We identify an equilibrium in which the incumbent performs the least radical project. Entrants pick pairwise different projects; the bigger the number of entrants, the more radical the most radical project. Generally, entrants tend to choose more radical R&D approaches and generate the highest value innovation in case of success. We illustrate our theoretical findings by a qualitative empirical study of the Electronic Design Automation industry, and derive implications for research and management.

Suggested Citation

  • Henkel, Joachim & Rønde, Thomas & Wagner, Marcus, 2015. "And the winner is—Acquired. Entrepreneurship as a contest yielding radical innovations," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(2), pages 295-310.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:respol:v:44:y:2015:i:2:p:295-310
    DOI: 10.1016/j.respol.2014.09.004
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    Cited by:

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    2. Signori, Andrea & Vismara, Silvio, 2018. "M&A synergies and trends in IPOs," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 141-153.
    3. Åsa Lindholm-Dahlstrand & Martin Andersson & Bo Carlsson, 2019. "Entrepreneurial experimentation: a key function in systems of innovation," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 53(3), pages 591-610, October.
    4. Barros, Pedro Pita & Brito, Duarte & Vasconcelos, Helder, 2018. "Welfare decreasing endogenous mergers between producers of complementary goods," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 54-95.
    5. Reinhilde Veugelers & Cédric Schneider, 2018. "Which IP strategies do young highly innovative firms choose?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 50(1), pages 113-129, January.
    6. Erik E. Lehmann & Manuel T. Schwerdtfeger, 2016. "Evaluation of IPO-firm takeovers: an event study," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 47(4), pages 921-938, December.
    7. Pehr-Johan Norbäck & Lars Persson, 2024. "Why generative AI can make creative destruction more creative but less destructive," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 63(1), pages 349-377, June.
    8. Kaya, Mehmet Caglar & Persson, Lars, 2019. "A theory of gazelle growth: Competition, venture capital finance and policy," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 50(C).
    9. Colin Davis & Laixun Zhao, 2022. "Innovation to Keep or to Sell and Tax Incentives," Discussion Paper Series DP2022-28, Research Institute for Economics & Business Administration, Kobe University, revised Nov 2022.
    10. Colombelli, Alessandra & Grilli, Luca & Minola, Tommaso & Mrkajic, Boris, 2020. "To what extent do young innovative companies take advantage of policy support to enact innovation appropriation mechanisms?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(10).
    11. Ferreira, Paulo Jorge Silveira & Dionísio, Andreia Teixeira Marques, 2016. "What are the conditions for good innovation results? A fuzzy-set approach for European Union," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(11), pages 5396-5400.
    12. Signori, Andrea, 2018. "Zero-revenue IPOs," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 106-121.
    13. Uwe Cantner & James A. Cunningham & Erik E. Lehmann & Matthias Menter, 2021. "Entrepreneurial ecosystems: a dynamic lifecycle model," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 57(1), pages 407-423, June.
    14. Hottenrott, Hanna & Richstein, Robert, 2020. "Start-up subsidies: Does the policy instrument matter?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(1).
    15. Huvaj, M. Nesij & Johnson, William C., 2019. "Organizational complexity and innovation portfolio decisions: Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 153-165.

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