What drives the design of startup competitions? A conceptual framework and future directions

This study aims to synthesize previous unconnected streams of literature on startup competitions, by exploring the key components and mechanisms characterizing the functioning of these events endorsed by entrepreneurial support organizations. Due to the ambiguity and conceptual fragmentation around startup competitions, we conducted a systematic literature review of 104 articles that went through screening, coding, and theorizing. The study proposes five startup competition dimensions: characteristics and specifics, involved actors, aims, evaluation, and nature of startup competitions. Such dimensions are integrated into a conceptual framework that explains what key components and mechanisms characterize the functioning of startup competitions. The latter is attracting growing attention in both research and practice. However, knowledge concerning startup competitions is limited. This study is the first review that synthesizes startup competition literature. It offers significant contributions by presenting a unique definition of startup competitions as integral events in entrepreneurial support organizations, establishing a conceptual framework linking the startup competitions’ dimensions, and offering future insights for theoretical development. Overall, the framework offers a tool for future research to analyze the relationships among startup competitions’ dimensions, thereby assisting competition designers in decision-making processes when crafting initiatives that lead to tackling grand challenges.