How Can Start-Up Firms Define A Market For Radical Innovation – The Case Of Textile Coated By Graphene.

Sammanfattning: Start-ups have played and still play a vital role in national and global economies. To grow and maintain competitiveness, companies need to innovate, and this is the engine of market growth. However, existing studies do not provide sufficient guidance and explanation on how companies in the early stages of life can successfully define a market for radical innovation. Some previous studies have focused on market niche and breakthrough innovation, others on start-ups and their radical innovation, and others on entrepreneurship and dynamic capabilities.  Therefore, the objective of this master’s thesis is to systematically address and explain how start-ups with their radical innovation can define a market and what dynamic capabilities are necessary to reach it successfully. This master's thesis presents a qualitative case study, and the results show that start-ups can face several challenges when defining a market, especially when talking about radical innovation. However, the deployment of dynamic capabilities in a constant manner can support start-ups in the complex process of the delimitation of the market. These capabilities are essential for start-ups not only to shape the offer but also to deal with uncertain environments and to adapt to changes in the market. The findings of this thesis contribute to sharpening the theoretical framework of dynamic capabilities in an entrepreneurial environment. Entrepreneurs can benefit from the results as a practical guide when defining a market. Moreover, for academia, the results improved the dynamic capabilities framework with an illustration of the application of these capabilities in a real scenario.