To infinity and beyond : The ongoing translation of GDPR in startup companies

Sammanfattning: Since GDPR was introduced back in 2018, it has become the major tool for protection ofpersonal data within the EU. However, the framework has been seen to impede innovation.Startups are characterized as both striving for innovation, but also being dependent oncollaborations for the purpose of progress. This thesis aims at exploring how startups translateGDPR, that is how they have chosen to design and fit the framework into the operation, howthey perceive that the translation design has affected their collaborations, and lastly howstartups understand GDPR as a framework. The study finds that due to resource scarcity andfuture uncertainty, startups translation of GDPR will vary from every situation. The empiricalmaterial did not reveal any perceptions of the GDPR translation negatively impacting startups’collaborations; however, it was perceived that the translation of the framework may facilitatecounterparts’ willingness to enter a collaboration with the startup. Lastly, GDPR was perceivedto be rather vague, allowing it to more easily to be translated by the startup companies.