Many startups struggle to acquire significant market share and secure growth partnerships. Existing literature often lacks startup perspectives, creating a gap in guidelines for new ventures. This case study investigates Delft Offshore Turbines (DOT) strategies alongside nine additional interviews to identify key factors for successful partnerships. Market research and SWOT analysis for DOT’s slip-joint technology revealed strengths and opportunities related to innovation and wind turbine demand, but weaknesses and threats in the Dutch wind turbine industry and existing partnerships. A conceptual framework was built based on the findings from literature and theories such as Technology Commercialization, Resource-Based View (RBV), Transaction Cost Economics (TCE), and Open Innovation. Comparison with DOT’s strategies showed partial alignment with the theoretical framework, but significant mistrust with the current partner and industry-specific factors suggested exploring alternatives like a Joint Venture (JV). To better understand the specific factors startups employ in forming partnerships, a comparative analysis with eight additional startups identified primary factors such as customer feedback, balanced approaches, and strategic partnership models. Secondary factors included IP protection, preparedness, and adaptability. These findings underscore the importance of strategic partnerships for startups’ growth and highlight the need for trust-building and adaptive strategies within dynamic industry landscapes. Addressing gaps in the current literature on startup perspectives, this study identifies limitations and suggests future research to explore these themes more comprehensively, enhancing startup success in partnership strategies. Keywords: Startup dynamics, collaboration, joint venture, case study, startup partnerships, TUDelft interview, Technology Commercialization, Resource-Based View (RBV), Transaction Cost Economics (TCE), Open Innovation