In recent years, public health deterioration is a growing concern worldwide driven by factors such as lifestyle changes, environmental degradation, and unequal access to healthcare. In-creasing rates of chronic diseases, mental health disorders, and the global spread of infectious diseases have highlight the urgent attention to these problems. Consequently, the mounting pressure on global health infrastructures reinforces the need for innovative solutions, such as digital health technologies, to improve healthcare access and overall well-being. In the rapidly evolving landscape of digital healthcare, digital health startups are at the forefront of innovation, harnessing cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence, big data analytics, and mobile health applications to transform patient care, diagnosis, and treatment. Despite their in-creasing prominence, a significant knowledge gap remains in understanding how these digital health startups effectively create, capture, and deliver value, particularly within the intricate regulatory framework of the Dutch healthcare system.
This research directly addresses this gap by exploring the key elements of value creation, capture, and delivery specific to the digital health sector in The Netherlands to conceptually understand the core of the digital health startups. These elements—value creation, capture, and delivery-are fundamental components of any business model, as highlighted by researcher Alexander Osterwalder, as represent how a company creates value for customers, captures a part of this created value, and efficiently delivers its offerings, all of which are crucial for the success of digital health startups. Building on this, through a comprehensive analysis of existing business model frameworks, this study evaluates their applicability, points of alignment and misalignment with the current research’s aim, ultimately leading to the development of a conceptual value framework. This framework is crafted to provide a holistic and conceptual understanding to business modeling, equipping Dutch digital health startups with better under-standing, structured thinking and a birds-eye view of the processes necessary to successfully navigate the complexities involved in digital healthcare innovation. This research is only a preliminary step towards developing a tool, that can be practically used by the entrepreneurs for hands-on inputs and formulation of business strategies, through further research.
he findings of this research emphasize the critical importance of a well-structured business model that balances the demands of innovation, regulatory compliance, and patient safety. The practical implications of the framework include, offering a structured methodology that benefits entrepreneurs, mentors, and investors alike. This would especially be beneficial for first time entrepreneurs in the digital health field, guiding them through the complex processes with multiple stakeholders including the inherent complexities of the digital health field.
In terms of academic contributions, this conceptual value framework is first of a kind for the digital health startups, giving an overarching and holistic view of value creation, capture and delivery for Dutch digital health startups. As touched upon previously, this has also opened a new avenue to research further and build an easy to use tool for entrepreneurs to give them actionable insights. So in that view, conceptual value framework presented in this report is really just a starting point for the further nuanced research in the topic. Similar to how the existing tools, say Business Model Canvas is widely utilized to guide startups across various sectors, this research initiates the development of a specialized tool tailored specifically for digital health startups. The conceptual value framework proposed in this study serves as an essential first step toward creating such a tool. Given that digital health startups operate within a unique regulatory and environmental landscape, this holistic framework is designed to address the specific complexities of the digital health domain, providing a comprehensive tool that en-compasses its intricate requirements. In essence, the conceptual value framework presented in this study is just the beginning—a starting point for deeper, more nuanced exploration in this evolving field.
This research not only fills a crucial gap in the literature but also lays basis for further research that can serve as a detailed road map for digital health entrepreneurs, helping them to effectively align their business models with the unique challenges and opportunities presented by the Dutch healthcare system.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted vulnerabilities in global healthcare systems, emphasizing the need for innovation to enhance resilience, particularly in response to outbreaks and demographic changes like an ageing population. Many of these innovations originate from university research and are brought to market by health-tech spin-offs, creating significant societal value. In the Netherlands, academic entrepreneurial ecosystems play a crucial role in supporting these spin-offs, particularly in their early stages, through various facilitators. However, challenges unique to health-tech spin-offs, such as clinical regulations, often hinder their growth. Despite current efforts, facilitators lack comprehensive knowledge about the effectiveness of their support, leading to gaps that need addressing. Many publications exist about academic entrepreneurial frameworks however there remains a lack of knowledge about their applicability to Dutch academic entrepreneurial ecosystems. This study investigates how the three Dutch academic entrepreneurial ecosystems (Delft University of Technology, Leiden University Medical Centre and Erasmus Medical Centre) can design their academic entrepreneurial support systems to aid health-tech spin-offs effectively. Through a combination of literature analysis and interviews with facilitators and founders, the study identifies mismatches in support, including the need for tailored health-tech programs, clinical validation support, and efficient networking. It also explores the specialized support areas within Dutch ecosystems, such as TU Delft's focus on high-tech inventions, EMC's emphasis on medical devices, and LUMC's concentration on pharmaceutical spin-offs. The findings suggest that while each ecosystem has its strengths, there is a need for more targeted and effective support structures to meet the specific needs of health-tech spin-offs. The study offers practical implications for both facilitators and founders, providing a clearer understanding of how to optimize support within these ecosystems. Additionally, it contributes to the academic literature by offering insights into the unique challenges faced by health-tech spin-offs and the role of academic entrepreneurial ecosystems in addressing these challenges. Future research is recommended to further explore the effectiveness of tailored support solutions and the role of national policies in fostering the growth of health-tech spin-offs.

The research aimed to validate the methodology used for the previously conducted work on the Dutch PV startup sector by applying it to Indian PV startups and providing insights into how external factors influence their Business Model Dynamics (BMD). It revealed some similarities and differences between the Dutch and Indian technology-based PV startups, offering valuable information for investors, industry players, entrepreneurs and policymakers to formulate effective policies and support sustainable PV industry growth. The comparative analysis identified different external triggers and their consequences across various periods and growth stages in developing technology-based PV startups in the two regions. The results concluded with a focus on political and economic factors being the most impacting external agents for the growth of a startup.

The 21st century has seen a significant rise in clean technologies driven by urgent environmental challenges alongside transformative digital innovations shaping global interactions. Despite these significant events, cleantech startups face substantial challenges and missed opportunities in effectively integrating digital technologies into their sustainable business strategies. To fully harness the potential of digital innovations, addressing the trade-offs and synergies cleantech startups encountered between digital and sustainable strategic practices is crucial, as is understanding the underlying causes of their strategic choices. Despite the rising interest of academia in sustainable and digital entrepreneurship, academic research fails to identify these trade-offs and synergies within cleantech startups.
As a result, the main objective of this research is to explore and identify trade-offs and synergies that arise when entrepreneurs follow a sustainable and digital strategy simultaneously within cleantech startups and how they are influenced by their stakeholders, resources, and external environment. By examining the influences of resources, stakeholders, and external pressures, the research seeks to understand entrepreneurs' strategic decision-making process and the implementation of digital technologies within a complex environment. The main research question is defined as follows:

“How do Dutch cleantech startups navigate the synergies and trade-offs between digital and sustainable practices, and what are the underlying dynamics shaping these interactions?”

A systematic literature review mapped the existing academic perspectives on the strategic practices of Dutch cleantech startups, revealing the research gaps. The study employs the resource-based view theory and is complemented by the institutional theory as the foundation of the research. The research uses the concepts of digital and sustainability strategic orientation to explain how their practices are influenced and define the resources and external incentives as moderators. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine Dutch cleantech startups in various industries, such as agriculture, shipping and renewable energies. A qualitative content analysis was conducted to explore the trade-offs and ynergies, resources and incentives, followed by a stakeholders analysis, interview comparison and relational analysis to research the underlying dynamics. The findings show that the startups navigate complex trade-offs between sustainable and digital practices, balancing investment in digital tools for profitability and scalability with commitments to sustainable R&D.
Pressures from financial investors prioritise digital scaling and profitability over sustainable impact. Startups prioritise external sustainability impacts over internal sustainable practices and technical talent acquisition over workforce equality. Synergies emerge from leveraging technologies like AI, machine learning, dashboards, and blockchain to enhance product quality, validation, credibility, operational efficiency, and regulatory compliance, supported by collaborations with universities and incubators. Stricter sustainable regulations secure funding and stimulate market demand, facilitating the integration of digital and sustainable strategies. Moderating dynamics are financial resources, influencing the balance between profit-driven practices and sustainable investments. Technical team knowledge enhances digital capabilities, and social networks with incubators and R&D institutions foster collaboration synergies despite challenges in data exchange due to limited digital infrastructure. Normative pressures from customers' expectations and coercive pressures from investors and regulators further shape strategic priorities, emphasising compliance with technical standards. Further research is recommended to evaluate the impact of various digital technologies in enhancing synergies and trade-offs. Furthermore, the direct relationship between resources and external incentives warrants further exploration to understand their influence on strategic practices. Additionally, addressing investor influence, including distinctions between impact investors and traditional venture capitalists, could be helpful. Broader studies with diverse samples from different regions and countries and longitudinal studies are recommended to explore the long-term effects of digital and sustainable orientations and practices.

This master's thesis examines the effects of business model innovation and competitive strategies on the success of high-tech startups in the Netherlands. Understanding how high-tech startups can improve their performance and compete successfully is of utmost relevance given the increasing importance of technology entrepreneurship and the emergence of high-tech startups. High-tech businesses frequently fail within the first 18 months despite their promise; thus, it is necessary to identify techniques that encourage their expansion and success. Considering its significance in Europe and its ability to promote international entrepreneurship, this study concentrates on the Dutch high-tech startup ecosystem. By examining the interaction between business models, competitive strategies, and startup performance, the study seeks to fill a gap in the body of existing literature. The central research question, "What is the influence of competitive strategies and business model innovation on the performance of high-tech start-ups in the Netherlands?" serves as the focus of this study.

The study employs a quantitative research approach to gather insights from high-tech businesses established between 2017 and 2020. Data is meticulously collected from high-tech startups in the Netherlands, utilizing a meticulously crafted survey questionnaire. This comprehensive analysis aims to unravel the intricate dynamics between business model innovation and competitive strategies, shedding light on pivotal performance variables such as number of employees and revenue, pivotal indicators of startup growth. Through rigorous statistical analysis performed on a sample of 49 high-tech startups, the study unveils a noteworthy positive correlation between the interaction of business model novelty and cost-leadership strategy with enhanced startup performance, particularly in terms of full-time employees. However, other direct and interactional relationships failed to yield significance concerning the performance variables. Consequently, the study delves into discerning the prevalent business models and preferred competitive strategies within the Dutch high-tech startup ecosystem. Further, despite the significant insights garnered, this research acknowledges certain limitations, including sample size constraints, sampling methodology, and primarily the questions in the survey questionnaire design, which may have influenced the outcomes of the research study.

The results of this study have ramifications for practitioners as well as scholars. By providing insights into the intricate interactions between business models, competitive strategies, and startup performance, it adds to the body of academic literature on strategic management and entrepreneurship. The research also provides important insights from high-tech startups on their decision-making to enhance their performance with developing market trends. The research helps business owners make informed decisions that promote growth, profitability, and market competitiveness by identifying effective combinations of business models and strategies. Delving into these dynamics, this research not only enriches the academic understanding of entrepreneurship but also provides valuable insights with practical implications. Through its rigorous analysis and findings, this thesis aims to equip high-tech startups with the knowledge and strategies needed to succeed in today's dynamic world. In conclusion, this master's thesis provides a thorough examination of the complex linkages between business model innovation, competitive strategies, and the performance outcomes of Dutch high-tech startups.

The linear extract-produce-use-dump material and energy flow model is unsustainable. In this linear model, materials are extracted faster than they can be replenished. There is a need for a different model, a circular economy, as evidenced by the EU’s commitment to this goal. The Netherlands has also committed to be fully circular by 2050. Dutch companies, however, have failed to achieve progress towards the adoption of a circular economy. The Dutch manufacturing sector is more circular compared to other countries, but the progression in circularity has stagnated. Most firms opt for a recycling or recovery strategy to achieve circularity, but these are two of the least favored circular strategies as they are still relatively linear. The total material usage has increased and there is a need for a reduction in materials usage per product, starting at the design phase. Consequently, an identification of barriers and strategies to achieve a reduction in material usage is needed. Through an exploratory approach, inspired by Ortt and Kamp and their technological innovation system framework, the context of the system we are trying to change is explored and strategies will be designed to overcome the identified barriers. The research contains research methods such as literature reviews of scientific articles and company reports, as well as semi-structured interviews and case studies with Dutch companies operating in the manufacturing sector. The result of this report is a list of niche strategies for manufacturing companies in the Netherlands.

Health systems globally, currently face many multi-faceted and dynamic challenges. There is a growing demand for quality healthcare, shifting expectations towards more responsibility for patients in their own health journey, an evolving role of technologies within society, and external pressures to decrease costs and improve sustainability in a directive towards more preventative healthcare. In response to these challenges, many innovative technologies have been developed and applied for example to improve medical devices, enable virtual health services, manage patient and health system data and for other applications throughout the value-chain of health systems. There is a continually growing need for such innovations to be developed and implemented, despite the uncertainty characterising the ever-evolving health system landscape.
In the attempt to address the need for innovative health technologies, there has been an explosion of firms, entrepreneurs, and innovation hubs shifting their focus to developing and implementing new health technologies. Healthtech innovation and start-ups are vital to improve the quality and capacity of available healthcare, relieve overburdened health systems, and match shifting needs and expectations within the health industry. However, it has been observed that many start-ups are failing to grow to a point where their innovations can make an impact and have sustainable success in the health system. The downfall of many startups focusing on developing health technologies (healthtech startups) occurs most frequently in the time before they manage to start selling their health technologies to customers, or what is termed "scaling-up". Although there are many aspects or factors that play a role in the failure of these healthtech startups, there is one palpable observation; the development journey experienced by healthtech startups before scaling-up is distinctly unique and misunderstood. This observation calls for research to create a better understanding of the complex and unique development required of healthtech startups - to facilitate their ability in scaling-up, selling and implementing their health technologies.
In line with addressing this need, this thesis begins by conducted a literature study focused on technology and health technology startup development, aiming to explore the existing knowledge concerning the pre-scaleup phase in healthtech startups. The literature study consisted of a two-stage review process, beginning with a scoping review of literature pertaining to the technology startups and their early development, and proceeding with a rapid review of literature related to specifically healthtech startups in their early development phases. This examination revealed a recurrent tendency in the literature to discuss this startup phase through several key themes. Drawing from this discovery, the subsequent step
involved characterising available literature information into nine defining themes: regulation, network, development processes, financing, capabilities, performance metrics, solution, system and market context, and social aspects; which collectively define the pre-scaleup development of healthtech startups.
The literature study emphasised the distinctiveness of healthtech startups in their pre-scaleup journey, underscoring the imperative to investigate how this distinctiveness could be effectively represented. Consequently, the thesis advanced to exploring models that could represent the unique nature of the early development of healthtech startups. Existing models geared towards representing and guiding early startup development were critically evaluated accruing to their limitations in comprehensively capturing the distinctive aspects specific to the pre-scaleup development phase within the healthtech sector. This evaluation culminated in a synthesis of insights derived from both the reviewed models and the themes identified from literature. This synthesis aimed to clarify the distinct attributes intrinsic to healthtech startups, ultimately culminating in the formulation of a bespoke theoretical model tailored to effectively represent the pre-scaleup progression of healthtech startups. The model incorporates elements from existing literature models to construct a developmental framework delineating stages and pivotal points that encapsulate the fundamental activities undertaken during healthtech startup evolution. It also spotlights the essential challenges that demand resolution to propel a startup to subsequent developmental phases. Built with adaptability and collaboration in mind, the model allows for iterative processes and the seamless exchange of feedback across successive stages. The theoretical model captures the pre-scaleup journey of a healthtech startup within five distinct developmental stages: (1) concept development, (2) opportunity framing, (3) clinical validation, (4) pre-organisation, and finally, (5) scale-up. These stages are demarcated by a set of critical barriers termed ’critical junctures’. Comprising four such junctures - (1) problem-solution fit, (2) commitment, (3) credibility, and (4) scale-readiness - these represent the essential obstacles that must be surmounted for a healthtech startup to forge ahead in its growth trajectory.
Furthermore, the thesis introduced and implemented an approach to gather supplementary data, thereby enriching the insights and comprehension of healthtech startups and their pre-scaleup development. This involved conducting a series of interviews with individuals possessing various perspectives, expertise and practical experiences in the pre-scaleup phase of healthtech startups in the Netherlands. The conducted interviews, coupled with their subsequent inductive coding analysis, yielded a range of valuable insights that were categorised into themes, providing a characterisation of the pre-scaleup progression of healthtech startups. Moreover, these interviews yielded information that resonated with the previously established theoretical model.
Upon recognising the emergence of consistent themes in both literature and the interview data, a subsequent comparison was conducted to compare these two research approaches. The culmination of this comparison led to the formulation of a definitive catalogue consisting of four key and four lesser "characteristics of the pre-scaleup development of healthtech startups" that effectively encapsulate the pre-scaleup journey of healthtech startups, enhancing the characterisation, definition, and comprehension of this development phase. The resulting four key characteristics are; (1) the network and people involved, (2) the development processes carried out, (3) the financing methods used to support the development journey, and (4) the applicable regulations of the health technology being developed and how the healthtech startup conforms to them. The four lesser characteristics capture (1) the social considerations to be accounted for, (2) the characteristics of the health solution that must be prioritised, (3) the capabilities that are essential within the development of a healthtech startups, and (4) the influence of the context of the health system and market on the development journey of healthtech startups.
Furthermore, the insights garnered from the interviews provided substantial input relevant to the theoretical model. These inputs subsequently generated several recommendations for prospective research endeavours, aimed at assessing the practical viability of a model akin to the theoretical construct developed in this thesis. It is recommended that the model be tested or applied in case studies to gauge the practical applicability of the model. Moreover, the interviews also revealed an unexplored linkage between deliverable, evidence levels, and critical junctures. Future research efforts should explore the incorporation of measurable outcomes that correlate to the relevant development stage or critical juncture in the model. Additionally, it was found that processes, evidence requirements, and activities may significantly differ based on the type of health technology being developed. While the theoretical model’s overall structure might suit diverse healthtech startups, it may fail to represent the specific activities and barriers for medical devices, biotechnology, and electronic health technologies. The model holds potential as a guiding tool for comprehending and directing healthtech startup pre-scaleup development. However, it requires refinement to address gaps, ideally through extensive case studies, broader expert input, and collaboration with process modelling experts. Ultimately, the model lays a foundation for future research aimed at producing a more accurate representation of the unique challenges posed by healthtech startup pre-scaleup development.
Finally, some key observations are discussed and several recommendations are made for future related research. There is a major emphasis placed on ’user-centred’ development of health technologies during the interviews and in literature. One of the most popular methods of user-centred development in literature, called Participatory Design, demonstrates that the active involvement of users from early in the development of a health technology facilitates trust, shared understanding, and ultimately helps develop a solution that satisfies the needs of all its stakeholders and encourages its successful adoption in the health system. Furthermore, there are several social and ethical considerations that healthtech startups should consider throughout their development. Both the analysis of existing literature and interviews with industry professionals highlighted the fragmented nature of information concerning the responsibility for upholding ethical and socially responsible practices in the pre-scaleup development of healthtech startups. Key stakeholders emerged from the literature search, including startups, regulatory bodies like the FDA and EMA, healthcare professionals, ethics committees, industry organisations, data protection agencies, patient advocacy groups, and academic institutions. These stakeholders collectively share the responsibility for ensuring patient safety, data privacy, and ethical considerations throughout the development and use of health technologies. Further research is necessary to explore the allocation and sharing of these ethical responsibilities among stakeholders in the healthtech sector.
Having explored the unique journey that healthtech startups experience in their aspiration to develop valuable and sustainable solutions for health systems, is it evident that there are in fact many misunderstood and overlooked aspects, challenges and factors that make their mission more difficult than expected.
This thesis presents a first attempt to better understand the unique experience that healthtech startups have in their pre-scaleup development, and the findings of this thesis should become a starting platform for future research into this unexplored matter.

The study embarks on a comprehensive investigation into the domain of circular innovation within Dutch high-tech firms, probing the dynamics of drivers, barriers, and the strategic impact of niche strategies. The research methodology builds upon the adaptable foundation of the Technological Innovation System (TIS) framework, adapting it to the unique contours of circular innovation. This framework guides the research objectives, which encompass discerning the propulsive forces driving circular innovation, unraveling the contextual intricacies, and critically evaluating the applicability of the adapted TIS framework.

Guided by this framework, the research addresses three pivotal sub-questions that delve into the nuances of drivers, barriers and the strategic potency of niche strategies within the circular innovation landscape. The methodology seamlessly interweaves an expansive literature review with in-depth case studies of four distinct Dutch circular high-tech firms. Through rigorous qualitative analysis, recurrent drivers emerge, including the catalytic influence of emerging regulations, collaborative partnerships, strategic product design and value proposition, and intrinsic motivation. On the flip side, barriers encompass the complexities of production systems, complementary products and services, network formation and coordination, and the intricate maze of customer engagement challenges.

Embedded within the empirical insights are four distinct niche strategies, meticulously tailored to specific contexts: the Redesign Niche Strategy, the Decentralization Niche Strategy, the Turnkey Product-Service System (PSS) Niche Strategy, and the Compliance-Driven Stepping-Stone Niche Strategy. These strategies come to light as potent tools in surmounting the entrenched barriers, underscoring the significance of strategic alignment with regulatory shifts, the formation of collaborative networks, and the innovation-driven approach to product design in propelling circular innovation.

The strategic adaptation of the TIS framework to circular innovation not only enriches analytical depth but also highlights its pragmatic relevance. Consultations with experts from HollandCircularHotspot - a platform driving the advancement of the circular economy by facilitating collaboration, knowledge sharing, and representing Dutch circular companies on an international stage, serve to validate the framework's utility, affirming its efficacy in dissecting the ever-evolving landscape of circular innovation. Acknowledging its limitations, such as the limited scope of case studies and the geographical focus on Dutch high-tech companies, the study sets the stage for future research endeavors.

In summation, this thesis offers a substantial contribution to comprehending the dynamics of circular innovation within Dutch high-tech enterprises. It underscores the pivotal role of specific strategies and reaffirms the pertinence of the adapted TIS framework. With its blend of empirical insights and theoretical foundations, the study illuminates potential pathways for circumventing barriers to circular innovation, paving the way for transformative change within the high-tech circular landscape.

In today's society, resource efficiency and energy conservation have become paramount, initiating discussions across businesses and nations. Circular strategies, rooted in the Industry 4.0 era of automation and data-driven processes, offer a compelling solution. This study investigates how circular strategies and Industry 4.0 technologies synergize to transform manufacturing companies into introducing circular business models. The research constructs a comprehensive framework interconnecting circular strategies, business model elements, and emerging technologies. This Hybrid Circular Business Model-Tech framework guides manufacturing entities in applying circularity, enhancing sustainability, resource efficiency, and competitiveness. Through literature review, framework development, and real-world case studies with renowned Dutch firms, the study bridges theory and practice, advancing circular economy principles in the manufacturing sector. Overall, the Hybrid Circular Business Model - Tech framework serves as an invaluable tool for transitioning from linear to circular models, fostering informed decision-making within organizations committed to embracing a sustainable future.

Research on the effect and influence of external factors on the sustainable business model elements of technology-based start-ups in the Netherlands operating in the PV sector. This resulted in research findings demonstrating that external factors exert a substantial influence on the business model dynamics of Dutch technology-based PV start-ups. Understanding and adapting to these external influences is essential for the sustained success of these start-ups, emphasizing the need for strategic responsiveness and alignment with the evolving external environment. It also shows that the findings of this thesis are not limited to Dutch technology-based PV start-ups but can also be applicable to start-ups in the renewable energy sector, or even start-ups in general.

The Dutch horticulture sector (Dhc sector) is a significant contributor to the country's GDP and a global leader in horticultural production and trade. However, despite government efforts, the sector faces challenges in achieving sustainable targets. Sustainable startups, the suppliers of innovative solutions, also encounter barriers hindering the implementation of their sustainable business models. This study aims to identify these barriers and propose niche strategies to help sustainable startups effectively implement their business models in the Dutch horticulture sector.
To address the research question, the study develops the Sustainable Transition Navigator (STN) model, which integrates the Sustainable Business Model Canvas (SBMC), Technological Innovation Systems (TIS) framework, and niche strategies. The model assists startups in visualizing and optimizing the impact of their niche strategies on their sustainable business models.
The STN model is validated and applied to two sustainable startups in the Dhc sector. Through stakeholder analysis and qualitative interviews, the study identifies six clusters of innovation barriers specific to the sector. These findings are incorporated into the STN model to highlight the barriers that sustainable startups must overcome.
The practical implementation of the STN model reveals its benefits. Startups find the model valuable for assessing technological viability and selecting appropriate niche strategies. The visual representation of the model facilitates communication within startup teams, emphasizing the importance of regularly revisiting and adjusting strategies. The STN model serves as an online tool for iterative evaluation and adjustment.
The flexibility of the STN model allows startups to adapt it to various stages of their journey. By accurately assessing hindering building blocks and influential factors within the TIS framework, startups can identify areas for improvement and formulate relevant niche strategies. Multiple niche strategies can be organized into a timeline, creating an implementation plan that can be continually revisited.
This study contributes to scientific and managerial fields by expanding the applicability of the TIS framework, introducing the STN model, and providing practical insights for startups and business leaders. The findings offer guidance for navigating barriers and driving sustainable transitions in the Dutch horticulture sector and other industries.

This research investigates the relationship between niche strategies and business models, with a focus on tech-based startups/companies. The research makes use of historical cases to identify the relationship. Historical cases are studied by applying the TIS framework to past cases of new technology that achieved technology diffusion. Upon application of niche strategies, the business model and barriers to large-scale diffusion change. These changes are studied to derive two relationships. First, the impact of niche strategies on the business model and second, the relationship between niche strategies and barriers. Based on findings from historical cases, a conceptual framework is built. It is designed to aid in better decision-making for startups or companies that can potentially lead to the large-scale diffusion of their new technology. The framework is employed to trace the business model dynamics along with the evolution of barriers to large-scale diffusion.

The term "digital transformation" (DT) has gained popularity, sparking interest across many academic fields and inspiring new lines of inquiry(Hausberg et al., 2019). With the adoption of new technologies helping deliver secure high-quality patient care and drive greater business efficiency, healthcare sector has gained significant benefits from digital transformation. Digital technologies, driven by the exponential rise in computing power, have successfully altered the majority of economic sectors, from finance to entertainment, with one notable exception: healthcare. The increasing advancements in medical equipment and imaging technology serve as evident illustrations of how high-tech medicine is in many aspects. Nevertheless, healthtech companies are still on a learning curve on how to transform their companies digitally, despite billions of dollars being invested in digital health solutions by both startup and established technology companies(Walsh & Rumsfeld, 2017).
This study advances the body of knowledge in the field of digital transformation by identifying the barriers to and enablers of business transformation as well as the role of IT technology as an enabler of business transformation. By creating a theoretical framework for barriers and enablers of business transformation with IT technology as an enabler, it empirically studies Philips to undertake a case study and offers a basis for theory building. On the subject of business transformation, a literature review utilizing the five-step grounded theory methodology was carried out. According to the literature study, this research highlights four primary barriers facing business transformation: organizational, knowledge, financial, and technical. Strategy, people, process, data, and technology are the different categories for business transformation enablers. The theoretical framework for this study is developed using the results of this literature review. A case study is performed on the digital transformation journey of Philips by identifying the IT technologies of the acquired firms that are part of Philip’s healthcare transformation portfolio. This research captures the goal of business transformation while identifying the barriers and enablers of business transformation at Philips by conducting inductive qualitative research by interviewing. Analysis of data is carried out by following the steps stated by Miles & Huberman (1994) and using content analysis to analyze the interview data. The results of this study show that At Philips, the organizational barrier has emerged as the most pervasive barrier to business transformation. This study demonstrates that Philips' organizational structure, or the way they are set up, is a significant impediment to business transformation. The matrix organizational structure of Philips makes organizational change challenging. According to researchers, business transformation begins with establishing a strategy and achieving the organization's aim. According to the research, this strategy is misleading, and that any business transformation strategy should be developed by first comprehending customer demands before being in line with the intended outcome of the business transformation. According to this study, people with proper experience and knowledge in the field of business transformation are the key enabler of business transformation. This study supports the resource-based hypothesis, which contends that an organization has a great chance to outperform its rivals when it possesses strategic resources that can provide it an advantage in the market and could even help it generate sizable profits. This research examines three important IT technologies provided by the acquired companies of Philips, namely Tomtec, RDT, and Capsule technologies as resources that can enable business transformation. According to this study, Philips' business transformation was made possible by the IT technologies' significant contributions to the company's sales and revenues following the acquisition of these companies. By integrating these IT resources into other products in their portfolio to facilitate business transformation, Philips can further develop these technologies and achieve their objective of becoming a fully solutions-based firm. However, the findings of this study also suggest that IT technologies have not yet reached their peak value since Philips lacks the competencies and innovation culture to fully utilize these technologies and add value as a result of preexisting limitations.

Nature-based solutions are solutions that (partly) consist of, or contribute to, living nature, which can provide economical, social and environmental benefits. Especially in the building sector they can have huge benefits over conventional (grey) solution as this sector uses a lot of resources and energy. The benefits that nature-based solutions can offer range from air purification to carbon sequestration to insulation. Even though nature-based solutions are known to have these benefits, large scale diffusion of nature-based solutions has not yet happened. The EU states that in “order for NbS to be implemented effective new business and partnership models should be created”. To foster the creation of these business models an appropriate business model framework is necessary. However, this framework was not yet existing. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis was to create a novel sustainable business model framework for nature-based solutions in the Dutch building sector. The novel framework was created through performing first literature research followed by a creation phase. This led to a preliminary framework which was then improved with the use of a focus group consisting of 7 experts from the Dutch building sector, who are currently working with, or involved with, nature-based solutions. With valuable insights and tips from the focus group the framework was then improved. This led to a framework consisting of a business model canvas supported by a few sections providing extra information. These extra sections help the user to fill in the business model canvas. On top of the improvements the focus group meeting also gave insights in how, and by who, the framework should be used. It became clear that the framework should primarily be used for creating an overview of an organisation, rather than for ideation. The framework should be used by organisations working with nature-based solutions and especially organisations who care about their impact and their ‘raison d’être’. The framework is a big improvement compared to the alternatives mainly because it is compact, but also comprehensive. It offers the user a way to perform a thoroughly impact assessment and the canvas includes many aspects/elements which are of high importance for implementing nature-based solutions.

Solar photovoltaics (PV), as one of the renewable energy technologies, has gradually penetrated power systems worldwide. Distributed solar photovoltaics (DSPV) systems characterised by reducing transmission line losses, increasing grid resilience and relaxing requirements for investment have experienced exponential growth over the last decade. China’s DSPV power market has witnessed momentous changes since 2012, when a series of policies were introduced. DSPV is becoming the main approach to utilizing solar energy in China.
However, there are barriers impeding distributed energy development regarding financial, technological, regulatory, resources and awareness aspects. To overcome obstacles to DSPV development, several scholars emphasized the importance of promoting business model innovation (BMI) in DSPV projects. Before any further design and implementation, a comprehensive understanding of BMI is essential. The fundamental step is to identify the origins of BMI and investigate how DSPV projects enterprises can capture and subsequently respond to changes within and external to their businesses.
This work aims to investigate business model innovation for distributed solar photovoltaic project companies through dynamic sustainable business model frameworks. The main research question is “How can we develop a dynamic sustainable business model framework to understand business model innovation in distributed solar PV (DSPV) projects in China?” The objective is to develop dynamic sustainable business model framework and then apply it to DSPV project companies in China in order to understand business model innovation.
Through the study, business model innovation at the firm level (DSPV project enterprise) is a dynamic process. Due to environmental and business variables, a company’s business model constantly changes in response to external and internal opportunities and threats. These variables are essential for understanding business model innovation. Changes in external factors (e.g., policy and regulation, industrial technology innovation, customer demand, market competition, etc.) and internal factors (e.g., company technology improvement, project O&M management, personnel capability, etc.) could trigger business model innovation. Starting with recognizing opportunities or threats, DSPV enterprises respond to these variables differently depending on company capability and external business environment. Meanwhile, changes within business model elements tend to be coherent and interlinked over time. For an efficient business model innovation, associated business model elements are supposed to be in line with a changed business model element. On the way, these changes can either create or capture value for stakeholders, including customers, society and the environment. The constantly changing process as to BMI is based on a company’s flexible operation and management for adapting to the complex and varying environment.

Addressing climate change is a challenge that governments, society, and companies have to face. For companies this becomes a major challenge as they are required to innovate in order to become more sustainable whilst still remain competitive. However, carrying out technological innovation may be useless if it cannot be diffused in the market. Due to this, ventures must go further and modify their current business models to change the way they are doing business and thus generate sustainable value and remain competitive. Within this context, a research gap that relates sustainability, business model innovation, and technology can be identified. To address this gap, an empirical exploratory case study is used as approach. The case study analysed is the Fermentation Acceleration by Separation Technology (FAST), a breakthrough technology in the biotechnology industry that is able to produce chemicals by means of a more cost-effective fermentation process. The technology was developed by DAB, a Dutch biotechnology spin-off from TU Delft. The main research question that was proposed to address the research gap was: “How can the FAST technology be a driver for sustainable business model innovation of biobased chemical companies?”. To answer the question, two business models were generated using the triple layered business model canvas for assessing and visualising, under a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) perspective, to what extent and in which elements of a business model the FAST technology drives sustainability. The models assessment considered DAB as a producer and a licensor for 2-phenylethanol (2PE) production by means of FAST, respectively. The main finding of this thesis project is that it has proven that FAST drives sustainable business model innovation within the biobased chemical industry. This is as sustainable business model innovation is found in both value proposition and value creation & delivery of the two sustainable business models generated by complementing FAST with the use of organic raw materials and solvents, and renewable energies as power source. More specifically, FAST sustainable innovativeness can be seen in the elements of value proposition, key resources, key partners, and customer segments of these novel sustainable business models. FAST drives sustainable business model innovation within these four elements by being a breakthrough innovation (key resources) that includes a sustainable and efficient production of biochemicals within its value proposition. Moreover, innovation is also driven within key partnerships as FAST requires strain designers to adopt a different approach when engineering new microorganisms. Here, the technology has an effect outside its business model, modifying the value chain. Furthermore, FAST can reach new customer segments and be competitive with current production processes of chemicals as it was shown for the case of 2PE. This sustainable innovativeness differs from the practices other companies within the industry have implemented which are focused on changing the fossil origin of raw materials but do not consider the creation of new value propositions/business models to balance the financial, environmental, and social aspects of sustainability. Regarding the theoretical contribution, this thesis presents a comprehensive analysis of the two business models outlined from the biotechnology sector and shows how they are able to capture the value of a novel sustainable innovation. By doing this, the research gap among business model innovation, sustainability, and technology is reduced. The generation of the sustainable business models was performed by: carrying out a literature review, a questionnaire on sustainability indicators, the Delphi method to obtain a consensus, and simulations of processes for 2PE production. The contribution for practitioners is an example on how they can design business models for a novel technology using a tool that offers a comprehensive analysis of its effects on sustainability. Moreover, the integrated LCA allows practitioners to have a quantitative analysis for measuring the impact of their technology, processes and activities. Furthermore, it may be also useful for redesigning current business models by assessing which components may be modified or kept to achieve sustainability. 

Technology-based startups entail creating and developing sustainable value by capitalizing and commercializing new technologies, which accelerates the growth of the startups and promotes economic sustainability. Unlike new technology developed in commercial firms, technology-based startups go through a process of transformation from a non-commercial to a commercial environment. In this process, they may lack knowledge, network, or resources and face different critical junctures. In recent years, emerging startups have been confronted with difficult changes in their business environments. The life spans of the business models are drastically shortened by technological advancements and shifting patterns of client demand. Companies must continuously examine their established routines and procedures if they want to survive and grow in such unsettling environments. Therefore, in order to succeed, the technology-based startup may require market testing and business model adaptation.
By combining insights from the literature, this paper presents a comprehensive framework that conceptualizes business model dynamics. The framework includes different origins of business model change and different types of business model change as well as the growth stages and junctures. Following the conceptual framework's construction, the effectiveness of the framework is evaluated using explorative case studies of six Dutch technology-based startups.
The results indicate that all startups changed their business model often in the credibility juncture. In the early stages of development, the changes are often forced and caused by external factors, and when the startup matures, it has more freedom to make strategic decisions, particularly in credibility and sustainability junctures. Startups with lower market, managerial and entrepreneurial knowledge changed their business model frequently in a response to challenges, like resource constraints, while startups that were able to acquire knowledge were able to grow faster, access resources, and seize opportunities effectively. Finally, first movers to a specific market confronted technological challenges and changed their business model more often than other startups.

The recent years have witnessed university business incubators being major contributors to regional development by supporting and nurturing academic spin-offs, and fostering innovation. However, with the academic spin-offs scaling up, they decide to exit the incubator and sometimes even migrate to another city or region. This study recognizes the migration pattern of academic spin-offs from Delft and Wageningen and identifies not only the regional factors influencing the location choice of academic spin-offs but also incubator related factors. The study is exploratory and follows a mixed approach with both qualitative and quantitative analysis done through the study of secondary data from 2012, desk research, literature review, semi-structured interviews, semi-structured questionnaires and comparative case studies.

To begin with, a desk research was conducted tracing academic spin-offs in the incubators of both the university cities- Yes!Delft from Delft and StartHub from Wageningen. The academic spin-offs were tracked for their current location, technology, industry, ownership type, founding year and age to recognize any pattern. Through the semi-structured interviews with the experts from each of the two incubators, the types of support, activities and policies were investigated. The interviews confirmed the findings from desk research in the areas they prefer or most dominant technology in the incubators. While Yes!Delft is dominated by complex tech and MedTech academic spin-offs, for StartHub (StartLife) is dominated by food and agritech.

Through the literature study, a conceptual framework was devised with the factors recognized from existing literature influencing the stay and exit of startups from the incubator and region. Apart from confirming the factors from the conceptual framework, a new set of factors were added from the interviews, questionnaire and the case studies. The study concludes with individual frameworks for Delft and Wageningen and an overall framework with a combined list of reasons. Quantitative analysis was conducted briefly through mean comparison of support factors and appreciated based on Likert scale for the data from 2012 and 2020 of Delft and Wageningen. The regional support still remains the most appreciated category of support influencing the location choice of academic spin-offs. While most startups that exit Yes!Delft still remain located in either Delft or the neighboring cities the startups that exit from StartHub have moved to bigger cities such as Amsterdam, Utrecht and Rotterdam.

The migration pattern can be explained through the findings of the study. The research shows that as and when startups scale up they seek not just better accommodation and infrastructural facilities but also the need for developing work culture, market agglomeration and closer distance to clients, suppliers and other resources apart from university reputation, easy access and availability, affordability of resources and social ties. In spite of academic spin-offs exiting the incubators, Regional development can be improved by influencing them to stay located in the region. The support can be offered not just by the infrastructural support by incubators but also through the entire entrepreneurial ecosystem as a whole by nurturing them with resources and social ties.

Currently, technology manufacturing companies are driven by revenue, based on volume sales, cost reduction of supply chains, factories and operations. This is all based on the current linear economy business model. In order to go against the negative environmental impacts, sustainability plays a major role by the aim to achieve sustainable growth and enhanced resource efficiency. The optimal solution for the companies is the circular economy. In reality, the technology manufacturing companies are still far from operating closed-loop systems. Company business models and strategies are still based on the linear business models. As a key driver, digital data technologies can play a critical role in order to overcome the challenges and barriers, as well as being a key driver in gaining competitive advantages. Therefore, by conducting a structured literature review and case studies, this thesis aims to analyse the challenges and barriers, digital data technologies and circular business models. In the end, to improve the business models of technology manufacturing companies towards Circular Business Models. Ultimately, this thesis contributed to the research by generating data-driven approaches and strategies based on digital data technologies and circular business model elements. Furthermore, a flow diagram is created to give an overview of the existing literature. It shows the challenges, barriers, strategies, characteristics, and competitive advantages. Therefore, helping the technology manufacturing companies with the implementation of digital data technologies and their transition towards Circular Business Models.