Product launching strategies for high-tech based start-ups in the air purification market

Turning from high-tech start-ups to a successful and stable company is the dream of all founders of the start-ups. Even though this journey is not easy and straightforward, the numbers of the start-ups are increasing yearly and they are playing an important role now in the global business arena. Launching their new products to enter the current market is one of most important steps that the start-ups will experience, which can decide the future destiny of the company. However, since most of the established, modeled and studied launching strategies are not particularly focused on high-tech start-ups and since most founders of high-tech start-ups come from technical backgrounds, it is quite necessary to have an overview about the relevant and possible choices of launching strategies. Additionally, it’s important to have a conceptual framework to guide entrepreneurs into choosing a suitable strategy based on their situations to enter the market. The frame work can be particularly important and essential in the industries, for instance life science, biotechnology, aerospace, automotive and many others, where innovative products are extremely welcomed, but the markets are normally dominated by several big companies. This research will consider air purification industry as an example. The main research question can be stated as follow: “What are the suitable strategies for high-tech based start-ups to launch their new products and enter the air-purification market?” In general, this research is done in an exploratory way, and therefore case study would be an appropriate approach to investigate the problem. More specifically, a single case study combined with embedded research will be used as research strategy. The complete research was divided and performed in four steps. The first step of the research is a basic literature study that consists of two parts: 1) Study of launching strategies: The different aspects and levels under the term “launching” and the diverse options within a company for the launching. The relationships and interactions between these options. The influencing factors and forces, internal and external, on the selection and decisions within the company on the relevant options for the launching strategies. 2) Study of the characteristics of high-tech start-ups and the differences between high-tech start-ups them and general high-tech companies during the product launching phase. As a conclusion of the literature research, a basic framework and guidelines was created, by which entrepreneurs can formulate their own new product launching strategies. The second step of this research is to identify the special characteristics of air purification industry, and then figure out what kinds of general factors and options are still available in these particular cases. The purpose hereof is for entrepreneurs in this industry to be able to make better choices within the options mentioned by the conceptual framework. The third step consists of two parts: 1) Analyzing the current situation of a selected case: Virus Free Air (VFA), which is a reprehensive and typical newly established high-tech venture in YES!Delft in the air purification industry; 2) Applying final conceptual framework mentioned before to this particular case, and giving recommendations about the launching strategies that maybe suitable for VFA. This phase also included a general company and financial performance estimation. The last step of this research discusses the feasibility of applying the conceptual framework and guidelines for start-ups to formulate their launching strategies and promotion activities in the air purification or similar industries.

Subject

high-tech start-up
new product launching
air purification market

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http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:c91823ef-1ab0-426e-a6d3-1747d7f91fe8

Embargo date

2013-07-28

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Campus only

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Student theses

Document type

master thesis

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final_thesis_-_Shuai_Zhi.pdf

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