Eslamloo, Fa zaneh; B own, Ke y; Biyouki, Zah a Am ollahi
A icle
Success ul comme cialisa ion in s a up accele a o
p og ammes: How di e en s a up ecosys ems ma e
Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge (JIK)
P o ided in Coope a ion wi h:
Else ie
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Eslamloo, Fa zaneh; B own, Ke y; Biyouki, Zah a Am ollahi (2025) : Success ul
comme cialisa ion in s a up accele a o p og ammes: How di e en s a up ecosys ems ma e ,
Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge (JIK), ISSN 2444-569X, Else ie , Ams e dam, Vol. 10, Iss. 3, pp.
1-15,
h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.jik.2025.100688
This Ve sion is a ailable a :
h ps://hdl.handle.ne /10419/327589
S anda d-Nu zungsbedingungen:
Die Dokumen e au EconS o dü en zu eigenen wissenscha lichen
Zwecken und zum P i a geb auch gespeiche und kopie we den.
Sie dü en die Dokumen e nich ü ö en liche ode komme zielle
Zwecke e iel äl igen, ö en lich auss ellen, ö en lich zugänglich
machen, e eiben ode ande wei ig nu zen.
So e n die Ve asse die Dokumen e un e Open-Con en -Lizenzen
(insbesonde e CC-Lizenzen) zu Ve ügung ges ell haben soll en,
gel en abweichend on diesen Nu zungsbedingungen die in de do
genann en Lizenz gewäh en Nu zungs ech e.
Te ms o use:
Documen s in EconS o may be sa ed and copied o you pe sonal
and schola ly pu poses.
You a e no o copy documen s o public o comme cial pu poses, o
exhibi he documen s publicly, o make hem publicly a ailable on he
in e ne , o o dis ibu e o o he wise use he documen s in public.
I he documen s ha e been made a ailable unde an Open Con en
Licence (especially C ea i e Commons Licences), you may exe cise
u he usage igh s as speci ied in he indica ed licence.
h ps://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Success ul comme cialisa ion in s a up accele a o p og ammes: How
di e en s a up ecosys ems ma e
Fa zaneh Eslamloo
a,*
, Ke y B own
a
, Zah a Am ollahi Biyouki
b
a
School o Business and Law, Edi h Cowan Uni e si y, 270 Joondalup D i e, Joondalup, WA 6027, Aus alia
b
School o Business and Law, Cu in Uni e si y, Aus alia
ARTICLE INFO
JEL classi ica ion:
O00
Economic de elopmen
Inno a ion
Technological change
G ow h
Keywo ds:
S a up accele a o s
S a ups
Comme cialisa ion
S a up ecosys em
Wes e n Aus alian and I anian con ex s
ABSTRACT
This s udy examined he in luence o he Wes e n Aus alian and I anian s a up ecosys em con ex s, including
he powe s and liabili ies ha de e mine s a ups’ comme cialisa ion ou comes. By u ilising a heo e ical
amewo k based on p og amme e alua ion, explana o y heo y building, and c i ical ealism, a c oss-con ex ual
compa ison s udy was conduc ed. The s udy showed ha he con ex o s a up accele a o p og ammes and he
s a up ecosys em is an impo an de e minan o comme cialisa ion ou comes. The s udy e ealed ac o s ha
impede s a up accele a o p og amme success, including low ollow-on in es men , ecosys em imma u i y, he
ine ec i e agency o he Wes e n Aus alian and I anian go e nmen s, low le els o alen among s a up agen s,
and he sho comings o he s a up accele a o p og ammes. The esea ch con i med ha p og amme e alua ion
is a sui able heo e ical base o he e alua ion o s a up accele a o p og ammes by de e mining wha wo ks,
o whom, in wha con ex , and why. I ex ended he exis ing body o knowledge by de eloping he change
models o he s a up accele a o p og ammes s udied in he con ex o Wes e n Aus alia and I an, which can be
applied in esea ch on o he s a up accele a o p og ammes in di e en con ex s.
In oduc ion
In ecen yea s, many go e nmen s ha e come o unde s and he
inc easing signi icance o s a ups and inno a i e businesses and hei
abili y o compe e and su i e economically in changing wo k en i-
onmen s (M’Chi gui, 2012; Ojaghi e al., 2019). Recen yea s ha e seen
an inc ease in he use o s a up accele a o s (SAs), an
inno a ion- ocused p og amme ha seeks o help s a ups o de elop
inno a ions and accele a e he p ocess o comme cialising hei p od-
uc s (Pauwels e al., 2016). SAs design s a ups’ plans wi hin a wide
con ex in which hey wo k o acili a e he con e sion o inno a i e
s a up ideas in o comme cially iable p oduc s (Mansoo i e al., 2019;
Mian e al., 2016; Pauwels e al., 2016; Wise & Vallie e, 2014). The
accele a o s p o ide a se o suppo se ices o selec ed s a up eams
wi hin ime-bound p og ammes o accele a ion. Se ices include phys-
ical space, educa ion, unding, aining, men o ing, and ne wo king
(Cohen e al., 2019; Cohen & Hochbe g, 2014). Quali ied s a ups ha
engage wi h accele a o s p epa e an ini ial e sion o hei p oduc s
wi h he suppo hey ecei e (Mansoo i e al., 2019; Ries, 2011), se ing
in mo ion oppo uni ies o connec wi h en u e capi alis s willing o
in es in hei s a up ideas (Cohen e al., 2019; Cohen & Hochbe g,
2014).
S a up accele a o s add ess di e en s a up needs ha ange om
inno a ion and scaling o he c ea ion o long- e m pa ne ships and
alue in e ms o be e b and posi ioning. The objec i es o each
accele a o may a ec how bes pe o mance should be measu ed
(Mo oz e al., 2024). Malek e al. (2014) ound ha accele a o pe o -
mance could be g ea ly a ec ed by local-le el esou ce condi ions, along
wi h s akeholde in ol emen and ma ke dynamics. This nuanced iew
o accele a o capabili y and hei con ex ual ele ance c ea es a sound
basis o op imising suppo s a egies o achie e imp o ed comme ci-
alisa ion ou comes ac oss di e se ecosys ems.
Al hough SA p og ammes a e suppo ed by many economies o
p omo e a posi i e s a up inno a ion and comme cialisa ion en i on-
men , he e is a subs an ial gap in schola ly wo k s udying he impac o
SA p og ammes on he comme cialisa ion success o s a ups, especially
ela ing o implemen a ion ac oss di e en ecosys ems. Al hough
se e al s udies ha e conside ed he gene al bene i s o SA in ol emen ,
ew ha e explo ed a ia ions in he con ex ual ac o s in geog aphical
and economic landscapes ha may in luence e ec i eness. This cu en
esea ch seeks o ill he c i ical gap by explo ing wo dis inc s a up
ecosys ems om Wes e n Aus alia (WA) and I an. The o me
* Co esponding au ho .
E-mail add esses: [email p o ec ed] (F. Eslamloo), [email p o ec ed] (K. B own), [email p o ec ed] (Z. Am ollahi Biyouki).
Con en s lis s a ailable a ScienceDi ec
Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge
jou nal homepage: www.else ie .com/loca e/jik
h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.jik.2025.100688
Recei ed 1 Oc obe 2024; Accep ed 4 Ma ch 2025
Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge 10 (2025) 100688
A ailable online 28 Ma ch 2025
2444-569X/© 2025 Published by Else ie España, S.L.U. on behal o Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge. This is an open access a icle unde he CC BY-NC-ND
license (
h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ ).
ep esen s a semi-ma u e ecosys em wi h obus go e nmen al suppo
o inno a ion, whe eas he la e is an eme ging ecosys em ope a ing
unde immense economic challenges, including in e na ional sanc ions.
This compa ison seeks o cla i y how SA p og ammes can enable o
impede comme cialisa ion oppo uni ies o s a ups in he di e en
s a up ecosys ems o WA and I an.
These wo ecosys ems we e selec ed o wo easons. Fi s , wo
ecosys ems can be compa ed: in one, he go e nmen p omo es he
s a egic de elopmen o he s a up ecosys em and in he o he he
go e nmen has begun some p elimina y s a up de elopmen measu es
bu su e s om in e na ional sanc ions and o he economic issues. The
second eason was he con enience o da a access and an unde s anding
o he con ex s; I an is he home coun y o one o he au ho s, and WA is
whe e all au ho s now li e.
In gene al, he s udy seeks o answe : How do he SA p og ammes in
di e se ecosys ems di e wi h ega d o comme cialisa ion ou comes,
and wha con ex ual ac o s explain hese di e ences?
To explo e and cons uc he heo y o SA p og ammes in he con-
ex s o WA and I an, he esea ch used a heo e ical amewo k based
on Chen’s (2014) change model o p og amme e alua ion. This model
was combined wi h a modi ied e sion o Eas wood e al.’s (2014) h ee
phases o explana o y heo y building (eme gen , cons uc ion and
con i ma o y phases), and Dane ma k e al.’s (2002) six-s ep me hod-
ology o explana o y esea ch (desc ip ion, analy ical esolu ion,
abduc ion, e oduc ion, compa ison, conc e isa ion and con ex ualisa-
ion), all unde he philosophical pa adigm o c i ical ealism (CR).
The examina ion o he speci ic SA con ex s o WA and I an (s uc-
u es, agen s, and mechanisms) and he ecosys ems in which hey
ope a ed helped iden i y he ac o s ha de e mine comme cialisa ion
success and s a egies o imp o ing he ou comes. A mul ilaye ed
heo e ical amewo k allows explo a ion o he causal links o mecha-
nisms be ween ecosys em ac o s and he pe o mance o s a ups. We
use CR o unco e deep s uc u es and gene a i e mechanisms ha may
no be obse able immedia ely, bu which none heless ha e a powe ul
in luence on he ou comes o s a up comme cialisa ion.
This s udy aims o iden i y, h ough e oduc i e easoning, he
necessa y con ex ual condi ions o e ec i e s a up accele a ion,
he eby con ibu ing o bo h heo y building and p ac ical applica ions
in en ep eneu ship and inno a ion managemen . I s p ima y objec i e
is o p o ide in-dep h and di e se na a i es abou SAs and hei eco-
sys ems o add ess wha wo ks o whom, unde wha ci cums ances and
why, o enable s a up comme cialisa ion. This unde s anding is in en-
ded o suppo s a egies o enhancing comme cialisa ion e o s,
p o iding ac ionable knowledge o bo h academic and indus y s ake-
holde s engaged in building and suppo ing high-pe o ming s a ups.
Ou igo ous in es iga ion o he in e play be ween SA p og ammes and
hei con ex ual en i onmen s ills a subs an ial li e a u e gap and
con ibu es a nuanced and e ec i e app oach owa ds os e ing inno-
a ion and en ep eneu ship ac oss di e se economic landscapes.
Theo e ical backg ound
SA p og ammes
SAs p og ammes p o ide ime-limi ed suppo o h ee o six mon hs
o coho s o inno a ion- ocused eams ha aspi e o de elop he eam’s
s a ups (Cohen, 2013; Cohen e al., 2019; Cohen & Hochbe g, 2014).
Mille and Bound’s (2011) de ini ion o SAs has been widely adop ed o
SA esea ch:
An applica ion p ocess ha is open o all, ye highly compe i i e.
P o ision o p e-seed in es men , usually in exchange o equi y. A
ocus on small eams no indi idual ounde s. Time-limi ed suppo
comp ising p og ammed e en s and in ensi e men o ing. Coho s o
“classes” o s a ups a he han indi idual companies (p. 3).
Jackson e al. (2015) c i icised Mille and Bound’s (2011) de ini ion
o emphasising se e al non-essen ial ea u es o SAs, such as equi y
pa icipa ion and small eams, while o e looking essen ial ones
equi ing u he esea ch. Jackson e al. (2015) dis inguished essen ial
and non-essen ial ea u es as being 1) (essen ial ea u es) open appli-
ca ion p ocess, highly compe i i e, p o ision o p e-seed in es men ,
ime-limi ed suppo , p og ammed e en s, men o ing o pa icipan s,
manda o y ne wo king, and 2) (non-essen ial ea u es) eam ocus,
sha ed wo kplace, un as coho s, equi y pa icipa ion, pe iodical
mee ings, demo-day o g adua ion, con ibu ion o he s a egic ob-
jec i es o he accele a o , seed and g ow h unding phase, supe ision
by a p o essional o ganisa ion.
A consensus among esea che s and p ac i ione s is ha he key
ea u es o SA p og ammes di e en ia e hem om o he s a up-
ocused o ganisa ions (Cohen & Hochbe g, 2014; Dempwol e al.,
2014; Isabelle, 2013; Mian e al., 2016; Radoje ich-Kelley & Ho man,
2012). Mille and Bound’s (2011) de ini ion o SA p og ammes was
ex ended by Wal e s e al. (2014) and Heinemann (2015), wi h a ocus
on i e in e dependen business ea u es: (a) seed unding, (b)
coho -based en y and exi , (c) co-loca ion, (d) a s uc u ed p o-
g amme, and (e) men o ing (Bliemel e al., 2016). Cohen e al. (2019, p.
1782) s a ed ha SA p og ammes p o ide “ne wo king, educa ional and
men o ship oppo uni ies by d awing in pee s and men o s om he
wide egional communi y: o example, success ul en ep eneu s,
accele a o p og amme alumni, en u e capi alis s, angel in es o s, a -
o neys, accoun an s, o co po a e execu i es”. A sys ema ic li e a u e
e iew on accele a o s conduc ed by C isan e al. (2021) highligh ed he
op i e suppo s ha SAs p o ide a he s a up le el: unding, alida-
ion (p oduc o idea), p oduc de elopmen , ne wo k, and knowledge.
The e iew in oduced mechanisms o lea ning, alida ion, access and
g ow h, and inno a ion as key explana o y cha ac e is ics o SAs ha
ep esen ed speci ic unc ions pe o med by hem.
In gene al, quali ied s a ups en e SA p og ammes and wo k on hei
business ideas while ecei ing educa ional and men o ship oppo u-
ni ies on hei en ep eneu ial p ocesses and aspi a ions (Cohen e al.,
2019). Du ing his ime, he s a up p epa es an ini ial e sion o he
business en u e, known as he Minimum Viable P oduc (MVP), wi h
minimal ime and esou ces alloca ed (Mansoo i e al., 2019; Ries, 2011)
ha can be p esen ed o in es o s and en u e capi alis s on he
demons a ion day (Cohen e al., 2019; Cohen & Hochbe g, 2014).
Conside ing he signi ican ole o SA p og ammes o a s a ups’ com-
me cialisa ion oppo uni y, his esea ch e alua es he SA p og ammes
o WA and I an, as well as powe s and liabili ies in hose ecosys ems ha
p omo e o obs uc comme cialisa ion ou comes.
S a up ecosys em and suppo ing s a ups in he ecosys em
In es iga ing he wo king ecosys em o s a ups is an impo an
conside a ion in he s udy o SA p og ammes. In gene al, he e m
ecosys em e e s o a communi y o li ing beings as agencies in e ac ing
wi h each o he and he en i onmen (Cohen, 2006; T ipa hi e al.,
2019). The concep o a s a up ecosys em has g own ex ensi ely since
2010, ans o ming adi ional businesses o be inno a i e and
echnology-cen ed by using in e ne and communica ional echnolo-
gies (Cukie e al., 2016).
Cukie e al. (2016) de ined a s a up ecosys em as “a limi ed egion
wi hin 30 miles (o one hou a el) o med by people, hei s a ups,
and a ious ypes o suppo ing o ganisa ions, in e ac ing as a complex
sys em o c ea e new s a up companies and e ol e he exis ing ones”.
Dedehayi e al. (2018) de ined s a up ecosys ems as “ he collabo a i e
e o o a di e se se o ac o s owa ds inno a ion, as supplie s deli e
key componen s and echnologies, a ious o ganisa ions p o ide com-
plemen a y p oduc s and se ices, and cus ome s build demand and
capabili ies”. Mazzuca o and Robinson (2018) obse ed ha a s a up
ecosys em e e s o a dynamic en i onmen ha elies on he na u e o
ela ionships and pa ne ships be ween a ious inno a ion ac o s
(including s a ups, esea ch and educa ional cen es, ins i u ions,
F. Eslamloo e al.
Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge 10 (2025) 100688
2
o ganisa ions, and public sec o s) o ins i u ionalise inno a ion pe -
spec i es and c ea e socio-economic alue.
The p oli e a ion o s a ups in ecen yea s has seen a co esponding
g ow h in he numbe o inno a ion ecosys ems and ypes o agen s and
ac o s wo king in hem. A wo-way ela ionship exis s be ween inno-
a i e s a ups and hei ope a ional ecosys em: s a ups b ing ecog-
ni ion o he ecosys em h ough hei pa icipa ion in he s a up
ecosys em, and hey ely on he ecosys em o hei g ow h. Also,
en i onmen al ac o s such as he di e si y o knowledge, local and
public esea ch, uni e si y p oximi y, a ailabili y o s a up- ocused
o ganisa ions, and access o banking esou ces in luence he eme -
gence o s a ups (Ojaghi e al., 2019). The p esen esea ch ocuses on
he impo ance o he s a up ecosys em as a con ex ual aspec (in WA
and I an) and de e mines he e ec o his con ex on how SAs a e
equi ed o wo k and plan hei ac i i ies.
S a ups a e enabled o ind suppo oppo uni ies by he exis ence o
ecosys em enable s such as uni e si ies, incuba o s, accele a o s, in-
es o s, men o s, esea ch ins i u ions, and go e nmen (Thomas &
Geo gee, 2020) as well as being enabled o de elop hei ecosys em
ne wo ks (Haines, 2016; Mason & B own, 2014). The eali y o inno-
a i e s a ups is ha hey expe ience many challenges, because
nume ous weaknesses in luence he pe o mance o newbo n inno a i e
en u es. They equi e he suppo o ex e nal pa ies as well as en i-
onmen al condi ions conduci e o sus ainable su i al and g ow h
(Li unen & Nii ykangas, 2010; Ojaghi e al., 2019).
Ea ly-s age s a ups a e mainly isola ed om exis ing ne wo ks
because i s , a his ea ly s age, he ma ke canno accu a ely ecognise
hei alue and, second, hey lack su icien p o essional ma ke
knowledge, causing p oblems in comme cialising hei ideas. To cope
wi h he di icul ies and weaknesses aced, s a ups equi e app op ia e
supe ision and suppo (Ojaghi e al., 2019). Accele a o s a e a ype o
enable , cha ac e ised by a highly sys ema ic app oach ha de elop
en ep eneu ial compe ency o success ully pi ch a business idea o an
in es o (Thomas & Geo gee, 2020). Accele a o s make i easible o
s a ups o connec o he communi y o ac o s o agen s in he s a up
ecosys em, such as men o s, in es o s, and success ul en ep eneu s, and
bene i om applied knowledge and suppo se ices (Wal e s e al.,
2014).
Al hough accele a o p og ammes a e ecognised as one o he
p incipal d i ing o ces in he de elopmen o s a up ne wo ks (Wal e s
e al., 2014), hei ole in he achie emen a e o s a up businesses and
accele a o p og ammes is signi ican ly di e en ia ed by he ea u es o
di e en s a up ecosys ems (F imodig & To kkeli, 2017). E ec i e SAs
in he US s a up ecosys em wi h expe ience in supe ising success ul
s a ups include Y Combina o , Techs a s, 500 S a ups, and AngelPad
(Mansoo i e al., 2019). The es ablishmen p ocess o s a ups di e s
g ea ly be ween highly ma u e s a up ecosys ems like Silicon Valley,
semi-ma u e con ex s (e.g. WA), and imma u e ones (e.g. I an). The
con ex and cha ac e is ics o di e en s a up ecosys ems mus be
ca e ully conside ed as each one may be equi ed o wo k di e en ly o
acili a e he comme cialisa ion o success ul s a ups. The e is a need o
in es iga e wha s uc u es, mechanisms, and agencies wo king in
imma u e and semi-ma u e ecosys ems o SA cen es can lead o suc-
cess ul comme cialisa ion ou comes.
The nex sec ion ou lines p og amme e alua ion as a heo e ical
backg ound o explain he powe s and liabili ies a wo k in bo h SA
p og ammes and s a up ecosys ems ha in luence comme cialisa ion
ou comes o s a ups.
P og amme e alua ion as a heo e ical backg ound o suppo accele a o
p og ammes
P og amme e alua ion is a heo e ical amewo k ha examines he
ex en o which a p og amme is ocused on achie ing i s in ended esul s
(A gy ous, 2009; B ousselle & Champagne, 2011; Chen, 2006; Chen &
Chen, 2005; Hall, 2008). P og amme e alua ion, as de ined by Chen and
Chen (2005), in ol es he sys ema ic use o e alua ion app oaches,
echniques, and knowledge o e alua e and enhance he planning,
execu ion, and success o p og ammes. Se e al esea che s ( o example:
A gy ous, 2009; Bickman, 1987; Chen, 1990, 2006, 2014; Chen & Chen,
2005; Weiss, 1995) ha e in oduced p og amme e alua ion as a ool o
illus a e how di e en p og ammes wo k o do no wo k o achie e
hei in ended ou comes, and o explain he easons o such pe o -
mance. P og amme e alua ion is mo e han a p ac ical ins umen ; i is
also a me hod o looking a he ull spec um o how SAs beha e in hei
own en i onmen s.
Chen (2014) in oduced he change model as an e alua ion compo-
nen o unde s and he oles o s akeholde s in acili a ing he p ocess.
The change model iden i ies h ee componen s o cause-and-e ec e-
la ionships wi hin a p og amme: 1) in e en ion, he combina ion o
p og amme ac i i ies ha a ec he ela ionship be ween he de-
e minan s and he ou comes; 2) de e minan s, he mechanisms ha
play a media o y ole in he ela ionship be ween he in e en ion; and
3) ou comes, he an icipa ed e ec s o he p og amme (Chen, 2006,
2014; Chen & Chen, 2005).
The p esen s udy used Chen’s (2014) change model o es ablish he
concep ual amewo k o SA p og ammes (see Fig. 1). The esea ch
ocused on he ole o he SA p og ammes by looking a he in luence o
he s a up ecosys ems o WA and I an o iden i y he key s uc u es,
mechanisms, and agen s ha acili a e s a ups o success ul comme -
cialisa ion in hose SA con ex s.
In compa ing he WA and I anian con ex s, his s udy discusses he
h ee phases o explana o y heo y building (Eas wood e al., 2014),
combined wi h six s eps o Dane ma k e al.’s (2002) me hodology o
explana o y esea ch o SA p og ammes, dealing wi h he e alua ion o
how he s a up ecosys em con ex s ma e in WA and I an, including he
ole o go e nmen ; ha is, hei in luence on how di e en CR elemen s
wo k oge he o de e mine wha wo ks o whom, and in wha con ex .
In addi ion, he change models will be examined o SA p og ammes o
p o ide explana ions abou how powe s and liabili ies in he WA and
I anian ecosys ems in luence he comme cialisa ion e o s o success ul
s a ups. The esul ing change models, which include he in luence o
he ecosys em con ex and he ole o he go e nmen , will be p esen ed
a he end o he pape .
The nex sec ion ou lines CR as a ele an esea ch pa adigm o he
p esen s udy o SA p og ammes.
Resea ch ques ions add essed
To cons uc an explana o y heo y o SA p og ammes he p esen
pape uses Dane ma k e al.’s (2002) me hodology o CR and he
modi ied explana o y heo y building me hod o Eas wood e al. (2014).
I add esses ou esea ch ques ions:
a) How do he SA p og ammes wo k in di e en s a up ecosys ems,
ha is, WA and I an, o suppo comme cialisa ion ou comes?
b) Wha ecosys em ea u es including he ole o he go e nmen , a ec
he comme cialisa ion success o ailu e o s a ups in he di e en
s a up ecosys ems o WA and I an?
Fig. 1. The change model o SA p og ammes (Adap ed om Chen, 2014).
F. Eslamloo e al.
Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge 10 (2025) 100688
3
c) Wha ea u es o agen s o agencies play a ole in he WA and I anian
s a up ecosys ems o p omo e o hinde success ul comme cialisa-
ion ou comes?
d) Wha con ex ual mechanisms (powe s and liabili ies) play a ole in
achie ing o obs uc ing comme cialisa ion ou comes in he s a up
ecosys ems o WA and I an?
Resea ch design and me hodology
CR as a esea ch pa adigm
CR is he philosophy o eali y (Bygs ad, 2010; Dobson, 2001; Dob-
son e al., 2007; F auley & Pea ce, 2007; Saye , 1999; Yeung, 1997),
applying on ology and epis emology o in es iga e na u al and social
eali ies (Be gin e al., 2008; Yeung, 1997). CR s a s wi h on ology, he
heo y o being ha ies o iden i y wha exis s in eali y hen shi s he
ocus o epis emology. Epis emology, he heo y o knowledge, looks o
answe ques ions ela ing o he c ea ion o knowledge abou wha exis s
in he eal wo ld (Be gin e al., 2008, 2010).
CR uses a s a i ied on ology ha con ends ha wha happens in he
ac ual wo ld is no indica i e o he powe s ope a ing in he eal domain,
whe he hey a e ac i a ed o do man . In con as , uns a i ied on ol-
ogies assume ha all exis ence is wha is obse ed, ei he in he ac ual o
empi ical domain o in bo h (Saye , 1999). As Blundel (2007) has s a ed,
“ he social wo ld consis s o eal objec s ha exis independen ly o ou
knowledge and concep s, and whose s uc u es, mechanisms, and
powe s a e o en a om anspa en ”. A CR pe spec i e iews he
wo ld as dis inc om ou unde s anding o wha we expe ience in he
wo ld. To o m a comp ehensi e unde s anding o CR, i is impo an o
de ine and dis inguish be ween key concep s ha play a ole in he
con ex o any si ua ion.
S uc u e e e s o “in e nally ela ed physical and ma e ial objec s
and/o human p ac ices” (De Souza, 2014, p. 142). In e nally means
ha he ela ions shaped be ween objec s a e essen ial.
Agen s a e g oups o collec i es sha ing pa icula p ope ies and
he p i ileges (o lack o hem) ha come wi h hose p ope ies (A che ,
1995). Fo example, one could be an in an agen (Poulin-Dubois &
Shul z, 1990) o a leade agen o an ope a o agen wi hin ope a ions
(E iksson & Engs ¨
om, 2021).
Agency is social ac ion ha is enac ed by agen s, b inging change o
hei own li es o o socie y. I is impo an o acknowledge ha he
s uc u al con ex s su ounding an ac ion a e empo al and ela ional in
na u e. Fu he mo e, indi iduals o social ac o s can exhibi mul iple
agency o ien a ions simul aneously (Emi baye & Mische, 1998).
Cul u e can be de ined as “p oposi ions which e lexi e agen s
conside in hei decision making” (Jackson & Rich e , 2017, p. 7).
Cul u e encompasses alues, empi ical and exis en ial knowledge, and
symbolic exp essions. Di e en indi iduals unde s and hei su ound-
ings h ough hese cul u al aspec s, and as a esul , hei comp ehension
may a y. This unde s anding may ela e o e hics, no ms, i uals, a ,
language, and any meaning ul objec ha people expe ience in hei
li es (Godwyn & Gi ell, 2011).
Mechanisms a e “ he ways ha he causal powe s o an objec a e
exe cised” (Blundel, 2007, p. 3). A mechanism is “basically a way o
ac ing o wo king o a s uc u ed hing” (Lawson, 1997). They a e
de ined as “inhe en o physical and social s uc u es, enabling o
limi ing wha can happen wi hin a gi en con ex ” (Wynn J & Williams,
2012, p. 791).
Causal powe s a e “po en ials, capaci ies o abili ies o ac in ce ain
ways and/o o acili a e a ious ac i i ies and de elopmen s” (Lawson,
1997). Causa ion is he p ocess ha iden i ies “causal mechanisms and
how hey wo k, and disco e ing i hey ha e been ac i a ed and unde
wha condi ions” (Saye , 1999, p. 14).
The ealis e alua ion uses con ex –mechanism–ou come (CMO)
models in o de o e alua e p og ammes (Dobson e al., 2013; Jagosh
e al., 2015; Pawson & Tilley, 1997, 2004). The p ocess o CMO
con igu a ion in ol es in e p e a ion (abduc ion) by analysing he
con ex , iden i ying causal mechanisms, and es ablishing c ucial con-
nec ions be ween hem, which a e impo an o de eloping a genuine
in e ence abou he causal ou come ha occu ed be ween wo e en s
(DeBono e al., 2012). De Souza (2016) e e enced A che ’s wo k and
p oposed ha he con ex in he CMO model should be iewed as con-
sis ing o s uc u e, agency and cul u e, and included hose elemen s in a
modi ied CMO model (Table 1) which was used o guide he analysis o
he SA and ecosys em con ex s o WA and I an. In he modi ied CMO
model he e m cul u e was eplaced wi h ecosys em o explo e he impac
o he la e as a signi ican con ex ual ac o on he e icacy o s a up
accele a o p og ammes, and o enable an e alua ion o how hey
pe o m in he di e en ecosys ems o WA and I an.
Fo his esea ch, CR me hodology was selec ed o p o ide accu a e
insigh s in o he s uc u es, mechanisms, agen s/agencies, and causal
ela ionships o he s a up ecosys ems and SA p og ammes in WA and
I an ha posi i ely impac comme cialisa ion ou comes. CR helps us o
unde s and causal ela ionships ha exis beyond obse able phenom-
ena and en iches analysis o inhe en mechanisms and s uc u es guid-
ing he comme cialisa ion ou comes o s a ups. The aim o
p oblema ising is o ex end con en ional inqui y me hods by unco e -
ing unde lying issues and analysing he o de o SA p og ammes in WA
and I an. As his esea ch has aimed o in es iga e a la gely unexplo ed
phenomenon, i modi ied h ee phases o Eas wood e al.’s (2014) CR
explana o y heo y-building me hod.
1) Eme gen : Th ough in es iga ion, he p ope ies o SA p og ammes
and he s a up ecosys em we e e ealed, along wi h he unde lying
s uc u es ha o m he p og amme’s ea u es and in ended mech-
anisms o achie e comme cialisa ion ou comes. In his phase, he
esea che s collec ed da a om esea ch (pee - e iewed academic
da a) and g ey (o he da a) li e a u e, as well as i s - ound in-
e iews wi h ecosys em expe s in WA and I an.
2) Cons uc ion: Du ing he cons uc ion phase o heo y building, he
esea che s ga he ed second- ound in e iew da a o ede ine he CR
elemen s o SA p og ammes and elucida e he causal e ec s o p o-
g amme ea u es.
3) Con i ma o y: All p e ious da a we e e isi ed in his phase o
con i m whe he unde lying mechanisms o CMO p ocesses
hypo hesised in he esea ch we e powe ul enough o lead o he
desi ed comme cialisa ion ou comes. We also sough con i ma ion
ega ding he mechanisms’ ac ions, including hei powe s and lia-
bili ies, in ei he acili a ing o impeding comme cialisa ion ou -
comes. Addi ionally, we looked in o he impac o con ex ual ac o s
wi hin he ecosys ems o WA and I an.
Gi en ha his esea ch is explo a o y, he modi ied eme gen ,
cons uc ion, and con i ma o y phases o Eas wood e al.’s (2014)
explana o y heo y-building we e in eg a ed wi h he six s eps o
explana o y esea ch (Dane ma k e al., 2002) hen applied o quali a-
i e da a in o de o iden i y CMO p ocesses as middle- ange CMO
p ocesses o SA p og ammes ha will con ibu e owa ds a wide he-
o y o SA p og ammes. I is wo h ei e a ing he e ha al hough his
pape seeks o con i m he heo y o SA p og ammes, i s ill ep esen s
middle-le el heo y, gi en ha his esea ch is explo a o y. Sec ion 6.3
will discuss u he limi a ions o his s udy. Fig. 2 shows how he
explana o y heo y-building app oach p og esses om explo a ion o
con i ma ion, answe ing speci ic esea ch ques ions a each s age.
The six s ep da a analysis app oach (Dane ma k e al., 2002), o e -
laid wi h eme gen , cons uc ion, and con i ma o y phases o conduc
explana o y esea ch (Eas wood e al., 2014) was applied as ollows:
Desc ip ion: Exis ing SA li e a u e and da a o 41 in e iews wi h
ecosys em expe s in WA and I an we e used o desc ibe and in e p e
how hese p og ammes wo k o suppo s a ups h ough he p ocess o
comme cialisa ion. This s ep alls unde he eme gen (o explo a ion)
phase.
F. Eslamloo e al.
Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge 10 (2025) 100688
4
Analy ical esolu ion: Analysing he componen s and aspec s o SA
p og ammes as hemes helped na ow he s udy’s ocus o he impac o
he p og ammes and speci ic ecosys em con ex s on comme cialisa ion
ou comes. This s ep also alls unde he eme gen (o explo a ion) phase.
The analy ical esolu ion in his esea ch guided he c oss-con ex
compa ison, pa icula ly in he selec ion o speci ic hemes o compa e
(Table 2).
Abduc ion and heo e ical edesc ip ion: Componen s we e
in e p e ed and edesc ibed wi h hypo he ical concep ual amewo ks
esul ing in heo ising s uc u es, mechanisms, and agen s/agencies.
This s ep alls unde he heo y-building phase. In his s ep, second-
ound in e iew da a we e ga he ed by e u ning o ecosys em expe s
o con i m he pe o mance o di e en s uc u es, mechanisms, and
agen s/agencies in he SA p og ammes ha suppo s a ups o suc-
cess ul comme cialisa ion ou comes.
Re oduc ion: All he da a ( esea ch da a, g ey li e a u e, i s and
second- ound in e iews) and esul s o analysis in p e ious phases we e
e iewed o o m comp ehensi e insigh s o SA p og ammes in di e en
na ional and egional con ex s, wi h he aim o o e ing explana ions o
whe he , how, and why he p oposed s uc u es and causal mechanisms
in luenced comme cialisa ion. This s ep ela ed o he heo y con i -
ma ion phase.
Compa ison be ween di e en heo ies and abs ac ions: The
powe o he iden i ied explana ions was assessed and es ima ed by
abduc ion and e oduc ion, which also comes unde he heo y
con i ma ion phase.
Conc e isa ion and con ex ualisa ion: The in e ac ions be ween
he a ious s uc u es and unde lying mechanisms, a di e en le els
and unde speci ic condi ions, we e examined (Dane ma k e al., 2002).
In his case, he di e en s a up ecosys ems o WA and I an and he ole
played by go e nmen in comme cialising s a up ideas we e cen al
conside a ions. This s ep alls unde he heo y con i ma ion phase.
CR allows us o s udy mo e p o ound mechanisms wi hin s a up
ecosys ems ha d i e comme cialisa ion ou comes, by concen a ing on
he deepe s uc u es a he han he obse able e en s alone. Quali a-
i e in e iews wi h ecosys em expe s, such as accele a o manage s,
a e c ucial o in es iga ing he dep h o expe iences ha exis wi hin
hese ecosys ems. CR in o ms hema ic analysis based on con ex ual
eali ies de i ed om in e iews wi h expe s. Thema ic analysis is
commonly used in quali a i e esea ch o iden i y, analyse, and epo
pa e ns o hemes in quali a i e da a. I is a sys emic p ocess o six s eps:
amilia isa ion wi h he da a, gene a ing ini ial codes, sea ching o
hemes, e iewing hemes, de ining and naming hemes, and p oducing
he inal epo (Kige & Va pio, 2020). The echnique is lexible enough
o esea che s o adap o di e en epis emological ames and esea ch
ques ions (B aun & Cla ke, 2006; Kige & Va pio, 2020). Thema ic
analysis can be done induc i ely o deduc i ely based on whe he he
esea che s app oach he da a wi h p econcei ed ideas o allow hemes
o sel -eme ge. Resea che s should be awa e o po en ial biases and
ensu e s ingen applica ion o he me hod o main ain in eg i y in hei
indings (Ta a es e al., 2021). In he p esen s udy, his app oach en-
ables pa e ns o be aced ac oss di e se expe iences and ye be sensi-
i e o how such pa e ns may look di e en in WA’s semi-ma u e
ecosys em as opposed o I an’s eme ging landscape. Pa icipan s o he
expe in e iews we e selec ed because o hei di ec in ol emen wi h
SA p og ammes, coupled wi h he ich insigh s hey could o e in o
ecosys em dynamics.
The da a analysis in his esea ch ep esen s wo con ex ual le els:
he con ex o he SA p og ammes and he wide ecosys em con ex in
WA and I an, which allows alid explana ions o how he p og ammes
wo k o achie e sa is ying ou comes o comme cialisa ion in hose wo
Table 1
CMO o mula o a SA p og amme.
C (con ex ) þM (mechanisms) ¼O (ou comes)
SA con ex (con ex ual
ea u es in place)
S uc u es (SA p og ammes and egula ions) SA Mechanisms (ope a ing
mechanisms in place)
SA Ou comes
(comme cialisa ion success)Agency (including s a ups, co- ounde s, manage s, men o s,
in es o s, angel in es o s, p og amme coo dina o s)
Ecosys em (I an, WA)
Fig. 2. Resea ch design schema ic, highligh ing explana o y heo y-building
app oach and c oss-con ex ual compa ison.
Table 2
SA p og amme hemes as CR concep s.
Themes CR concep s
S a up ecosys em
(WA and I an)
Con ex
The con ex o SA
p og ammes
Con ex
SA p og ammes S uc u e
S a ups Agen s
Men o s Agen s
Men o ing S uc u e
Educa ion S uc u e
Lea ning Mechanism
In es o s Agen s
In es men
eadiness (o he
de eloped s a up
ideas)
S uc u e
Ne wo king Mechanism
Emig a ion Mechanism
P oduc –ma ke i Mechanism
Talen Pool S uc u e
Sanc ions and
economic issues
S uc u e
The powe o
sanc ions
Mechanism
Comme cialisa ion Ou come
No
comme cialisa ion
Ou come
F. Eslamloo e al.
Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge 10 (2025) 100688
5
con ex s. The change models depic he causal p ocesses gene a ed by
SA p og ammes in he di e en ecosys em con ex s o WA and I an,
ep esen ing he se o p og amme ac i i ies (in e en ion) ha ocus on
changing he de e minan s (mechanisms) and ou comes (comme ciali-
sa ion o no comme cialisa ion). The CMO p ocesses, including he
c oss-con ex ual analysis, a e summa ised in he nex sec ion. The
change models o he WA and I anian s a up ecosys ems a e p esen ed
a he end o his pape .
Discussion: c oss-con ex compa ison be ween WA and I an
The esul o he explana o y heo y building o SA p og ammes
shows ha he di e en con ex s o ecosys em de elopmen and egu-
la o y sys ems in WA and I an ha e di e en e ec s on he SA. The
ollowing hemes guided he c oss-con ex ual compa ison o ecosys ems:
he in es men oppo uni y, he le el o ecosys em ma u i y, he ole o
go e nmen , he agency o s a ups, and he sho comings o he SA
p og ammes.
In es men oppo uni y
The p obabili y o success ul comme cialisa ion o s a ups can be
impac ed by he in e play o ac o s wi hin he s a up ecosys em, wi h
low ollow-on unding being a no able con ibu o .
Follow-on in es men oppo uni ies in he WA s a up ecosys em
WA is conside ed o ha e a semi-ma u e s a up ecosys em, unlike
hose o New Sou h Wales, Vic o ia, o Queensland. In WA he e is less
ollow-on in es men (o ollow-on unding), making i mo e chal-
lenging o s a ups o comme cialise because o WA’s s ong depen-
dence and ocus on he esou ces sec o (including mining se ices) and
he cons uc ion indus y. Re oduc ion indica ed ha due o WA’s
p ominen economic ac i i ies, in es o s ha e a g ea e inclina ion o
in es in he esou ces sec o and cons uc ion indus y, as opposed o
o he a eas ha may pose un amilia isk and unce ain y (such as
s a ups in he gene al echnology sec o ). This ac o hinde s he
de elopmen and ma u a ion o he ecosys em, p omp ing s a ups o
seek oppo uni ies ou side o Pe h and WA, as suppo ed by he
ollowing commen :
So, I hink i ’s less abou he ac ha people ypically in Pe h go in o
mining o wha e e . I hink i ’s mo e he ac ha he e’s a lack o
in es o appe i e o ha kind o in es men [in echnology] and
oppo uni y in his ma ke , in his own. (WA ecosys em expe 13)
Wi h a en ion gi en o o he Aus alian ci ies con ibu ing o Pe h’s
less de eloped s a up ecosys em, he e a e ewe s a ups, SAs, expe s,
and in es o s in as -g owing a eas such as echnology and se ices.
These indings con i m ha he cu en ecosys em s uc u e has weak-
ened abili y o in luence he in es men decisions o in es o s, pa icu-
la ly in a eas un ela ed o esou ces and cons uc ion. This lack o
agency o igge ing necessa y ne wo king mechanisms ha could
po en ially p o ide in es men oppo uni ies o s a ups is explained by
he ollowing ecosys em expe s:
Ve y ew o he p ojec s ha wen in o he accele a o p og amme
e e came ou o he o he end. And ha ’s no a commen on an
accele a o model. I is a commen on he Pe h ma ke … [ he e]
didn’ eally seem o be much appe i e o in es o s o indi iduals o
in es in any o hese p ojec s. (WA ecosys em expe 13)
Ge ing access o in es o s is di icul in his own. Mos in es o s in
his own ha e made hei money in wo ways, mining and p ope y.
They do no make hei money in ech companies. They know ha ’s
he u u e. They know ha ’s exci ing. Bu hey made hei money in
mining o p ope y o bo h. (WA ecosys em expe 7)
Howe e , al hough he ocus on WA’s esou ces sec o and
cons uc ion indus y migh be a limi a ion, he ques ion a ises as o why
i canno be used as an ad an age o suppo a s a up ecosys em ha
ca e s o sol ing p oblems in hese sec o s. The his o y o WA’s ad ances
in he esou ces sec o and i s signi ican po en ial o gene a e in es -
men oppo uni ies, employmen , and p oduc ion o alue o he s a e
con i ms he p oposi ion ha he con ex o he ecosys em in which he
s a up is loca ed has an impo an e ec on s a up comme cialisa ion
success. The e idence om he in e iews suppo s he sugges ion ha
he WA go e nmen has an oppo uni y o le e age he po en ial o
suppo ing s a ups in ac i i ies associa ed wi h i s compe i i e ad an-
age in he mining equipmen , echnology, and se ices (METS) sec o s.
We ac ually would be be e ocusing on how we could ac ually
le e age he mining and ene gy and ag icul u al a eas. Because
we’ e go he bes in he wo ld si ing he e in ou own backya d. I
you look a he capabili ies ha we’ e buil , in mining and esou ces
and he ene gy side o hings, he e a e some o hose echnologies
ha can ac ually c oss o e in o space. So, we should be hinking
abou whe e he e a e wo lds whe e ou echnologies can con ibu e
o. (WA ecosys em expe 8)
Table 3 p esen s a summa y o how he semi-ma u e s a up
ecosys em in WA ailed o capi alise on i s compe i i e ad an ages in
esou ces and cons uc ion. The e was li le o no comme cialisa ion
because he ne wo king mechanism did no gene a e su icien ollow-
on in es men .
The analyses o he expe in e iew da a om WA ( i s - and second-
ound in e iews) and seconda y da a con i m a ocus on mining and
cons uc ion in gene al, wi h a low le el o ollow-on in es men in he
semi-ma u e s a up ecosys em. Acco dingly, i can be in e ed ha he
agency o in es o s and hei weak appe i e o in e ac e ec i ely wi h
s a ups (as agen s) in o de o ac i a e he ne wo king mechanism is a
liabili y. The liabili ies caused by he WA con ex , i s s uc u e, and lack
o po en ial in es o s (agen s) limi s s a ups’ access o in es men op-
po uni ies. I explains why he e was li le o no comme cialisa ion o
some s a ups. Fo example, in one o he SA cen es in WA, only wo o
he 15 s a ups a e s ill ope a ional abou i e yea s la e . In es o s (as
agen s) we e eluc an o in es hei money in ea ly-s age s a ups,
being mo e in e es ed in s a ups al eady gene a ing e enue, as
co obo a ed by a WA expe :
I hink ha ollow-on unding is eally lacking in Pe h … i is so ha d
o ha e ollow-on unding in Pe h unless s a ups ha e ac ion ea ly
on, So why? I I would be an in es o , I am looking o s a ups ha
sol e p oblems and ind solu ions o cus ome needs and de elop
ha o sol e he p oblem o mo e and mo e people … le you know a
solu ion o hope ully millions o people. (WA ecosys em expe 16)
I did some esea ch in 2018 in WA. O e 9 billion dolla s was
in es ed in companies, igh ? Nine billion. Tha ’s a lo o money. And
guess how much o ha 9 billion wen o ea ly-s age echnology
companies? Ze o-poin - h ee pe cen … mining mine als ou o he
g ound, we can’ do ha o e e . (WA ecosys em expe 7)
The s udy indica es ha WA’s ecosys em liabili ies o weaknesses
had a s ong e ec on he p og amme ou comes. I highligh s he sig-
ni icance o con ex ual ac o s a mul iple le els in he s udy o SA
p og ammes and unde sco es he necessi y o conside ing di e se
con ex ual aspec s when designing p og ammes o ensu e ealis ic ou -
comes a e achie ed.
Follow-on in es men oppo uni y in I an imma u e s a up ecosys em
Follow-on in es men oppo uni ies in I an’s imma u e s a up
ecosys em a e hinde ed by in es o esis ance and hei low appe i e o
in es in s a up ac i i ies (weak in es o agency). Because he s a up
ecosys em has eme ged in ecen yea s, in es o s a e nei he awa e o
he na u e o s a up ac i i ies no able o accep ha s a ups’ ac i i ies
a e unlikely o c ea e a e u n on in es men in he sho e m.
F. Eslamloo e al.
Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge 10 (2025) 100688
6
In I an, a low in es men appe i e in he ecosys em is exace ba ed by
he speci ic s uc u al elemen o in e na ional sanc ions ha p e en
he na ion ha ing an open ma ke and in e na ional collabo a ion
(Abdoli, 2020). He e, he no ion o he ad e se impac o he ecosys em
con ex on comme cialisa ion is ein o ced by he I anian s a ups’ in-
capaci y o su moun hei own low in e nal demand h ough endea -
ou s o pene a e in e na ional ma ke s o acili a e in e na ional
paymen op ions o o eign use s. Findings indica e he ne wo king
mechanism is weak. Al hough he e ha e been some ins ances o na-
ional success s o ies o I anian s a ups, such as DigiKala, Snap, Ca ´
e
Bazaa , and Tap30, he low le el o in es o in e es can be a ibu ed o
a lack o unde s anding and amilia i y wi h he unique na u e o s a up
ac i i ies, as dis inc om o he ypes o businesses. To pu sue long- e m
p ospe i y h ough in es men in s a ups, in es o s mus be willing o
con on g ea e isks and unce ain ies. I anian in e iew da a
demons a ed he p oblema ic e ec o an imma u e s a up ecosys em
con ex on success ul comme cialisa ion.
Accele a o ’s policy and s a egy [in I an] is one hing bu he main
poin o no comme cialisa ion is he ecosys em issue … We know
ha s a ups need o abso b money in ime bu when he e is no
enough unding o ollow-on in es men in he ecosys em i hu s
s a ups … (I anian ecosys em expe 15)
Analysis e ealed ha one o he key easons o he absence o
comme cialisa ion ou comes o s a ups in SA p og ammes in I an is he
inabili y o s a ups ( he liabili y o he agen s) o mee in es men
eadiness equi emen s and ac i a e ne wo king mechanisms co ec ly,
due o he imma u i y o he s a up ecosys em and i s limi ed alen
pool. Thus, he nega i e impac o low ollow-on in es men in I an is
compounded by he low in es men eadiness o he s a ups. Table 4
shows he e ec o he I anian s a up ecosys em con ex on he ou come
o he comme cialisa ion e o s, speci ically in ela ion o he in e nal
issue o low ollow-on in es men , combined wi h sanc ions and low
in es men eadiness (o adequa e alen pool) o I anian s a ups.
The le el o s a up ecosys em ma u i y
Low ollow-on in es men is a ea u e o he I anian and WA s a up
ecosys ems. Fu he mo e, h ough e oduc ion, i was disco e ed ha
he le el o ma u i y in he s a up ecosys ems impac s he suppo
p o ided by accele a o p og ammes o s a ups, as well as he quali y o
he p og ammes.
In he imma u e ecosys em o I an, he e is li le collec i e knowl-
edge o s a up ac i i ies, and low le els o s a up alen (as agen s), low
ollow-on unding, and a weak s a up communi y. In hese condi ions,
SA p og ammes ha e s uc u al limi a ions on he quali y o suppo
p o ided o s a ups, e en in bes -case scena ios. This esea ch p o ides
an e idence-based explana ion o how he ma u i y o an ecosys em
impac s he abili y o SA p og ammes o e ec i ely and e icien ly
suppo s a ups in achie ing success ul comme cialisa ion. Fo
example, in I an’s eme ging and imma u e s a up ecosys em, which is
cha ac e ised by a lack o s a up knowledge, he men o ing s uc u e
canno e ec i ely ac i a e he lea ning mechanism. The eason o weak
men o ing is due o a sho age o p o essional men o s, esul ing in
inadequa e guidance and suppo o s a ups, which ul ima ely lowe s
he likelihood o success ul comme cialisa ion. I ein o ces he poin
ha ma ching he igh men o o he igh s a up is a e y impo an
conside a ion in SA p og ammes. As he s a up ecosys em con inues o
ma u e wi h a g owing knowledge and unde s anding o s a ups, he
a ailabili y o quali ied men o s wi h aluable expe ise and expe ience
in he ield will inc ease. The deg ee o ma ching be ween men o s and
s a ups (as agen s) is expec ed o imp o e as he ecosys em de elops.
Expe s co obo a e his idea:
Connec s a ups o expe men o s o help hem how o do ma -
ke ing and ad e ising … men o s hink ha hey know all abou
s a egies o es ablishing inno a i e businesses, howe e , mos ly
hey ha e some supe icial in o ma ion. (I anian ecosys em expe
15)
The inding also applies o WA’s semi-ma u e s a up ecosys em.
Howe e , since i is mo e de eloped han I an’s ecosys em, SA
Table 3
Weak (li le o no) comme cialisa ion due o low ollow-on in es men in he Wes e n Aus alian Ecosys em: Unde lying con ex ual and mechanism- ela ed causes.
Con ex S uc u e Agen (s a up) Agen (in es o ) Ou come
Semi-ma u e s a up ecosys em
o WA wi h low ollow-on
in es men .
The WA ma ke is mo e
ocused on mining and
cons uc ion and i s ma ke is
small o gene al ech
s a ups.
WA ea ly-s age s a ups can
easily go o mo e ma u e
ci ies in Aus alia and ab oad
o ge in es men s in hei
s a up ideas.
Be ween 2013 and 2019, he e was no
ocus on in es men in o
encou agemen o echnology s a ups
in he mining and cons uc ion a eas. SA
cen es we e pushing p og ammes o
gene al ech s a ups.
The s a ups in WA be ween
2013 and 2018 we e ocused on
gene al echnology and no
speci ically on echnology in
mining and cons uc ion.
In es o s (as agen s) ha e less
in es men appe i e o gene al ech
s a ups and p e e in es ing in
mining and cons uc ion (bu no in
echnology s a ups in hese a eas).
No comme cialisa ion
ou comes o s a ups in
he SA p og ammes
Long pe iod needed o
he WA s a up ecosys em
o g ow.
Mechanism Ac i a ed
The ne wo king mechanism is no ac i a ed app op ia ely o gi e s a ups access o in es men oppo uni ies
Table 4
Theo e ical p oposal o he e ec on comme cialisa ion ou comes in I an o low
ollow-on in es men , in e na ional sanc ions, and lack o in es men eadiness
o s a ups.
Con ex and
ecosys em
S uc u e and
agen (s a up)
Agen
(in es o )
Ou come
Imma u e
ecosys em o
I an wi h low
ollow-on
in es men .
The p oblem o
he sanc ions in
I an, e using o
allow i s
s a ups o wo k
in in e na ional
ma ke s.
The weak agency
o s a ups o
mee he
equi emen s o
in es men
eadiness (as
s uc u e), as
seen in he
majo i y o
s a ups in he
I anian SA
p og ammes
when compa ed
o hose in WA.
The liabili y o
he weak
in es men
appe i e o
in es o s
caused by hei
low knowledge
and awa eness
o he na u e o
s a up
ac i i ies; he
p oblem o he
sanc ions ha
p eclude
inwa d o eign
in es men .
P oblems o achie ing
comme cialisa ion in
I an a e caused mo e
by he liabili y o he
agency o he s a ups
in ac i a ing he
ne wo king
mechanism a he
han simply he low
ollow-on in es men
as ound in he WA
ecosys em.
Mechanism Ac i a ed
The ne wo king mechanism was no
ac i a ed p ope ly due o he
nega i e e ec o he low deg ee o
in es men eadiness (as s uc u e)
o s a ups ( hei weak agency), and
low ollow-on in es men caused by
he low in es o s’ in es men
appe i e and he sanc ions.
F. Eslamloo e al.
Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge 10 (2025) 100688
7
p og ammes in WA p oduce be e esul s in e ms o ma ching s a ups
wi h a ailable expe s.
Ou esea ch e i ies ha he e ec i eness o SA p og ammes is
somewha hinde ed by he unde de eloped s a up ecosys em, which
has ye o s eng hen he unc ions o he s uc u es, agen s, agencies,
and mechanisms ha play a ole in acili a ing success ul comme ciali-
sa ion. This is why I an and WA ha e less success in comme cialising
s a ups h ough SA p og ammes han ma u e s a up ecosys ems (e.g.
Silicon Valley wi h a leas 17 yea s o ial-and-e o SA expe ience).
So, you jus go a much bigge ecosys em o people ha ha e had ha
expe ience, a ac alen … Silicon Valley now has a as g ow h,
maybe as a esul o hei expe ience, cul u e o sha ing expe ience,
men o ing and ad ice … You don’ ha e ha in Pe h. (WA
ecosys em expe 5)
Re oduc ion sugges s ha ecosys em imma u i y s ems om a lack
o quali ied agen s such as men o s, in es o s, inno a ion leade s, and
angel in es o s who possess social awa eness and p o essional s a up
expe ience and can in e ac wi h each o he o suppo s a ups in
ans o ming hei ideas in o comme cially iable p oduc s on a la ge
scale. To imp o e ecosys em ma u i y, agen s mus be awa e o he
con ex (s a up ecosys em) and i s e ec s, be posi i e and con iden in
s a up ac i i ies, and in es in hem h ough he p ocess o
comme cialisa ion.
Table 5 shows how comme cialisa ion could ail because o inade-
qua e ac i a ion o mechanisms caused by he e ec s o he b oade
ecosys em con ex on s uc u es and agen s in he SA p og ammes
hemsel es.
Role o go e nmen
The ole o go e nmen in suppo ing inno a ion and s a ups, and in
de eloping s a up ecosys ems was examined.
Aus alian ede al go e nmen and he WA s a e go e nmen
In he WA con ex , he Aus alian ede al go e nmen s a ed he
Accele a ing Comme cialisa ion G an p og amme in 2017 o p o ide
expe ad ice and unding o small- and medium-sized businesses and
s a ups o help b ing hei no el p oduc s o se ices o he ma ke . The
comme cialisa ion guidance g an s we e in ended o aid s a ups o
de elop he comme cialisa ion po en ial o hei businesses, and inan-
cial assis ance o accele a e comme cialisa ion o ade in Aus alian o
o e seas ma ke s (Aus alian Go e nmen , 2021a). The p og amme
p o ides up o $AUD 500,000 o unding o esea ch comme cialisa ion
en i ies and up o $AUD 1 million o unding o all o he eligible
businesses.
[The ede al go e nmen ] would p obably be he bigges in es o in
s a ups in WA. [The ede al go e nmen ] unded 25 companies o
12 million dolla s o e he las ou o i e yea s. [I ] unded i e
companies las yea , wo and a hal million dolla s. Righ ? Tha
would be one o he bigges in es o s in ea ly-s age in Pe h o su e.
(WA ecosys em expe 7)
The ede al go e nmen has also p o ided suppo in WA o accel-
e a o p og ammes and incuba o s wi h unding o s a ups. The p o-
g amme includes $AUD 13,000 o $250,000 o unding o up o 2 yea s,
co e ing an eligible p ojec alue o up o 65 % in egional a eas o up o
50 % in majo ci ies.
WA accele a o p og ammes and incuba o s ha e won his money
and can ge money o pay o an en ep eneu -in- esidence, pay o
50 % o hei p og amme. (WA ecosys em expe 7)
Al hough his unding was alloca ed o suppo he g ow h o he
s a up ecosys em in WA, pa icula ly in he echnology sec o , i ap-
pea s o ha e yielded no disce nible impac in compa ison o he
h i ing s a up scenes in New Sou h Wales and Vic o ia. As men ioned
by WA ecosys em expe 7, unding o ea ly-s age echnology s a up
businesses comp ised only 0.3 % in 2018 o he o al $9 billion in es -
men o e all, an insigni ican amoun in e ms o accele a ing posi i e
changes o he WA s a up ecosys em. WA expe s we e o he opinion
ha he WA ecosys em would pe o m be e and h i e i he unding
was inc eased.
Wha i we ipled i ? Tha would be game changing. Tha would gi e
90 million dolla s a yea . Now ha could make some di e ence.
Nine y million dolla s a yea , in es ed in ea ly-s age. (WA ecosys em
expe 7)
The Aus alian ede al go e nmen has s eng hened unding suppo
o s a ups wi h esea ch and de elopmen ax incen i es as pa o i s
egula o y sys em (Aus alian Go e nmen , 2020). Howe e , he p esen
esea ch ound ha i is also impo an o p o ide educa ion and in-
cen i es o mo i a e in es o s o in es in s a ups, gi en he limi ed
ollow-on in es men in he WA con ex because o low in es o in e es
in s a ups. Addi ionally, incen i ising expe ienced businesspeople o
c ea e o assis s a ups could be a iable s a egy.
They p o ide unding o accele a o s. Okay, g ea . We don’ need
ano he accele a o . I hink wha we need is o educa e in es o s. We
need in es o school. (WA ecosys em expe 7)
I we can ge lo s o expe ienced people in s a ups ha maybe hey
need o mo e on o he accele a o s, I hink ha ’s whe e go e nmen
could eally help ou . (WA ecosys em expe 16)
This esponsibili y is no limi ed o he ede al go e nmen . The WA
s a e go e nmen could add such ac i i ies o i s small g an s p o-
g amme o be e acili a e he comme cialisa ion p ocess o s a ups
and o de elop he ecosys em. Small g an s o s a ups a e a ailable
h ough he s a e go e nmen ’s inno a ion ouche s p og amme, bu
hese appea o be insigni ican alongside he la ge unding p o ided by
he ede al go e nmen .
The s a e go e nmen gi es 20- housand-dolla inno a ion ouche s
[ o s a ups]. Tha ’s i , once a yea . [The ede al go e nmen ] can
gi e nume ous companies hund eds o housands o dolla s a yea .
(WA ecosys em expe 7)
A e in es iga ing he oles o ede al and s a e go e nmen s, i was
ound ha hey bo h play a i al ole in he comme cialisa ion o s a up
ideas. Be e s a egies a bo h s a e and ede al go e nmen le els o
educa e and mo i a e in es o s o suppo s a ups’ comme cial ac i -
i ies would bene i in es o s, s a ups, and he economy. In es men s in
s a ups se icing he WA esou ces sec o would be a key a ge . The
s udy also suppo ed a p oposi ion ha some p elimina y measu es,
such as ax incen i es o ea ly-s age in es o s (Aus alian Go e nmen ,
2021b), would be a p omising s a ing poin in a ac ing in es o s’
in es men appe i e.
Table 5
Theo e ical p oposal o how he weak powe o mechanisms, a ising om he
e ec o ecosys em con ex on he SA p og amme con ex in I an and WA, leads
o he ou come o no comme cialisa ion.
Con ex Agen and s uc u e Ou come
Imma u e ecosys em
o I an and semi-
ma u e ecosys em o
WA.
Ecosys em con ex s impac
nega i ely on he quali y o
s uc u es and agencies in he SA
p og ams. Fo example, men o s
do no ha e enough knowledge
and p o essionalism o p o ide
e ec i e suppo o s a ups.
Li le o no
comme cialisa ion.
Mechanism Ac i a ed
Due o he imma u i y o he I anian and WA ecosys ems, SA
s uc u es and agencies canno in e ac e ec i ely, so ha
SA mechanisms in he change model (including lea ning
and ne wo king mechanisms) do no ac i a e p ope ly.
F. Eslamloo e al.
Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge 10 (2025) 100688
8
Emi baye , M., & Mische, A. (1998). Wha is agency? Ame ican Jou nal o Sociology, 103
(4), 962–1023. h ps://doi.o g/10.1086/231294
E iksson, D., & Engs ¨
om, A. (2021). Using c i ical ealism and abduc ion o na iga e
heo y and da a in ope a ions and supply chain managemen esea ch. Supply Chain
Managemen : An In e na ional Jou nal.
F auley, J., & Pea ce, F. (2007). C i ical ealism and he social sciences: Me hodological
and epis emological p elimina ies. C i ical Realism and he Social Sciences: He e odox
Elabo a ions, 3–29.
F imodig, L., & To kkeli, M. (2017). Sou ces o success - new en u e c ea ion in seed
and business accele a o s. In e na ional Jou nal o Business Excellence, 12(4),
489–507. h ps://doi.o g/10.1504/IJBEX.2017.085015
Godwyn, M., & Gi ell, J. H. (2011). Sociology o o ganiza ions: S uc u es and ela ionships.
Sage Publica ions.
Haines, T. (2016). De eloping a s a up and inno a ion ecosys em in egional Aus alia.
Technology Inno a ion Managemen Re iew, 6(6), 24–32. h ps://doi.o g/10.22215/
im e iew994
Hall, R. (2008). Applied social esea ch. Macmillan Educa ion AU.
Heinemann, F. (2015). Co po a e accele a o s: A s udy on p e alence, sponso ship, and
s a egy. Massachuse s Ins i u e o Technology.
Isabelle, D. (2013). Key ac o s a ec ing a echnology en ep eneu ’s choice o incuba o
o accele a o . Technology Inno a ion Managemen Re iew, 3(2), 16–22. h ps://doi.
o g/10.22215/ im e iew656
Jackson, P., & Rich e , N. (2017). Si ua ional logic: An analysis o open inno a ion using
co po a e accele a o s. In e na ional Jou nal o Inno a ion Managemen , 21(7).
h ps://doi.o g/10.1142/S1363919617500621
Jackson, P., Rich e , N., & Schildhaue , T. (2015). Open Inno a ion wi h digi al s a ups
using co po a e aceele a o s – A e iew o he cu en s a e o esea ch. Zei sch i Fü
Poli ikbe a ung, 7(4), 152–159. h ps://doi.o g/10.5771/1865-4789-2015-4-152
Jagosh, J., Bush, P., Salsbe g, J., Macaulay, A., G eenhalgh, T., Wong, G., Ca go, M.,
G een, L. W., He be , C., & Pluye, P. (2015). A ealis e alua ion o communi y-
based pa icipa o y esea ch: Pa ne ship syne gy, us building and ela ed ipple
e ec s. BMC Public Heal h, 15(1), 1–11. h ps://doi.o g/10.1186/s12889-015-1949-
1
Kige , M. E., & Va pio, L. (2020). Thema ic analysis o quali a i e da a: AMEE Guide No.
131. Medical Teache , 42(8), 846–854. h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/
0142159X.2020.1755030
Lawson, T. (1997). Economics and eali y (Vol. 9). Psychology P ess.
Li unen, H., & Nii ykangas, H. (2010). The apid g ow h o young i ms du ing a ious
s ages o en ep eneu ship. Jou nal o Small Business and En e p ise De elopmen , 17
(1), 8–31. h ps://doi.o g/10.1108/14626001011019107
Malek, K., Maine, E., & McCa hy, I. P. (2014). A ypology o clean echnology
comme cializa ion accele a o s. Jou nal o Enginee ing and Technology Managemen ,
32, 26–39.
Mansoo i, Y., Ka lsson, T., & Lundq is , M. (2019). The in luence o he lean s a up
me hodology on en ep eneu -coach ela ionships in he con ex o a s a up
accele a o . Techno a ion, 84–85(Ma ch), 37–47. h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.
echno a ion.2019.03.001
Mason, C., & B own, R. (2014). En ep eneu ial ecosys ems and g ow h o ien ed
en ep eneu ship. Final Repo o OECD, Pa is, 30(1), 77–102.
Mazzuca o, M., & Robinson, D. K. R. (2018). Co-c ea ing and di ec ing inno a ion
ecosys ems? NASA’s changing app oach o public-p i a e pa ne ships in low-ea h
o bi . Technological Fo ecas ing and Social Change, 136, 166–177. h ps://doi.o g/
10.1016/j. ech o e.2017.03.034
M’Chi gui, Z. (2012). Assessing he pe o mance o business incuba o s: Recen F ance
e idence. Business and Managemen Resea ch, 1(1), 62–76. h ps://doi.o g/10.5430/
bm . 1n1p62
Mian, S., Lamine, W., & Fayolle, A. (2016). Technology business incuba ion: An o e iew
o he s a e o knowledge. Techno a ion, 50–51, 1–12. h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.
echno a ion.2016.02.005
Mille , P., & Bound, K. (2011). The s a up ac o ies. Disscussion Pape , 40. h ps://doi.
o g/10.1017/CBO9781107415324.004. June.
Mo oz, P. W., Sie a, O., & Ande son, R. (2024). A s uc u ed e iew o s a -up
accele a o pe o mance measu emen : An in eg a ed en ep eneu ial p og am
e alua ion app oach. En ep eneu ship & Regional De elopmen , 36(3–4), 460–488.
Ojaghi, H., Mohammadi, M., & Yazdani, H. R. (2019). A syn hesized amewo k o he
o ma ion o s a ups’ inno a ion ecosys em: A sys ema ic li e a u e e iew. Jou nal
o Science and Technology Policy Managemen , 10(5), 1063–1097. h ps://doi.o g/
10.1108/JSTPM-07-2018-0071
Pauwels, C., Cla ysse, B., W igh , M., & Van Ho e, J. (2016). Unde s anding a new
gene a ion incuba ion model: The accele a o . Techno a ion, 50–51, 13–24. h ps://
doi.o g/10.1016/j. echno a ion.2015.09.003
Pawson, R., & Tilley, N. (1997). Realis ic e alua ion. London: Sage Publica ion.
Pawson, R., & Tilley, N. (2004). Realis e alua ion. London: B i ish Cabine O ice.
Poulin-Dubois, D., & Shul z, T. R. (1990). The in an ’s concep o agency: The dis inc ion
be ween social and nonsocial objec s. The Jou nal o Gene ic Psychology, 151(1),
77–90.
Radoje ich-Kelley, N., & Ho man, D. (2012). Analysis o accele a o companies: An
explo a o y case s udy o hei p og ams, p ocesses, and ea ly esul s. Small Business
Ins i u e Jou nal, 8(2), 54–70.
Ries, E. (2011). The lean s a up: How oday’s en ep eneu s use con inuous inno a ion o
c ea e adically success ul businesses. Cu ency.
Saye , A. (1999). Realism and social science. Sage.
Ta a es, W., Timme mans, S., & Ta o y, I. (2021). Theo e ical app oaches o hema ic
analysis: A c i ical pe spec i e on knowledge cons uc ion in quali a i e esea ch.
Quali a i e Resea ch, 21(1), 81–98. h ps://doi.o g/10.1177/16094069231205789
Thomas, J., & Geo gee, K.I. (2020). Incuba ion cen es and s a ups: A s udy on Ke ala ’ s
s a up ecosys em. h ps://doi.o g/10.1177/0970846420930472.
T ipa hi, N., Sepp¨
anen, P., Boomina han, G., Oi o, M., & Liukkunen, K. (2019). Insigh s
in o s a up ecosys ems h ough explo a ion o mul i- ocal li e a u e. In o ma ion
and So wa e Technology, 105(Augus 2018), 56–77. h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.
in so .2018.08.005
Wal e s, K., S acey, J., Haley, C., & Robe s, I. (2014). S a up accele a o p og ammes: A
p ac ice guide. London: Nes a.
Weiss, C. H. (1995). No hing as p ac ical as good heo y: Explo ing heo y-based
e alua ion o comp ehensi e communi y ini ia i es o child en and amilies. New
App oaches o E alua ing Communi y Ini ia i es: Concep s, Me hods, and Con ex s, 1,
65–92.
Wise, S., & Vallie e, D. (2014). The impac on managemen expe ience on he
pe o mance o s a ups wi hin accele a o s. Jou nal o P i a e Equi y, 18(1), 9–19.
h ps://doi.o g/10.3905/jpe.2014.18.1.009
Wynn, D., J , & Williams, C. K. (2012). P inciples o conduc ing c i ical ealis case
s udy esea ch in in o ma ion sys ems. MIS Qua e ly, 787–810.
Yeung, H. W. C. (1997). C i ical ealism and ealis esea ch in human geog aphy: A
me hod o a philosophy in sea ch o a me hod? P og ess in Human Geog aphy, 21(1),
51–74. h ps://doi.o g/10.1191/030913297668207944
F. Eslamloo e al.
Jou nal o Inno a ion & Knowledge 10 (2025) 100688
15
