| Abstract |
The daily challenges that are created by our global food systems are in need of novel solutions that cannot be found within established companies or large organizations. Efforts to transition food systems toward more sustainable processes and behaviors have usually been executed via a top-down approach through legislations or by introducing new products or services, albeit without consumer engagement. These efforts have yielded unremarkable results, and thus new bottom-up, or consumer centered and collaborative efforts are warranted. A startup is a newly emerged and fast-growing business seeking to meet the marketplace by developing a business model around an innovative idea. The projects pursued by startups are very risky, so their survival rates are quite low. However, the startups that survive and succeed may have large economic impacts. In this chapter we discuss how food startups engage with larger food companies to deliver increased value to consumers and ameliorate societal issues. We further provide a sort of 'route map' for startup founders to prepare to get their innovations to market. Finally, research streams have identified that neither investigating entrepreneurs and their psychological characteristics, nor investigating the contextual elements surrounding startups and entrepreneurs provide a clear explanation for successful development of startups. Based on these findings we suggest that future research seeking to explain the startup journey should analyze both individual entrepreneurial characteristics, as well as the contextual environment where they operate. |
