1/ Start-up ecosystem
A start-up ecosystem is a set of start-up businesses (playing a central role of guiding and leading the start-up ecosystem) and other stakeholders (playing supporting roles called feeders), including but not limited to support organisations, funders, industry leaders, universities/research institutes and service providers with organic, co-existing and sustainable relations (see Figure 1). The government has a feeder role, e.g. building a regulatory framework, or simply referred to “rules of the game” for a start-up ecosystem. The power of the start-up ecosystems depends on the close integration of inside components of the start-up ecosystem.
Each vertical industry has its own start-up ecosystem. For example, the information technology start-up ecosystem is very different from a biotechnology start-up ecosystem. Of course, different start-up ecosystems still have intersected parts
2/ Key vectors of start-up ecosystem
According to Techstars, a start-up accelerator programme in Boulder, the United States, the development of a local start-up ecosystem depends on five key vectors as follows:
1) Talent
2) Culture
3) Density
4) Capital
5) Regulatory framework
Wherein, talent is an underlying element of a start-up ecosystem. To develop a sustainable start-up ecosystem, it is necessary to start with young talent development to equip the young with a new entrepreneurial mindset.
3/ Roles of university in start-up ecosystem
Roles of a university in a start-up ecosystem can be defined to following main tasks:
Training and developing talents, including entrepreneurs, managers and experts;
Providing technology (protected and unprotected), critical resource for fast-growing businesses;
Providing infrastructure facilities, laboratories for start-up businesses/projects.
The primary task of a university is to train and develop talents. The university may have an incubator but its main purpose is to create an experiential environment for students rather than business development (just a secondary product).
To train and develop entrepreneurial students, the university needs to create a holistic environment to help them experience, explore, and accumulate knowledge and skills of starting a business.
Indeed, start-up is not for all students. According to big data surveys, only 2 - 3 per cent of college students are inclined to start a business. Of these, only a small fraction of them will become entrepreneurs in the future.
Nguyen Anh Thi
Director of Information Technology Park, Vietnam National University of Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnamese
